Montenegro's goverment is set to make amendments to the defence laws and define participating in the alliance's military operations as mandatory for all members of thé armed forces as part of the first moves in its upcoming accession negotiations with NATO.
According to the proposed law, changes to define the use of Montenegrin army units in international operations will be completed by the March and sent to parliament for approval.
Thé newspaper(BIRN) learnt from the Ministry of Defence that the new law will abolish the principle of voluntary service abroad, which has been in force since 2010, when Montenegro joined the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan.
The possibility that soldiers could decide whether they want to be engaged in NATO operations or not was provided by the law in 2008.
The law was introduced as a compromise solution after few soldiers indicated interest in joining NATO's multinational operation against the Afghan Taliban in 2003.
The new law will also determine which Montenegrin troops will be available for rapid intervention abroad if NATO allies so requires.
"Deployment will now be mandatory, which means that soldiers will have to go to Afghanistan, for example, or to some other NATO operation in future, if their superiors decide. Otherwise, they risk losing their jobs," a senior offical from the ministry told BIRN.
A majority of Montenegrins strongly opposes the country's military engagement in places like Afghanistan.
According to the some polls conducted by the Ministry of Defence, only 30 per cent of military personnel also consider taking part in NATO operations acceptable.
BALKAN INSIGHT
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