Turkish parliament speaker hails Montenegro on national day

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The speaker of Turkey's parliament on Tuesday congratulated Montenegro on its 15th year of independence.

Mustafa Sentop, in a letter to his counterpart in Montenegro's parliament, Aleksa Becic, said: "On behalf of the Turkish nation and myself, I sincerely congratulate the friendly and brotherly people of Montenegro on the occasion of the National Day of Montenegro."

He noted that Ankara values the development of inter-parliamentary relations with the Balkan country.

Montenegro has been independent since June 3, 2006, after an independence referendum on May 21 of that year.

However, the country celebrates national day on July 13, when its independence was recognized at the Berlin Congress in 1878.

Turkey became one of the first countries to recognize Montenegro after it declared independence in 2006.