On Monday, preparations were underway in Washington hosting a welcoming ceremony for Montenegro to officially join NATO and become the 29th member of the Western military alliance.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently said that “there is an anti-Russian hysteria in Montenegro.”
The government has, however, defended the move as a stabilizing measure while denying that it could discourage Russian tourists from visiting the country.
“One of the reasons we are joining NATO is to create greater stability, not only for Montenegrin citizens, but also for foreign investors and tourists,” Djukanovic said. “Therefore, our goal is to bring even more Russian tourists,” said Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who has been one of the driving forces behind Montenegro’s NATO bid over the years.