Montenegrin caucus in the US Congress

The US Congress will officially inaugurate the Montenegrin congressional caucus by the end of the year, which will promote the Euro-Atlantic goals of the official Podgorica.

This was announced at a meeting between the advisor to the prime minister for foreign policy and the national coordinator for NATO, Nebojša Kaluđerović, and the head of the US congressional delegation in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, congressman Michael Turner.

During Kaluđerović's visit to Washington, it was announced that the caucus will promote Montenegrin priorities in bilateral cooperation on Capitol Hill.

A caucus is an informal group of deputies who declare themselves interested in certain topics and countries.

There are more than 200 caucus groups in Congress. The long list of "support groups" includes those who represent the interests of a particular country to those who support youth sports, the entertainment industry, safe food...

According to available data, all countries of the former SFRY have their own caucus groups in Congress, except for Montenegro. Serbia is the last of the countries of the former Yugoslavia to form a caucus, in 2004.

An important fact about caucus groups is that every American policy, including foreign policy, is the result of long internal negotiations between the executive and legislative branches, but also many departments, as well as the military and intelligence establishment.

Members of caucus groups are not obliged to vote identically.

As stated in the Government announcement, Kaluđerović also spoke with the newly appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Ji and the former Assistant Secretary of State Filip Riker, who assessed that the USA will support the democratic development of Montenegro and the realization of its strategic goals.

Kaluđerović also met with the president's special advisor for Europe in the National Security Council, Karen Donfried, who reiterated the US support for NATO's open door policy and the individual assessment of candidates' progress towards membership.