Much has been made about the political ramifications of Montenegrin membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and whether Montenegro should, instead, choose to remain a “neutral” country. It seems that as the decision gets closer about whether NATO will extend an invitation to Montenegro to join the security alliance at its next summit in Whales this September, the debate is heating up about whether Montenegro should join. One key point is the fiscal argument: That it would be too expensive for Montenegro to not participate in a joint defense alliance, leaving the country to protect its borders and citizens on its own. While this is legitimate, there is a far more significant economic rationale for Montenegro to join NATO. And it has little to do with classical economic performance indicators.

Last month AmCham Montenegro conducted a forum with NATO experts from the United Kingdom and Slovenia, as well as a Montenegrin Economics professor and the country’s National Coordinator for NATO where economic aspects on NATO membership were explored. One of the key conclusions drawn from the debate was that peace and stability are vital in order to maintain a healthy and thriving economy over time. Unfortunately, we in the Western Balkans have learned the hard way about what war and economic sanctions can do to halt investments and destroy the economic output of an entire region. That painful lesson was issued only 20 years ago, the consequences of which are still being felt to this day. NATO membership would ensure long term peace and stability for Montenegro and the Western Balkans.

If stability and security are prerequisites for consistent economic performance, then based on NATO’s history of maintaining peace in the post-WWII era we should be able to safely say that NATO is good for business development and the economy. We must be aware that without the a basis of security, we cannot expect to have a consistently thriving economy over time. Security, of course, can be achieved in many different ways. However, there are very few countries in Europe with the ability to attain that status without the benefit of joining NATO. This is why it is time for businesses and citizens in Montenegro to support joining this organization which is committed to peace and justice as soon as possible.