Selakovic: UNESCO a priority for Serbia

BARCELONA - UNESCO is a priority UN agency for Serbia, above all, when it comes to safeguarding the Serbian cultural and historic heritage in Kosovo-Metohija, Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic said in Barcelona, where he is attending the MONDIACULT 2025 UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.

"A hundred and sixty-four delegations are present here in Barcelona at this time, mostly at ministerial level. By itself, UNESCO is a priority UN agency for us, primarily when it comes to preservation of our cultural and historical heritage in Kosovo-Metohija," Selakovic said.

He said that he had met with many culture ministers from other countries, including Romania, North Macedonia, South African Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador, and that he had had bilateral meetings with the culture ministers of Azerbaijan and Greece, Adil Gabil oghlu Karimli and Lina Mendoni.

"We agreed there is a need to step up cooperation in culture. As regards Azerbaijan, we have prepared a memorandum on a multi-year cooperation programme, due to be signed at meetings between our top state officials. As regards Greece, we also discussed two major agreements, one being an agreement on prevention of trafficking of antiques and artefacts, and cultural goods, and the other being an agreement on cooperation in the cinema industry," Selakovic said.

He noted that Serbia was a strategic partner to both countries and that cultural cooperation with them was on par with cooperation in all other areas.

"Our task is to host an exhibition on endangered Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija by the end of this year or early next year. Endangered Serbian Cultural Heritage is an exhibition opened at UNESCO in November last year and held in Bucharest and Bratislava in the meantime. It is Athens's turn now, and what Minister Mendoni proposed during our meeting is hosting such an exhibition in Thessaloniki besides Athens, which we accepted," Selakovic noted.