Montenegro will still participate in the meeting of military officials in Paris

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

Montenegro will participate in the meeting of top military officials in Paris, where they will discuss international efforts to support Ukraine, the Prime Minister's advisor for security and defense, Todor Goranović, confirmed to Radio Free Europe.

"As a NATO member, our country will continue to participate in relevant formats that contribute to stability and strengthening the security architecture of the European continent".

The topic of the meeting in the French capital is the creation of an international force to deter future Russian aggression against Ukraine after the establishment of a ceasefire. They include discussions on the size of the force, locations and, most importantly, military options in the event of a ceasefire violation, according to the AP news agency.

Previously, a source from the AP news agency stated that Montenegro and Croatia were the only European NATO members that were invited to the meeting in Paris and did not respond.

The Prime Minister's advisor told RFE/RL that the invitation was sent to the General Staff of the Montenegrin Army.

However, he added, Chief of the General Staff Zoran Lazarević is on an official visit to Bulgaria, so the meeting in the French capital will be attended by the Deputy Military Representative of Montenegro to NATO.

According to AP sources, the United States was not invited to the meeting, because European countries want to show that they can take responsibility for a large part of the security framework for Ukraine after a ceasefire is established.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago, at the end of February 2022.