BRUSSELS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- NATO Allies Italy and Greece will begin NATO air patrols over Montenegro on June 5, the bloc said in a statement on Tuesday.

Montenegro joined NATO in June last year. As a country that does not have its own fighter planes, it has asked the Allies to help secure its airspace, the statement said.

NATO carries out air policing missions in Allies that do not have their own air force. There are currently several of these air policing missions across Europe.

Spain, Portugal and France are now part of the Baltic air policing over Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and the UK air force supports air patrols over Romania.