10 November 2018 - On the occasion of the conference of the European Capitals of Culture and meetings of the new edition of Unity in Diversity, the President of the Kotor Municipality Vladimir Jokić paid an official visit to Florence at the invitation of the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, last week, and attended a joint gathering of representatives of cities of Europe.
Unity in Diversity represents a platform undersigned by Mayors from over 60 countries, which collects Mayors from all over the world that are willing to listen to and talk about culture, media, democracy, arts, education, science and research for the purpose of peaceful coexistence and progress of citizens. The conference is supported by a number of high representatives, international experts and opinion makers, artists, journalists, students, Academy Award-winning actors, scientists, Nobel laureates, religious leaders, delegates and many others who are ready to discuss actions in terms of public administration and decision making, and order to build a better future.
The opening of this year's Conference was attended by Italian Minister of Culture Alberto Bonisoli, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics and the Mayors and representatives of more than 40 different cities.
During the opening of the manifestation, Italian Minister of Culture Alberto Bonisoli noted that "this conference is held in the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage". This conference was the perfect spot for networking and exchanging the best practices of the European Capitals of Culture cities regarding the preservation of cultural heritage.
The mayor of Kotor has received a formal invitation from the Mayor of Florence because Kotor has been recognized in the world as the Capital of Culture in Montenegro. Kotor has managed to preserve its distinctiveness through a number of unique manifestations and events such as the fashianda, winter and summer carnival, Boka night, Kotor Children Theater festival, Kotor Art Festival, Refresh festival, Searock festival and many others. This city devotedly cultivates the idea that it is a city that belongs to the world's cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO, enjoys an international reputation, brings together great artists from around the world, and attracts a wide range of audiences with its quality and diversity.
At the conference, the Mayor presented Kotor, its cultural and historical heritage, and also expressed Kotor's readiness for cooperation with other cities in the fields of culture and tourism. President Jokić met with the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, and invited him to visit Kotor in the coming year to mark the 40th anniversary of the day when Kotor was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Unity in Diversity aims to build a network that will support and implement specific projects, in particular, those focused on supporting cultural heritage protection, cities' resilience and sustainable development, to facilitate actions directly generated by the needs and ambitions of the local community.
