Montenegro, 2006

Allow me first to welcome your election, Madam, to

the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-

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first session, confident that it will result in important

decisions in the common interest.

It is with particular pride and emotion that I wish

to recall the sixtieth session, during which many

decisions, important for the Organization, were made.

In Montenegro it will be remembered as historic since

it was at that session that our nation was admitted as a

fully fledged Member of this unique world

organization. I wish therefore to thank the Secretary-

General and the President of the sixtieth session,

Mr. Eliasson, and the other representatives of nations

in this forum for having contributed to making the

ceremony of Montenegro’s admission as the 192nd

Member State of the United Nations so uplifting.

It is a great honour and pleasure at this session to

represent Montenegro which for the first time now

participates in the debate as a fully-fledged Member.

As the President of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic, has

already stressed from this rostrum, we see this as a

huge chance, as well as a huge responsibility.

Montenegro is a young European nation that has

existed on its own on the international scene for only a

few months, but it is firmly determined to continue

with even more strength to contribute to peace,

stability and prosperity, by respecting and promoting

the underlying ideas, principles and goals of the United

Nations and its documents. I am strongly convinced

that in the time in which we live the importance of a

State, big or small, primarily depends on its

contribution to the respect for and implementation of

these fundamental international values and standards.

This is relevant in both a regional and a broader

context.

It is in the nature of small States to be more

sensitive to the need for tolerance and dialogue, for

openness, and international relations based on mutual

trust, equality and solidarity, and also to the value of

unity in diversity, which is the axiom of this time, and

of global integration, the basis on which today’s

Montenegro is developing. In this sense I would add

that small nations are destined to be elitist. I hope that

it is not presumptuous to say that Montenegro

promoted these principles best in the recent referendum

that we organized in full partnership with the European

Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation

in Europe, and the Council of Europe, proving that

even in south-eastern Europe the most difficult and

most sensitive issues — such as the status issue — can

be tackled in a democratic fashion and in accordance

with the highest international standards. We are

therefore proud to stress that the democratic process

and outcome of the Montenegrin referendum is also a

European policy victory in our region, and are

confident that through this example we can contribute

to stability and good-neighbourly relations in our

region.

Indeed, regional cooperation is inseparable from

European and global integration, which are essentially

about issues of peace, stability, security and prosperity,

the more so as the globalization that is gaining

momentum confronts us with new challenges and new

threats of a political, environmental and socio-

economic nature. The issues of today, such as

international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction, illegal migration and trafficking,

poverty, threats to the environment, and so forth,

highlight the need for common action.

This vision of the future is exemplified in the

Millennium Declaration, which projects the principles

and goals of the Charter to the world in a new age,

highlighting common responsibility and solidarity in

order to accomplish a vision of a more secure,

prosperous and just world. Without stability there is no

democracy, just as without democracy there is no

stability or sustainable economic development. These

are interdependent processes that must take place

simultaneously, and that highlights the importance of

accomplishing the Millennium Goals. All this brings to

the fore the importance of efficient multilateralism

through action by the United Nations, which needs to

be reformed in order to adequately cope with today’s

challenges, as well as other international and regional

organizations and all nations.

With full awareness and responsibility we will

continue to build in Montenegro stable institutions that

guarantee the rule of law, freedoms, equality and non-

discrimination, human and minority rights as well as

solidarity and a market economy. We will also continue

to promote multi-ethnic harmony and tolerance,

convinced that religious and cultural diversity is

enriching and conducive to greater stability and

growth. It is also conducive to striking a balance

between the State and the individual, fully in

accordance with the principles of sustainable

development.

In this context I wish to express my gratitude to

the specialized United Nations agencies for their

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efforts and support. I believe it is important to stress

from this rostrum that in partnership with the United

Nations Development Programme and our European

partners we will build the first eco-building designed to

house United Nations agencies operating in

Montenegro.

We are very proud that at the very outset of life

on its own Montenegro was admitted to the United

Nations, the institution that is the meeting point for a

multitude of cultures and identities, which it merges

into one address that each and every one of us

identifies with, an institution in which all peoples and

States enjoy full equality. We see this as historic proof

of acknowledgement of respect for the fundamental

values and goals of the United Nations, still equally

valid today. I am confident that Montenegro will

distinguish itself even more as a trustworthy and

constructive partner and that our cooperation within the

United Nations will take on a new quality and will

remain a key component of the political action of

Montenegro. Today’s Montenegro has a clear vision of

development and of its European perspective, and is

ready to fully contribute to a united Europe and the

United Nations.