Montenegro's invitation to join NATO triggers Russian response

BRUSSELS, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- NATO invited the west Balkans nation of Montenegro to join the organization Tuesday, prompting a threat of retaliation from Russia.

It is NATO's first expansion since Albania and Croatia, each of which border Montenegro, were added in 2009. During the Kosovo war of the early 1990s, when Montenegro was still a part of Yugoslavia, it was bombed by NATO planes.

Russia has objected to NATO's increasing involvement in the Balkans and expansion eastward. While Montenegro, a country of about 650,000 people and about 2,000 active soldiers, offers little in the way of adding to member countries' security, the invitation sends a message to Russia that it cannot stop NATO expansion.

It could take two years before Montenegro is formally admitted to NATO.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered no official response to NATO's actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was preparing his State of the Union speech to be delivered Wednesday.

"Moscow has always noted at various levels that the continuing expansion of NATO and NATO's military infrastructure to the East, of course, cannot but lead to response actions from the East, namely, the Russian side in ensuring security interests and supporting the parity of interests," Peskov said.

While Peskov offered no specific explanation of what those "response actions" would be, he clearly indicated Russia will take some retaliatory measures.

Montenegro has made changes in its laws, reformed its security services and taken other difficult steps to be included in NATO. Its minister of foreign affairs, Igor Luksic, said Tuesday in Brussels, "By opening your door to Montenegro, both literally and symbolically, you have shown why this alliance is so vital and strong."

"We are determined to work tirelessly not to please others but to change our society for the better. To paraphrase a famous movie sentence: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful alliance," Luksic said.