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.