NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Montenegro on Tuesday, meeting the country’s prime minister and president to discuss transatlantic security, stability in the Western Balkans and preparations for the NATO Summit in Ankara.
Rutte met Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and President Jakov Milatović during the trip, NATO informed.
Montenegro has “31 friends and Allies by its side to ensure it stays safe”, Rutte said in a statement.
He highlighted Montenegro’s contributions to NATO operations, including troops in NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Latvia and Bulgaria, and personnel in KFOR — NATO’s peace-keeping mission in Kosovo.
Rutte also welcomed that Montenegro is investing more than 2% of its GDP in defence and continues to support Ukraine.
Meetings with ministers and university visit
During the visit, Rutte also met Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić, Deputy Prime Minister Ervin Ibrahimović and Defence Minister Dragan Krapović, NATO said.
He later visited the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Montenegro for a discussion with students.
