(Hina) - Croatia believes that Montenegro is ready for NATO membership and that there is no need to wait for the end of 2015 to invite it to join, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić said in Newport on Thursday.
Pusić was attending a two-day NATO summit in the Welsh city.
The foreign ministers of NATO member states met with their counterparts from four membership aspirants - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Georgia.
"Three of the four aspirants come from our region, therefore this is about our immediate interest. All three have been halted in a way, although a decision on opening intensive dialogue with Montenegro will be made (at the summit). Croatia's position is that Montenegro is de facto ready and that one needn't wait for the end of 2015 to decide on inviting it, which I also stressed during the discussion," Pusić said.
She said there was also talk about the need to launch active cooperation with Bosnia after next month's elections there in order to reactivate the suspended Membership Action Plan.
Pusić said the situation in Macedonia, which is on standby because of a dispute over its name with Greece, was worse than before and that the country should absolutely be invited to join NATO.
Pusić also took part in a meeting on the prevention of sexual violence against women in conflicts led by William Hague, the British prime minister's special envoy on the prevention of sexual violence in conflicts. Also in attendance were representatives of Japan, Canada and Denmark.