WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued the following statement Saturday after the Senate failed to approve the accession of Montenegro to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
“I am disappointed that the Senate did not advice and consent on the admission of Montenegro into NATO before we adjourned for the year. Vladimir Putin did everything he could to disrupt the recent Montenegrin Parliamentary elections in an effort to stop the expansion of NATO. As a body, the Senate missed an important opportunity to send a strong message in support of NATO and our allies in the Balkans.
“I urge the Majority Leader to provide the time necessary in January to ensure that Montenegro's NATO bid gets an up or down vote.”
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