May 10 (SeeNews) - Montenegro's prime minister Dusko Markovic said the country will be officially admitted to NATO on June 5 and will be presented as a member state during the summit of the Alliance on May 25.
Spain, the only member of the Alliance which has still not ratified Montenegro's NATO accession protocol, will do so in the coming days, Markovic said after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. A video file of the prime minister's statement was posted on the website of public broadcaster Radio Televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) on Tuesday.
On March 28, the US senate approved the ratification of the protocol for Montenegro’s accession to NATO in an overwhelming and bipartisan vote of advice and consent, the government added.
Montenegro signed the protocol on its accession to the Alliance in May 2016.
In December 2015 the Adriatic country received a formal invitation to join the alliance, which triggered a backlash from Russia.
At the time, Russia's foreign ministry urged the Montenegrin prime minister to call a referendum on NATO accession, citing an obvious, deep division in the country over the issue.
Montenegro was granted a Membership Action Plan, the final step in an application for membership in the organisation, in December 2009.