02/06/2006 - President Mesić satisfied with Opatija summit

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Friday he was satisfied with the organisation and turnout at a regional summit held in the northern Adriatic resort of Opatija over the past two days.
Speaking to the press who covered the summit "Communication of Heritage: A New Vision of Southeast Europe", Mesic said the topics of the event were especially important because relations in the region were advanced through the communication of heritage.
He said heritage offered the peoples in the region a chance to see what had connected them, but also to look to the future.
"We can see how to protect our heritage because it has to be protected so that tomorrow we could live better."
Mesic also said that regional summits dedicated to culture would continue as it had been agreed to hold the next one in Romania, and subsequently in Greece and Montenegro. (HINA)

02/06/2006 - Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin presidents hold talks

Relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are progressing well and both countries want a more fruitful cooperation, but there are some outstanding issues which have to be settled so that they will not burden relations in the future, Croatian and Bosnian Presidents Stjepan Mesic and Sulejman Tihic said in Opatija on Friday.
The two officials met on the margins of a two-day event in the northern Adriatic resort which included on Thursday a summit of Southeast European countries called "Communication of Heritage: A New Vision of Southeast Europe".
"We want as good and fruitful a cooperation as possible for both sides and we concluded that there are several outstanding issues which must be solved," Mesic said in a joint statement to the press.
He said those issues could not be solved at the presidential level. The two governments "must see to it that outstanding issues must not burden relations between the two states, which are called on to rely on each other," he said.
Mesic said experts should be consulted regarding the use of the southern Croatian seaport of Ploce, the building of a bridge connecting Peljesac peninsula to the mainland, and passage through Bosnia's Neum.
"I was assured by some who say it would be too expensive to build a bridge from which the investment will never be earned back because it is impossible," said Mesic.
He recalled that other solutions had been suggested, such as a concession through Bosnian territory, which he said was important when all countries wished to join the European Union.
Bosnian Presidency chairman Tihic said one should follow European standards in looking for solutions, notably regarding Ploce, and recalled that there were certain reservations and objections in Bosnia regarding the Peljesac bridge because it was assumed that the bridge would restrict access to Bosnia's territorial waters.
"We haven't made the final decision yet, but one should consider some alternatives, a concession, a tunnel or an overpass across Bosnian territory if this is also in Croatia's interest," said Tihic.
Mesic and Tihic today also held talks with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic and the press were interested in their position on the recognition of Montenegro's independence.
Tihic said Montenegro would be internationally recognised at some point. "I think it would be good for our future relations if Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina did it first."
Mesic said Croatia would always recognise results. The Montenegrin people's decision at the referendum is known and now the Montenegrin Assembly has to formally adopt the decision based on the referendum's results, he added.
"This will then be a new reality which we will respect," he said, recalling that Croatia had asked others to do the same after its own referendum on independence.
Mesic and Vujanovic discussed the continuation and strengthening of cooperation.
"Our independence provides for that and I am sure that our future cooperation will be successful in the interests of all citizens of Croatia and Montenegro," said Vujanovic. (HINA)

01/06/2006 - Opatija: regional summit on cultural heritage ends

The Opatija summit has shown that Southeast European countries can and want to cooperate not only in political affairs but in culture as well, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in his closing statement at the Summit "Communication of Heritage: A new Vision of Southeastern Europe", which is being held in the northern Adriatic resort on Thursday and Friday.
"We have shown that politics and profession are not always opposed interests in this region and that we can listen to and understand one another," Mesic told participants in the summit, which was attended by five other heads of state, two ministers, a state secretary and two ambassadors from countries in the region, the UNESCO director-general and the Council of Europe secretary-general.
Mesic said he was glad that the Opatija summit had linked "European and national" interests showing that they can coexist and be complementary rather than mutually limiting.
UNESCO general-director Koichiro Matsuura said that the Opatija summit was very successful and that conclusions from its closing declaration should be implemented, but that one should also turn to other areas of cooperation such as education, science and technology.
Council of Europe secretary-general Terry Davis commended the organisation of the summit and of the three previous summits, held in Ohrid, Tirana and Varna. He said the summits were marked by continuity, the establishment of cultural corridors in Southeast Europe, and partnership between the Council of Europe, UNESCO and the European Commission.
After the official part of the summit, the participants left for the town of Porec, where they were due to visit the Basilica of Euphrasius, one of the six Croatian monuments on UNESCO's world heritage list. (HINA)

01/06/2006 - Participants in Opatija adopt Declaration

The regional summit "Communication of Heritage: A New Vision of Southeastern Europe" ended in Opatija on Thursday with the adoption of a declaration and closing statements by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, UNESCO Secretary-General Koichiro Matsuura and Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis.
The event in the northern Adriatic resort pooled six heads of state, two ministers, a state secretary and two ambassadors.
The declaration welcomed the intensifying of regional dialogue in Southeastern Europe at the highest level, noting that it had created a new atmosphere of good neighbourly relations and joint projects in different areas.
"We share the vision of a united Europe as a goal and destiny of all Southeastern European countries. We shall do our best to make that happen," it is noted in the document.
Participants in the meeting described cultural diversity as a distinctive factor in Europe.
"Our readiness to promote inter-cultural and interreligious dialogue, which we pledged at the Tirana forum in 2004, is firm evidence of our determination to respect European standards," reads the declaration.
The document also highlights the need to respect a number of international documents relating to the protection of cultural heritage and underlines the fact that communication is crucial for building a Europe without divisions.
Countries in the region will continue to work towards that aim following a dozen principles cited in the declaration which cover different areas, from the promotion of sustainable cultural and nature tourism to the repossession of cultural artefacts by their countries of origin and the establishment of cooperation promoting dialogue and knowledge of other peoples and their culture, tradition and language.
Participants in the Opatija summit welcomed the adoption of the Varna strategy for the identification, preservation and promotion of cultural corridors in Southeastern Europe and called on countries in the region to adopt it and agree on an action plan.
The Opatija summit was the fourth in a row, after Ohrid, Tirana and Varna. Participants agreed in the closing declaration that the next summit should be held in Sibiu, Romania, in the first half of 2007. (HINA)

01/06/2006 - Matsuura: Croatia can be proud to its heritage

Croatia can be proud of its exceptional cultural and natural heritage as well as of measures it is taking to protect this heritage, said the UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, who was taking part in a two-day summit meeting in the northern Croatian coastal resort of Opatija focusing on communication in the protection of cultural heritage in southeastern Europe.
Croatia has six sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List, five being cultural and one natural site. In addition, another five sites are nominated as possible entries, which shows great potential that Croatia shares with all other countries in southeastern Europe, the UNESCO top official told the summit.
Matsuura commended Croatia for having spared no effort to take active part in the implementation of the convention on the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage since July 1992 when Zagreb ratified the document.
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic decided to bestow the Order of Prince Branimir, a high Croatian medal, on Koichiro Matsuura during his participation in the Opatija summit. (HINA)

01/06/2006 - 59 cultural and natural sites from SE Europe are on UNESCO heritage list

Playing an active role, Croatia is trying to help in efforts aimed at the building of peace and stability through regional cooperation, and culture and science are fields where we can and must do much more as this will positively influence all other forms of cooperation, Croatian Prime Minsiter Ivo Sanader said on Thursday in his welcoming address at the Opatija summit meeting called "Communication of Heritage: A new Vision of Southeastern Europe".
The Croatian premier reiterated that his cabinet was fully committed to cooperation in the region, adding that the peoples in the region should show that being inspired by their past they could promote cooperation in the region.
It is of vital importance for all countries in this part of Europe to retain unequivocal prospects of full membership in the European Union, Sanader said adding that the project of the Union could not be complete without southeastern Europe.
UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said that the summit in the northern Croatian coastal resort of Opatija offered exceptional possibilities for analysing major characteristics of cultural corridors and the undamental role which the cultural heritage had in the development of southeastern Europe.
He stressed that 59 cultural and natural monuments from southeastern Europe were entered into the UNESCO List of Cultural Heritage.
An additional 100 localities are possible nominations for entries to the list.
The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, told participants in the summit that this was the fourth meeting of this kind which was turning into traditional conferences at which heads of state or government from the region convene to assess that the common heritage was something which all should enjoy.
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic agreed during the summit's first plenary session that the cultural cooperation of this region had already shown that common cultural circles and parts of the joint history could serve as a basis for new joint topics of cooperation. (HINA)

01/06/2006 - President Mesić opens regional summit on cultural heritage

Opening the Opatija summit meeting on cooperation of southeastern European countries in the protection of cultural heritage, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said in his welcoming address that the event in the coastal resort of Opatija, which is based on an idea of cooperation and regional dialogue, is yet another proof that countries in southeastern Europe have begun respecting and understanding each other.
Mesic said this on Thursday opening the two-day conference called "Communication of Heritage: A new Vision of Southeastern Europe" which has pooled heads of state of Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro and the chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's three-man presidency, ministers from Serbia and Turkey, a Romanian state secretary and the ambassadors of Greece and Slovenia in Croatia, as well as the UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis.
The conference has been organised by the Office of the Croatian President, in cooperation with the Culture Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Council of Europe and UNESCO.
Mesic stressed that southeastern European countries had left behind a period when they had feared each other and that they had turned to dialogue.
He added that dialogue was not something which had been imposed by external partners but countries in concern had encouraged this process by themselves.
The Balkans is no longer a catchword for the conflict and the countries in the region share not only their geographic position but also their joint European goals, the Croatian president said.
We are aware that in the region there are still some open issues which can affect our future but I believe that we are aware that those issues must not cause new conflicts, he added.
According to Mesic, since the last summit meeting of this kind in the Bulgarian resort of Varna last year, the countries in the region have made great progress achieving an agreement on the joint energy market in outheastern Europe and are now trying to reach agreement on a new trade regime. (HINA)

31/05/2006 - Regional presidents to convene in Opatija for two-day summit

Opening the Opatija summit meeting on cooperation of southeastern European countries in the protection of cultural heritage, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said in his welcoming address that the event in the coastal resort of Opatija, which is based on an idea of cooperation and regional dialogue, is yet another proof that countries in southeastern Europe have begun respecting and understanding each other.
Mesic said this on Thursday opening the two-day conference called "Communication of Heritage: A new Vision of Southeastern Europe" which has pooled heads of state of Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro and the chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's three-man presidency, ministers from Serbia and Turkey, a Romanian state secretary and the ambassadors of Greece and Slovenia in Croatia, as well as the UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis.
The conference has been organised by the Office of the Croatian President, in cooperation with the Culture Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Council of Europe and UNESCO.
Mesic stressed that southeastern European countries had left behind a period when they had feared each other and that they had turned to dialogue.
He added that dialogue was not something which had been imposed by external partners but countries in concern had encouraged this process by themselves.
The Balkans is no longer a catchword for the conflict and the countries in the region share not only their geographic position but also their joint European goals, the Croatian president said.
We are aware that in the region there are still some open issues which can affect our future but I believe that we are aware that those issues must not cause new conflicts, he added.
According to Mesic, since the last summit meeting of this kind in the Bulgarian resort of Varna last year, the countries in the region have made great progress achieving an agreement on the joint energy market in southeastern Europe and are now trying to reach agreement on a new trade regime. (HINA)