ROUND TABLE “PROTECTION OF THE CULTURAL-HISTORICAL HERITAGE IN THE REGION”, 02.04.2007 SARAJEVO , BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

On 02.04.2007 in Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina , was held a Round table on the topic “Protection of the cultural-historical heritage in the region”. Organizer of the meeting was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina , presiding country of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative for 2007 in cooperation with the Ministry for Civilian Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina . At the meeting were present representatives from Greece , Slovenia , Croatia , and Bosnia and Herzegovina . Although it is not a member of the Initiative, Macedonia had its representative (Mr. Zoran Pavlov MA), who at the invitation of the Committee for Preserving of the Cultural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina took active participation at the working sessions of the meeting. The main issues discussed were the cultural-historical heritage between the tradition and the new needs, the UNESCO standards in the protection of the cultural heritage and the reality in the countries from the region, and the possibilities for standardization of the criterion in the area of protection of the cultural heritage.

All the present, analyzing the situation in their own countries, had highlighted the need of bigger financial support for improvement of the condition of the cultural heritage. Especially accentuated was the lack of expert staff for preparing a management plan, which is complex in itself, but also an expensive process. Therefore, as a proposal was raised the issue for the possibility of regional cooperation for its making as a pre-condition for a successful treatment of the cultural heritage. The discussions produced a document that is expected to be verified by all the member countries of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative.