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Minister Bogdanović: We are set to protect outstanding universal value of Kotor by applying best international practice

Published on: Nov 8, 2019 2:51 AM Author: PR Service
Podgorica, Montenegro (7 November 2019) -- Implementation of international best practice in spatial protection is a key objective of the Government and the Ministry of Culture when it comes to the protection of the Kotor area, said Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović at today's session of the Parliament of Montenegro, which discussed the Draft Law amending the Law on protection of natural and cultural - historical region of ​​Kotor.

He emphasised that the said act brings additional quality in the process of protection of the Kotor area as a whole.

"The purpose of the amendment to this legal act is our intention to continuously, in line with the challenges and best international practice and recommendations, improve the legal framework in the field of protection of the Outstanding Universal Value ​​Areas. This is what motivated us to further standardise the protection mechanisms of the Area, as well as to align it with international instruments for the protection of protected areas," Minister Bogdanović pointed out.

The draft law, he added, is part of the activities the Government of Montenegro has been undertaking over the past two years in relation to the Kotor area.

"I will remind you that from 2017, when the Government adopted the Action Plan for the achievement of the Istanbul Committee Decision, significant activities have beencarried out, namely the appointment of the new composition of the Council for the Management of the Natural and Cultural and Historical Region of ​​Kotor, the adoption of the Decision amending the Decision on special purpose spatial plan for the coastal area of ​​Montenegro, which prohibited the construction in the Natural and Cultural-Historical Region of ​​Kotor and the adoption of the Spatial Plan of the Municipality of Kotor."

Furthermore,the Draft Spatial Plan of the Municipality of Kotor was submitted to UNESCO for consideration, while the revision of the Management Plan is underway, Minister Bogdanović said at today's session.

He also said that activities in the field of further protection of the said area will be continued.

"This year, the Baku World Heritage Committee made one of the most affirmative decisions regarding the Kotor area, especially since 2003, when the area was removed from the World Heritage List at Risk. This testifies of the efforts the State has made in the past. This decision, inter alia, particularly encouraged us to continue to improve the process of developing heritage impact assessments, which we have discussed today. However, we will not stop there. After completing the revision of the Kotor Area Management Plan and obtaining the opinion of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in relation to the draft Kotor Regional Development Plan, we will have a clear answer to the future model of action for the protection of the area of ​​the area and the sustainable development of the Kotor protected environment," concluded Minister Bogdanović.
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