Mr Brajović said that Montenegro's accession to NATO was the civilizational step forward and one of the greatest successes of modern Montenegro, which puts the seal on the renewed independence achieved in a referendum on 21 May 2006. He recalled that Members of the Parliament of Montenegro, 46 of them, voted in favour of the decision on Montenegro's accession into NATO, at the end of April in Cetinje, and that was, he said, the historical privilege.

"As a social democrat I have to remind you that we have been achieving one of our fundamental political goals which we have been persevering on for 27 years, because we have been aware from the start that joining the Alliance was a guarantee of long-term stability, security and peace in this very sensitive area," Mr Brajović said.

He said he was very proud of the fact that all the member states of NATO, by completing their national procedures, have expressed clear political will for Montenegro to become part of the Alliance, and have recognised its progress, work and commitment and have given their full support on its path.

"It is clear for everyone that the political atmosphere is more relaxed after making this decision. However, I think that the most important is what this means for our citizens - long-term peace and stability as an essential prerequisite for economic growth," Mr Brajović said.

He said he expected commitment to the further overall development of Montenegro, "and I believe that the fact that we have gained trust from all of the NATO member states is a clear message to parties whose members do not participate in the work of the Parliament."

"The current political developments stand as a measure of responsibility of parties on the political scene, that we could be able to see best during the Sitting in Cetinje," Mr Brajović added.

When asked, as the first among equals in the Parliament, what his plans were regarding the political crisis, given the fact that it was most obvious in the Parliament, boycotted by almost half of the MPs, he said he had in mind parties whose MPs did not participate in the work of the Parliament, when talking about the degree of political responsibility.

"They recognise the election results, but only to a certain point. At the local level elections are legitimate when they access they can form majority. According to that criterion, they either participate in local elections or not. At the state level, they require repetition of elections until they win," Mr Brajović said.

Also, as he stated, they form MP groups in the Parliament and have all kinds of requirements, from travel, financing of housing, but they do not attend meetings of the working bodies of the Parliament.

"It is clear that this is not a" boycott", as they call it, but the absence from work. The term "boycott" has gained strength with the help of precisely defined media forces, with the task of creating such an image," the President of the Parliament regared.

According to him, it is all a degree of political responsibility, first towards the citizens who voted for them, and then to the overall atmosphere in the country.

"I believe that with these double standards, let me not say multiple, they themselves have done enough to alter the situation, that it has already reflected to the political rating of certain parties, to be precise," Mr Brajović said.

When asked what if the opposition persisted with a boycott, and whether this situation was sustainable in the long term, he reiterated that the Parliament was the only place for dialogue, crossing of arguments and seeking better solutions for citizens, "who had voted for us as their representatives."

"We are actively working on the adoption of legislation, committees are also very active and we raise the quality of work in all segments. The Parliament functions because it possesses a legitimate majority, and because we show responsible attitude towards citizens and their obligations," Mr Brajović said.

Surely, he said, the Parliament is not the same working in full capacity and without it, "but I do not believe that citizens, when they had been choosing parties to vote for, could have guessed that the elected representatives would not come to work and represent their interests in this convocation of the Parliament."

"Long-term forecasts are pessimistic, but one thing is certain - the absence of the opposition does not give any results, and I think they have become aware of it", Mr Brajović said.

He pointed to one more reflection, which, as he stated, was essentially negative.

"That is their ignoring of the messages and official visits from Europe, which is an escape from the political logic and reality," Mr Brajović explained.

As he said, the opposition has not been able to show so far the understanding of the elementary function of dialogue - to talk, that is to hear the other side - holding on to an ultimatum called "repeated elections", that they would recognise only if they won.

Mr Brajović reminded of the essential message that Ms Federica Mogherini delivered in the Parliament, that the dialogue must be lead in the heart of democracy, therefore in the Parliament, not on the street.

"I believe that they are aware, especially now after joining the NATO, that niether boycott nor ultimatums have anything to do with political reality and achieving political goals, least of all those that they have set up," he said.

When asked whether he agreed with estimates that after the elections in Herceg Novi the precomposition would happen on the political scene, and where did he see the position of the Social Democrats (SD), Mr Brajović said that the party had achieved very good results since its foundation, and strengthened its position, especially having considered their independent paticipation in all elections so far.

"Starting with Tivat, with more than ten percent of the votes won, less than three months after the first Congress of the SD, with the parliamentary elections where we have shown that we enjoyed support in every part of Montenegro, as well as Andrijevica, Budva, Kotor and Gusinje, where we achieved the result that provided for us to have representatives in each of the local parliaments," Mr Brajović said.

In Nikšić, as he said, they showed an obvious upward trend and independently they won three times as many votes compared to the parliamentary elections in October 2016, and the confirmation of previous success they received in Herceg Novi with two and a half times more votes won.

"All these results suggest that we are on the right path from the beginning and make the right decisions, because we work seriously and responsibly, and the citizens in an ever greater numbers recognise and show their confidence," Mr Brajović regarded.

He said that the SD, according to the legitimacy gained after elections in Herceg Novi and active participation in the work of the local parliament, would certainly give their best to initiate many projects in the city and improve life for its citizens.

"When it comes to the recomposition of political forces, it seems to me that all these remarks were uttered by analysts who, when it comes to in the results of elections in Herceg Novi, commented upward and downward trend of opposition parties in the case of early parliamentary elections," he said.

Mr Brajović believes it is too early to judge seriously those circumstances. "Especially if you take one municipality as a standard and, of course, with the fact that last year we had a verification of the will of citizens at the parliamentary elections, and that we are at the beginning of the mandate."

When asked what would be a priority in the work of the Parliament by the end of the Spring Session, Mr Brajović said that the most important task of the Parliament was daily exercise of legislative powers entrusted to them by the citizens.

The work of the Parliament, he said, has been intense, and the period until the end of the Spring Session will be marked by the adoption of a number of legal provisions, thus creating new opportunities for a better quality of life.

"At the same time, through the entire process, all political entities must be very committed to the expert and timely analysis of legal solutions before them, so that we would not have to be faced with a situation of multiple unforeseen budgetary effects, such as was the case with the amendments to the Law on Social and Child Welfare," Mr Brajović emhasised.

He added that "all of us, especially members of the Parliament, have a special responsibility, which aside from the tendency to make better decisions for our citizens, must be in line with the sustainability of the budget."

When asked if he expected the process of joining the European Union (EU) would be accelerated after the accession of Montenegro to NATO, Mr Brajović said he was confident that the membership of the countries in NATO would accelerate its path to the EU, bearing in mind the complementarity of the two processes.

NATO, he said, is not just a military alliance but a political organisation as well. "There is complete compatibility in the basic criteria for membership, two organisations cherish the same values, and NATO was composed dominantly of EU Member States".

According to Mr Brajović, with the accession to NATO, Montenegro has adopted certain standards in the rule of law, which are were important in the process of accession to the EU and has created a safe environment.

"We remain fully committed to the membership into the EU, firmly determined to persevere in reform activities, in order to properly complete the process of accession negotiations and become the next member. During the very process, we have always given priority to the quality of implemented reforms, without burdening ourselves with the date of admission," Mr Brajović said.

He added he believed that the results that Montenegro has been achieving would be recognised, as it was the case of admission to the NATO alliance.

When asked what he saw as a major achievement after 11 years of restoration of independence, and where it could have been done more, Mr Brajović said that the period of one decade was, historically, very short, and Montenegro has achieved great and long term historical results.

As he stated, Montenegro was an independent and internationally recognised state and the leader of European integration in the Western Balkans.

"The strategic path is traced very clearly and the priorities which we have held were defined – the restoration of independence, joining to NATO and the EU. The first two objectives have been realised, and to the third one we have been committed on a daily basis," Mr Brajović said.

Montenegro is, as he said, the state with unequivocal international reputation, dedicated to good neighbor policy. "And the civil state in a very real sense of the word, with multinational and interreligious harmony – which is rare in this region, being the value and uniqueness that is in my opinion what Europe needs".

According to Mr Brajović, numerous infrastructure projects will mark the period of more intensive development of Montenegro, especially the construction of the highway Bar-Boljare, "which is recognised as a project of strategic interest that will connect the north and the south and place all the resources of our country in the function of dynamic economic growth and a better life for all citizens."

"I am convinced that we have a clear vision of the way forward, and that is primarily the necessity of Montenegro to have to vigorously move forward economically, to generate more job positions, to be society of greater solidarity and to provide greater prospects for generations to come," the President of the Montenegrin Parliament said.

When asked what he perceived as a major challenge in the future, he said that Montenegro has managed to achieve important progress in strengthening the rule of law, "and a special attention in the forthcoming period will be dedicated to the reform of judiciary, fight against corruption and organised crime, media freedom, protection of minority rights, vulnerable groups, and promotion of gender equality and women's rights. "

"The biggest challenges at the national level will be economic development, GDP growth and job creation. It is therefore necessary that all political parties show responsibility, in order to overcome divisions and political ferment and turn to economic growth for the sake of prosperity of Montenegro and a better life for all its citizens," Mr Brajović concluded.