Montenegro welcomed onto OSCE Permanent Council as 56th participating State

VIENNA, 22 June 2006 - Newly independent Montenegro today became the 56th State to take its seat as an independent country at the OSCE Permanent Council, the Organization's main negotiating and decision-taking body. The last state to join was Andorra in April 1996.

Today's event followed the dissolution of the former State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, after the independence referendum monitored by the OSCE in May, and the formal declaration of independence by the Parliament of Montenegro on 3 June.

"The new state that was born on 3 June has chosen the OSCE as the first Organization it would join, as the first opportunity where it wanted to express its newly found sovereignty," said the Council's Belgian Chairman, Ambassador Bertrand de Crombrugghe.

"There is no better way to express a vote of confidence in this Organization, including in the norms and principles it represents and the democratic governance it promotes," he added.

In response, Montenegro's Head of Delegation, Vesko Garcevic (and former head of the union's delegation), said that Montenegro, in a new capacity, would sincerely continue to be a responsible actor in OSCE. "Thus we shall contribute, through this Organization, to better understanding security and co-operation in Europe."

He singled out Serbia as being a top priority in terms of co-operation and good relations. "We believe the newly established circumstances will help us ease the frictions accumulated over the years," he said.

The decision by the OSCE to accept Montenegro came into effect on 21 June, following a one-week "silence procedure" to hear any objections. None came. Serbia, as successor state of the now-dissolved union, acceded automatically to the world's largest regional security arrangement. It took up its seat in the Permanent Council under the new shorter name of Serbia earlier this month.

Serbia's Charge d'Affaires, Miroslava Beham, saying that she "very warmly welcomed Montenegro", referred to the recognition of its independence by Belgrade, adding that: "The common historical values and interests of the two countries and their citizens are of special importance."