The meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), scheduled for Thursday in Brussels, is set to see a formal acceptance of Montenegro as a member. This move will come after years marred in controversy, both inside and outside the small Balkan country.

Along Montenegro's coastline, NATO ships are on joint drills with the Montenegro Coast Guard. They are part of a military force that in total counts only about 2,000 active troops. Montenegro's entire military runs on a yearly budget equal to the amount the US spends on its military in about half an hour.

Along Montenegro's coastline, NATO ships are on joint drills with the Montenegro Coast Guard. /CGTN Screenshot

However, NATO has been very interested in having troops from Montenegro, including its Coast Guard, as a member of the alliance. The country’s strategic location has been seen as a buffer against possible Russian interference. Russia, however, has expressed anger over the new alliance – and sees NATO's move as provocative.

"NATO is a military and political bloc and not a group of philatelists (stamp collectors). It follows a course of projecting its power and bringing more and more states into its orbit. The recent decision to make Montenegro an alliance member is the latest proof of that. Podgorica's military potential is close to zero, but its geographic location allows (the alliance) to strengthen control over the Balkans,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. /VCG Photo

Russia is not the only one that has concerns. Many Montenegrins too have been very vocal against their country's decision to join NATO. They claim their voices were not taken into account, since their government refused to hold a referendum on the membership.

Opponents too have accused Montenegro's leadership of caving to NATO's pressure. Marko Milacic from the Movement for Neutrality of Montenegro believes "Montenegro is the only country in the Adriatic Sea and North Mediterranean which wasn't part of that NATO alliance and those 200 km of Montenegro coast were the reason for them to want to see Montenegro as NATO member. Second reason is pushing Russia out and sending them a message that this is US zone of influence”.

VCG Photo

Nonetheless, Montenegro’s government sees NATO membership differently. For them, this is a necessary step ahead of membership in the European Union, and a strategy to guard against possible future regional conflicts.