Montenegrin Foreign Minister welcomes broad and durable mandate for new OSCE Mission

VIENNA, 18 July, 2006 - In his first address to the OSCE's Permanent Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Miodrag Vlahovic, anticipated the rapid signing of an official memorandum to support a new OSCE Mission, based in Podgorica.

The country, which recently became the OSCE's 56th participating State, was welcomed to its main regular decision-making body on Tuesday. Speaking to the Heads of Delegation in Vienna, Minister Vlahovic said that Montenegro welcomed the OSCE's contribution to building up the democratic capacity of the new State.

"We believe that the recently adopted mandate for the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, which encompasses all three dimensions of the OSCE - human, politico-military and economic and environmental - is broad enough to provide OSCE assistance and involvement in all important spheres of Montenegrin society."

He expected soon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Montenegro and the OSCE through which the OSCE Mission to Montenegro would become fully functional.

"In the vision of our future, the OSCE plays one of the key roles. The OSCE has substantial results in Montenegro and was closely involved and active in overall reforms that Montenegro initiated almost a decade ago. The OSCE Mission assisted in launching the reform process and supported its implementation. That is why I wish to stress the gratitude of Montenegro to the OSCE for all the efforts and support it provided."

"What we feel today, sharing this table with the representatives of 55 OSCE countries, is pride and privilege, even more so because the OSCE is the first international organization Montenegro has become part of as an independent and sovereign country," he added.

The Foreign Minister said the strategic goal of Montenegro was full integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, primarily the European Union and NATO: "We are convinced that integration is a requirement for the prosperity of both Montenegro and our neighbouring countries."

Montenegro's foreign policy priority was the development of good-neighbourly relations and regional co-operation: "Even the smallest of states", he said, "can make its contribution to collective welfare and stability."

"We are well aware that our presence here as the 56th participating State of the OSCE is both a privilege and responsibility to be used wisely ...That is why we count on the OSCE and its participating States to work together closely with us so that we enhance and intensify cooperation in the name of what brought us here together in the first place - fostering prosperity, security and stability for all," added Minister Vlahovic.