Skopje, 15 September 2023 (MIA) – Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska is attending the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO being held in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during which it was announced Thursday that the Ohrid region is set to remain on the World Heritage List.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the Macedonian delegation in Riyadh also includes Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Filip Tosevski, as well as the head of the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Zoran Pavlov.

In her address Thursday at the session, Minister Kostadinovska-Stojchevska voiced gratitude that the Committee recognized the joint efforts of North Macedonia and Albania, the two countries, she said, “share the natural beauty of this unique region, as well as the responsibility for the protection of the prestigious status of world heritage of Lake Ohrid and its rich cultural heritage.”

The Minister noted that the expert teams of both countries drafted the Strategic Recovery Plan for the World Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region with an associated Action Plan, which, she said, “is a significant step in terms of detecting and dealing with the factors that negatively impact the values of the region, and has been positively assessed by the World Heritage Committee and noted in the Decision from the Committee’s session in Riyadh.”

“The prestigious status remains, but the recommendations for its protection remain as well. The recommendations aren’t easy, and their realization requires our complete attention. In order to be successful, it is necessary that everyone does their part of the tasks – the central government, the local self-government, the institutions and the citizens. We have already begun with many things from the recommendations, but their complete realization remains. We constantly need to be aware that our failure to act in line with the recommendations will be a reason for the Ohrid region to be added to the list of World Heritage in Danger,” stressed Kostadinovska-Stojchevska.

The Culture Minister voiced gratitude to the member states of the Committee for recognizing the country’s efforts, as well as everyone involved in the process of protecting the status of the Ohrid region, for their professional and sincere cooperation in the past year and a half.

Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Kaja Shukova, expressed her gratitude to the Committee for recognizing North Macedonia’s efforts and for providing the country with the necessary time to continue to take significant steps towards the protection and sustainable management of the Ohrid region.

“Working together with Albania, we are determined to make the management of this region an example of cooperation, to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the Ohrid region and to hand it over to the next generations. The protection of the environment and biodiversity remain our goal,” stressed Minister Shukova in Riyadh.

Photo/Video: Ministry of Culture