PODGORICA – Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi says Montenegro’s accession to NATO is one of the best news this year.

“Now there are two NATO member states among Kosovo’s neighbours – Albania and Montenegro,” Thaçi told the French newspaper Politique Internationale.

As he said, Kosovo is interested in joining the alliance as well.

“We still have some stages before the accession, beginning with the transformation of our security forces into multi-ethnic military forces. We should also work on becoming a part of the Partnership for Peace and on preparing Kosovo to become a member of the Euro-Atlantic alliance,” he said, adding that the ending NATO enlargement in the Western Balkans is the best guarantee of disabling old pretensions.

In the interview for the French newspaper, Thaçi said he expected Serbia to finally recognise the reality of Kosovo’s independence.