Prime Minister meets with UNESCO Director-General

Spajić: There is strong political will to combat the degradation of protected sites; El-Enany: Significant progress since last December, I admire your determination to preserve world heritage areas

The Government of Montenegro remains firmly committed to preserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, as well as all other sites included on the World Heritage List, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić stated at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.

As part of his working visit to the French capital, the Prime Minister met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany to discuss the preservation of Kotor’s World Heritage status and the strengthening of cooperation between Montenegro and the international organisation.

During the meeting with UNESCO representatives, discussions focused on the state of conservation of the World Heritage property “Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor,” with particular emphasis on the implementation of recommendations contained in the technical reviews of the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS.

Prime Minister Spajić expressed gratitude to UNESCO and its advisory bodies for their continuous cooperation, expert guidance, and support in safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value of this World Heritage property.

He recalled the measures undertaken in the meantime, including the adoption of amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, which officially introduced a moratorium within the World Heritage property and further strengthened the control system in the buffer zone.

It was particularly highlighted during the meeting that procedures have been launched to introduce an additional moratorium within the territory of Herceg Novi Municipality, given the increased development pressures in the area.

The Prime Minister also presented concrete institutional and legal measures undertaken in response to identified illegal activities in the protected area, including procedures aimed at restoring affected sites to their original condition and initiating appropriate legal proceedings against responsible actors.

There is strong political will to fight against all forms of spatial degradation. This Government will not retreat even a centimetre. At the same time, we want to steer the private sector towards healthy and sustainable solutions, Prime Minister Spajić stressed.

I admire your strong determination to preserve this heritage of humanity. You have made significant efforts since last December. The report was submitted on time, along with additional information, and I am very grateful for both your personal commitment and the Government’s dedication to preserving the heritage of Kotor, said El-Enany, adding that it is particularly important that Prime Minister Spajić chairs the National Commission for UNESCO in Montenegro.

During the discussions, it was emphasised that, following the completion of the Cultural Heritage Protection Study, the obligations undertaken towards UNESCO and the recommendations of expert bodies will be incorporated through amendments to the Spatial Plan of Montenegro.

As explained, until the process of harmonisation and adoption of planning documents is completed, the Spatial Plan of Montenegro will not be directly applicable within the UNESCO zone, while development activities in the protected area remain suspended.

In this way, it was stressed, the State seeks to ensure that the future planning framework is fully aligned with the protection of the area’s Outstanding Universal Value.

It was concluded that a visit by UNESCO international experts to Montenegro would be of mutual interest, while Prime Minister Spajić invited the Director-General to visit Montenegro.

UNESCO representatives also invited Montenegro to become a partner within their specialised educational programmes, including those focused on artificial intelligence and digital education.