Podgorica, (MINA) - At the NATO summit in The Hague a historic decision was made to increase defense spending, said President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, adding that in this way a strong message of unity and togetherness within the NATO has been sent.

Milatovic led Montenegrin delegation at what he described as a historic NATO Summit in The Hague.

According to the press release from Milatovic’s office, the Montenegrin delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ervin Ibrahimovic, and Minister of Defense, Dragan Krapovic.

“A historic decision has been made to increase the defense spending from the current two percent to five percent of GDP in the next ten years, and in this way today we sent a strong message of unity and togetherness within the NATO alliance”, said Milatovic in a statement submitted to the press.

He said that it is an investment in the future, an investment in security, an investment in stability.

Milatovic said that Montenegro is a credible NATO member.

“I took the opportunity to highlight the importance of the stability of the Western Balkans and the constructive role Montenegro plays in that regard. In addition to investing in safety and security, Montenegro also invests a lot in dialogue and mutual trust in the region”, said Milatovic.

He emphasized the importance of achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine in the context of European security.

“I pointed out today that Montenegro supports all the efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration to reach a lasting and sustainable peace in Ukraine. Indeed, a historic summit. NATO has demonstrated unity, strength, and from today NATO is an even more resilient, stronger and safer alliance”, Milatovic said.

According to the press release, he also met with Trump before the summit.

“I had the pleasure of meeting briefly with President Trump. You know that Montenegro is a reliable NATO ally. I conveyed that to him today, as well as the message of the strategic partnership between Montenegro and the United States”, said Milatovic.