The tiny Balkan country’s accession to NATO will become official when Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg deposits the final ratification documents in Washington, D.C.

“This is important for Montenegro, this is important for the Western Balkans, it is important for NATO,” Mr. Stoltenberg said Thursday. “It shows NATO’s door is open and Montenegro has reformed.”

The U.S. is the keeper of the NATO founding treaty and holds all ratification documents. Mr. Stoltenberg will travel to the U.S. for the ceremony.

Leaders had hoped to celebrate Montenegro’s accession at a NATO meeting Thursday in Brussels. However, the final ratification by the Netherlands wasn’t completed in time.

Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is currently attending the leaders meeting, but as an observer, not a full member.

The new NATO headquarters has a flagpole reserved for Montenegro. The pole will remain empty Thursday when the leaders officially raise the allied countries banners and Belgium hands over responsibility for the new building to the alliance.

For NATO, Montenegro’s membership will be a check on Russia. Officials have said it will signal that despite Moscow’s opposition, alliance expansion will continue.

U.S. and NATO officials have accused Russia of mounting a campaign in Montenegro to undermine the government and try to block the country from joining the alliance.

“Russia did not want them to join NATO,” said U.S. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former senior allied officer and currently the top Army commander in Europe. “There is the symbolic but real effect of a small nation pushing back on significant Russian influence.”

Russian officials deny they have interfered in the country, but say they oppose NATO expansion.

On Wednesday, Gen. Hodges visited Montenegro for talks with military leaders there, and to ramp up bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Montenegrin militaries.

Montenegro is a small country with a tiny army of only about 2,000 soldiers. But Gen. Hodges said there were practical advantages, including access to Montenegro’s airport and key port on the Adriatic Sea.

“To have Montenegro join the alliance makes the alliance better,” Gen. Hodges said.

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