19 September 2019 - The Decision on the Enlistment of the Bokelj Navy on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the end of 2019
Minister of Culture of Montenegro Aleksandar Bogdanović recently paid a working visit to Kotor, during which he met with the representatives of the local government, and visited the Maritime Museum, the Bokelj Navy and the old prison facility, where work on establishing new facilities will begin soon.
According to the statement issued by the Government of Montenegro, discussions with local government representatives included numerous topics, such as art programs in the city, city development projects, as well as current issues regarding Kotor’s status on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The meeting emphasized that the previous edition of KotorArt justified the festival’s status as one of the key cultural programs in the country. In this regard, Minister Bogdanović and President of Kotor Municipality Aprcović agreed that the state and the city should consider the possibility of an even more generous budget for KotorArt's program next year.
When talking about activities in regards to UNESCO, Minister Bogdanović emphasized that communication in this area is intensive.
Most of the discussions between the Minister and President Aprcović concerned activities in regards to Kotor’s status on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In this regard, the entire natural and cultural, historical area of Kotor is currently under HIA review, while at the same time, the Management Plan is being revised. At the end of the month, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the city’s listing on the UNESCO World Heritage List, an ICOMOS meeting will be organized in Kotor. “I hope that we will soon get an opinion from UNESCO on the spatial plan of Kotor, so that we can start corrections as soon as possible, since we are obliged to submit a new Conservation Status Report by February 2020,” Minister Bogdanović said.
During his visit to the Bokelj Navy, Minister Bogdanovic stressed that it would soon be known whether it would be part of the UNESCO heritage.
“The most important will be the end of the year, when a decision will be made in Bogotá to enlist the Bokelj Navy on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Last year, we submitted the nomination file, it met the technical parameters, and we received 300 signatures of approval for the nomination,” said Minister Bogdanović.
