U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon received in farewell audience Montenegro’s outgoing Permanent Representative

Today, this Tuesday February 23, 2010 at 11:30am local time (EST), the Secretary-General of the United Nations (U.N.) in New York City, N.Y., USA, H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, received in farewell audience in the Secretary-General’s meeting room the outgoing Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Montenegro to the Organisation, H.E. Mr. Nebojša Kaluđerović, GCDO, called to other responsibilities within the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry after his term in the post expired by regular diplomatic rotation cycle. Ambassador Kaluđerović will be succeeded by Mr. Milorad Šćepanović, departing Montenegrin Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of multilateral relations, nominated by the Government in Cabinet meeting on January 28 last.

During their conversation, after reviewing the extensive work done by Ambassador Kaluđerović over three years and half in New York City following his appointment as first Montenegrin Permanent Representative of the newly-independent State — become the 192nd Member of the United Nations on June 28, 2006 [1], only few weeks after it restored its sovereignty from Serbia, thus completing the breakup of the former Yugoslavia — Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon praised Montenegro’s raising leadership in the Western Balkans’ region and warmly thanked the country for its active and constructive contribution to the international Organisation in general and to the strengthening of multilateralism in particular, recalling his productive meeting with Prime Minister Mr. Milo Đukanović in last September, during the U.N. General Assembly week 2009. He also expressed his satisfaction with Montenegro’s decision to apply for the U.N. Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) and to get involved in its work, emphasizing on the engaged approach that small States should all have, like Montenegro, towards major U.N. bodies.
At the outset of the one-hour audience, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wished Ambassador Kaluđerović continued success in his personal and professional life.