WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s unanimous approval of Montenegro’s accession to NATO:

“I commend the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for unanimously approving Montenegro’s accession to NATO.  While a small country, Montenegro’s NATO membership will help the western alliance protect a vital coastline in the Adriatic and continue the process of bringing peace, democracy, and stability to the Balkans.  It is also a strong bipartisan endorsement of the continued vitality of the NATO alliance and the collective security it guarantees in Europe.  I urge the full Senate to ratify the treaty at the earliest opportunity.”

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