NATO report: Support in Montenegro dropped by 12 percent

AUTHOR: M.J.
44 percent of Montenegrin citizens would vote for Montenegro leaving the NATO alliance, while 46 percent of Montenegrin citizens would vote for the country to remain in this alliance, according to the latest NATO report for 2023, which was presented yesterday at the NATO headquarters.
Compared to last year's report, the number of those who would leave NATO increased by 12 percent, and the number of supporters decreased by two percent.
The data from the report show that the majority of citizens of the Alliance member countries would vote for their country to remain a member of NATO in the referendum (66 percent), which is a decrease compared to the same period last year, when 70 percent of the citizens of the member countries supported remaining in the alliance. The number of those who would leave the alliance also increased by one percent, so now 12 percent of respondents believe that their country should leave the alliance.
When asked - if you would vote for or against your country's membership in NATO, how would you vote - 46 percent of the surveyed citizens in Montenegro would say that they would vote for the country to remain in this alliance, while 44 percent would vote for the country to leave the alliance. 10 percent of citizens answered that they did not know.
46 percent of respondents in the country believe that NATO reduces the possibility that a foreign nation will attack our country, while 33 percent believe that this is not the case. And these data indicate a change compared to last year, when 55 percent of citizens answered the first question in the affirmative, and 31 percent in the negative.
At the NATO level, the data are the same as compared to last year, so most allied citizens still feel safe in their country.
Presenting the report, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the world has become more dangerous, but that NATO has become stronger.
The data is clear: public support for NATO is extremely strong – on both sides of the Atlantic. If the vote were held today, the vast majority of citizens throughout the allied countries would vote for NATO. For example, in the United States, only 13 percent would vote against - said Stoltenberg at a press conference in Brussels.
The head of NATO said that over 80 percent of citizens believe that North America and Europe must continue to work together for our common security.
Thus, across the Alliance, support for NATO remains strong. NATO citizens also continue to express strong solidarity with the brave Ukrainians. Across the Alliance, two-thirds of people want their country to continue supporting Ukraine. This is important, because NATO allies provide 99 percent of the total military aid - said Stoltenberg.
According to the latest report, Montenegro allocated 106 million euros for defense in 2023, which is 24 million more than the year before. Starting this year, Montenegro allocates two percent of GDP for defense, which is the Alliance's request.
The report showed that Montenegro spends 128 dollars per capita on defense.