Prime Minister Marković: Bokelj Navy and St. Tryphon dance belong to all citizens of Montenegro

Podgorica, Montenegro (20 December 2017) -- Prime Minister Duško Marković confirmed earlier today in the Parliament of Montenegro that the Bokelj Navy will be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List, adding that the Bokelj Navy and the St. Tryphon dance belong to all citizens of Montenegro and that everyone has the right to identify themselves with that value.

"Montenegro, as a country that has inherited multiculturalism as a core value, treats its entire heritage integrally, without dividing it by ethnic affiliation. It is about cultural values that belong to the citizens, the whole society, and everyone has the right to identify themselves with that value," said the Prime Minister answering the question by Adrian Vuksanović of the Croatian Civic Initiative about whether the Ministry of Culture, during the candidacy of the Boka Navy for UNESCO, "left the cult of St. Tryphon and the name of the Croatian people out of the application text."

The Prime Minister said that it was a traditional naval organisation whose membership was not, nor is it today, nationally limited, but, on the contrary, one of the essential values of the Bokelj Navy is its openness, supranationalism and tradition, reflected in the promotion of peace, equality, intercultural harmony and tolerance.

"Furthermore, after being nominated for the UNESCO Representative List, this cultural property will belong to all citizens of the world. Therefore, its "appropriation" by any party in this case is excessive. The Bokelj Navy is a cultural good that is older than the emergence of national states in the Balkans and represents a legacy that has survived despite numerous socio-historical circumstances and cultural influences," said Prime Minister Duško Marković.

The Prime Minister said that the Bokelj Naval has been maintained by the Boka Kotorska local community, transferring it from generation to generation, and testifying to the historical and symbolic values of peacetime maritime transport in Boka Kotorska.

"Local community is a guardian of the values of the Bokelj Navy. The entire process of drafting the application text was carried out in cooperation with representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property and the Bokelj Navy. It is especially important to point out that during the drafting of the text, the organisation's assembly was held last month, at which the text of application was discussed and finalised," the Prime Minister explained.

He concluded by saying that the text of the nomination dossier does not mention any nation, and that there is no reason for creating an atmosphere of ambiguity around such an important issue, thus endanging the decision-making process.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO