By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Montenegro has frozen 44 properties owned by 34 Russians sanctioned by the European Union, the country’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.
The move is in line with Montenegro’s efforts to fully align its foreign policy with the EU’s foreign and security affairs, the ministry said in a statement.
Montenegro, a NATO ally since 2017, is also a candidate for EU membership and started accession negotiations with the bloc in 2012.
In early March, Montenegro said it was joining EU sanctions on Russia and also expelled a Russian diplomat.
It was part of the three countries, along with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, that denied Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s plane access to their airspace earlier this week, forcing him to cancel a planned visit to Serbia.
The Foreign Ministry said it took the decision in accordance with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
Montenegro’s military has also supplied non-lethal military equipment, primarily protective vests and ballistic helmets, to Ukraine.
In the Western Balkans, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania have also joined the EU and US in sanctioning Russia.
Serbia, which is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas and oil, has so far refrained, but faces growing pressure for its neutrality and reluctance to sanction Moscow.