Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has won a vote to become the UN General Assembly president after a hard-fought diplomatic tussle with a Lithuanian candidate.
He secured 99 votes in a UN General Assembly election for the post, against 85 for Lithuania's UN ambassador Dalius Cekuolis.
Jeremic, 36, defeated Cekuolis, who had accused Russia of backing the Serb to punish Lithuania for its stance that annexation by the Soviet Union after World War Two brought the Baltic nation more than four decades of tyranny.
Jeremic will assume the post in September.
The job involves chairing the annual gathering of world leaders in New York in September and other UN events.
He secured 99 votes in a UN General Assembly election for the post, against 85 for Lithuania's UN ambassador Dalius Cekuolis.
Jeremic, 36, defeated Cekuolis, who had accused Russia of backing the Serb to punish Lithuania for its stance that annexation by the Soviet Union after World War Two brought the Baltic nation more than four decades of tyranny.
Jeremic will assume the post in September.
The job involves chairing the annual gathering of world leaders in New York in September and other UN events.