New Delhi, May 22 -- Montenegro marks 20 years of independence from a union with Serbia this week, celebrating a two-decade transformation that has already brought the Balkan country into NATO. Now it is eyeing its next milestone: full integration into the European Union.

Speaking to The Associated Press amid national festivities, President Jakov Milatovic described NATO membership as a key milestone and said he is confident the country of 623,000 people will fulfill its ambitious agenda of becoming the next member of the 27-member EU in 2028.

The motto "28 by 28" has even been inscribed on one of the planes of the national airline.

"We can achieve it," Milatovic said from the presidential office in Podgorica, the capital. "I am optimi...