Montenegro has been a NATO aspirant since its declaration of independence from Serbia in 2006. As NATO evaluates its future role in the post-Afghanistan environment, Montenegro has reiterated its desire to become a NATO member. Though small in geographic terms, the country has already contributed to NATO missions, and was invited to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 2009.  Prime Minister Milo Đukanović has led Montenegro’s path to eligibility, fighting regional inertia and implementing required reforms to push for Montenegro’s role in the future of the Alliance. At the Council, Đukanović will discuss developments on Montenegro’s NATO ambitions, and will comment on the country’s efforts to establish itself as a stable force in the midst of a region that has been plagued by decades of intermittent conflict.

Milo Đukanović has been prime minister of Montenegro since 2012.  He is president of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro, and is one of the most prominent leaders in Montenegrin foreign policy. Before becoming prime minister in 2012, Đukanović previously served three separate terms as prime minister: from 1991 to 1998; from 2003 to 2006; and from 2008 to 2010. He was president of Montenegro from 1998 to 2002.