Trump signs US ratification of Montenegro joining NATO
WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump has signed off on the U.S. agreement of Montenegro joining the NATO military alliance, the White House said Tuesday.
Trump signed off on the instrument of ratification approved by the Senate last month in support of Montenegro joining the alliance, which must be ratified by its 28 members.
The Balkan nation will attend the NATO leaders' summit in Brussels next month, "signaling to other NATO aspirants that the door to membership in the Euro-Atlantic community of nations remains open and that countries in the Western Balkans are free to choose their own future and select their own partners without outside interference or intimidation," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement.
The U.S. would work to strengthen relations with the small Balkan nation, which would be the 29th NATO member. The eastward expansion of the alliance has been a point of contention for Russia.
Two of the 28 NATO members, Spain and the Netherlands, have yet to ratify Montenegro's membership, a NATO official said. NATO expects the process to be completed in the next few months.
_dpa
