14 February 2019 - Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović met with the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mechtild Rössler. Minister Bogdanović informed Director Rössler about the current topics and policies implemented by Montenegro regarding the four assets enrolled at the UNESCO World Heritage List, two of which are independent: the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor and the National Park Durmitor and two multinational serial nominations: Stećci - medieval cemeteries and Venetian fortifications from the 16th to the 17th centuries.
Minister Bogdanović stressed the importance of the transnational serial nomination of beech forests in Biogradska gora, bearing in mind the fact that it is one of the unspoiled forests of Europe.
The meeting discussed the issues of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, which is a particularly important field of cooperation between Montenegro and the World Heritage Centre and the Committee to safeguard the exceptional universal values of this area in the best possible way and preserve its status on the World Heritage List.
Furthermore, Minister Bogdanović presented activities related to the National Park Durmitor. "We are ready to begin the process of defining the boundaries of the buffer zone, and it is very important for us to enable sustainable development of Durmitor and to fully protect UNESCO values," Minister Bogdanović said.
Minister Bogdanović emphasised developments in cooperation with the United Nations Office in Montenegro regarding the reconstruction of the Forte Mare Fortress in Herceg Novi as a potential extension of the Venetian fortifications.
He expressed the need for continued cooperation with UNESCO to better protect the areas in Montenegro that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Montenegro to France and UNESCO Permanent Delegate UNESCO Dragica Ponorac, Administration for the Protection of Cultural Properties of Božidar Božović and Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO of Montenegro Milica Nikolić also attended the meeting.
