Montenegro came close to joining NATO, and if that happens, a new extension of the Western military bloc can become in today's crash in Ukraine a clear challenge to Russia, writes.

"Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic coast, its population is only 620 thousand people. However, any expansion of the North Atlantic Commonwealth in today's environment there would be very symbolic ", - reported in the publication.

the magazine reminds that the last NATO enlargement happened in 2009, when he joined two other Balkan countries - Croatia and Albania. But since then, for 28 members of the Commonwealth, much has changed - there is a crisis in Ukraine.

Moscow calls the West is the aggressor and expresses dissatisfaction with the expansion of NATO to the East. This puts the Organization before a dilemma: whether to invite Montenegro to join a Alliance or to refuse her. The invitation gives the Kremlin a new cause for the indictment of the West's expansion, the failure would de facto mean the respect for the right of Russia to veto the entry into NATO of new members, stresses the magazine.

Director of the London analytical center for European Leadership Network Lukasz Kulesa (Lukasz Kulesa) believes that the admission into NATO of Montenegro will be an expression of the concerns of the Commonwealth of instability in the region, linking the West with the East.

"NATO has an obligation to assure an open door policy and preparedness to accept the countries and Nations that are able to be members of the military club," he says.

foreign Minister of Montenegro Igor luk?i? (Igor Luksic), recently visited Brussels, confirmed that his country shared Western values.

"The time has come to make further progress in ensuring security in Europe, taking into account the challenges facing it from the East and South.

sections: Politics