Filip Vujanovic, President of the Republic of Montenegro addresses the General Assembly shortly after his country was admitted as the 192nd Member State of the United Nations at United Nations headquarters in New York yesterday. -Xinhua/Reuters

The United Nations yesterday welcomed the Republic of Montenegro as its 192nd member of the United Nations.

Montenegro was admitted as the new member states Wednesday morning by a General Assembly resolution adopted by acclamation, upon recommendation by the Security Council.

Filip Vujanovic, President of Montenegro, delivered his country's first statement to the Assembly, saying that by becoming a UN member state, Montenegro had assumed a challenge and responsibility to actively support international peace building, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and humanitarian efforts.

He added that Montenegro attached special importance to good neighborly relations, and particularly wanted to further develop close cooperation with Serbia.

Meanwhile, Slavko Kruljevic, Deputy Permanent Representative of Serbia, said he was pleased to see a country, with which Serbia had friendly and close ties, becoming a member of the United Nations, and promised Serbia would seek friendly bilateral relations with Montenegro.

There was a flag-raising ceremony minutes after the Montenegrin delegation had been escorted by UN protocol officers to its seats in the General Assembly - next to Mongolia and behind Madagascar.

"The people of Montenegro demonstrated that adherence to democratic values and the rule of law offer the most effective way to achieve political goals," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said at the ceremony that followed the country's admission.

"And they showed that even the most difficult and sensitive problems can be resolved peacefully. These are especially important messages given the violent past in the Balkan region," he added.

Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly, expressed confidence that the country would work for strong regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, promoting stability in the area.

The Security Council issued a formal presidential statement on Thursday, recommending that the General Assembly admit Montenegro, which held a referendum on May 21, to become independent from Serbia.