Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu Speaks at UBT Conference on Kosovo’s Cultural and Historic Heritage
26/11/2015A conference, “Day of Cultural and Historic Heritage of Kosovo,” organized by the Austrian-Kosovo Society and the UBT brought today together representatives of many institutions, including Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu, former President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Islam Lauka, former ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Kosovo, Alban Bakia, Director of the Kosovar Institute for the Protection of Monuments within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo, Sali Shoshi from the Cultural Heritage Without Borders, Xhejlane Hoxha-Belegu from the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, Baton Haxhiu from the TV Klan, Dr. Lulzim Beqiri, Dean of the UBT Architecture Faculty, and other professionals of the filed.
Opening the conference, UBT Rector Prof. Dr. Edmond Hajrizi, highlighted the importance of the cultural and historic heritage of Kosovo as well as the UBT’s engagement in giving a contribution to this field, just like in many other fields of the interest for Kosovar society.
Prof. Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu, President of the Republic of Kosovo 2006-2010, initially made a presentation of the Austria-Kosovo relations. “Relations between the Albanians and Austria and Austrian people, both in the past and now, have been built on the basis of a deep rooted friendship. Above all, they are a result of the many positive activities and the huge support for the Kosovo during the time our country was making a history,” he said.
Further, he focused on the developments surrounding Kosovo’s UNESCO membership. “The recent decision to deny Kosovo’s membership of UNESCO was not easy for Kosovo; however, I think this should serve as a signal to the people of Kosovo and especially running the institutions that a lot needs to change in the approaches in terms of running the country but also in the sense of promoting the real cultural historic values of this country,” Dr. Sejdiu said, adding that the engagement of Serbia and its diplomatic network to prevent Kosovo from becoming member of this very important international body should not be understood in any other way but as an effort to obstruct our new state and see it fail.
He noted that the issue of the protection of cultural and historic heritage in Kosovo was one of the important topics in the talks on the final status of Kosovo. “Being a witness but also a participant of the important processes of this country down the road to independence, I have to note that in the Vienna talks for the Kosovo status led by Marti Ahtisaari and during the 120 additional days of that process, which were extremely sensitive, one of the important topics, besides that of the status, was the issue of the protection of the cultural and historic heritage of the country of which the Serbian side claimed it is Serbian heritage, by making efforts to manipulate with historic facts. Both at that time and now, a proper answer was given to it: the entire heritage belongs to Kosovo and its people, and as such it needs to be protected and cultivated,” Sejdiu said.
Commenting on the actions that need to be taken now and in the future, former President Sejdiu said Kosovo needs sustainable political stability and mature and very rational steps, which means national-state consensus on all major and sensitive topics that lie ahead of Kosovo. He said sustainable stability cannot be created only through the power of numbers in the Assembly but rather through a quality of actions.
Mr. Sejdiu advised that a strategy of actions and institutional mechanisms of the country needs to be redesigned, starting from the work of the institutions at the local level and especially those dealing with the protection, development, and cultivation of the cultural and historic values of the country by providing additional and multidimensional support.
According to him, additional policies for the work of the institutions in charge needs to be defined, especially in the field of education, science, culture, protection of environment and others, and there has to be an adjustment of policies and coordinated activities of the institutions in charge, namely ministries, both in the country and abroad, as well cooperation with the civic society and other bodies that deal with this issue.
He also spoke about investments in the projects and publications to offer a clearer picture of our heritage, preferably in many languages that is also in the language of the people with a smaller population than Kosovo, because their votes are equal. He listed a number of activities, like organization of events, presentation of undisputed cultural and humanist values reflecting cooperation and interreligious tolerance between different confessions within one entity or different entities, the true presentation of the Kosovars’ respect for the religious monuments, development of a strategy for diplomatic contacts, lobbying to secure support from the countries that have so far made an important contribution, in order to increase the number of the countries recognizing Kosovo, and other actions.
Alban Bakia, director of the Kosovar Institute for the Protection of Monuments within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Kosovo, said the decision to deny Kosovo’s UNESCO membership was unjust. It is important that cultural heritage values and monuments of every nation are duly recognized, he said.
According to Xhejlane Hoxha-Belegu from the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, Kosovo needs help from other countries in developing better and new standards. She noted that Kosovo is rich in monuments of cultural heritage that everyone is aware of and we visit them. “However, if you look the way the foreign media report about this, they present a mistaken picture because they even deny the fact that these monuments exist and are respected,” she said.
She also referred to the developments surrounding Kosovo’s UNESCO membership, saying that Kosovo’s failure to become member of that organization was a real setback. “Both Kosovo and UNESCO stand for the protection of the cultural heritage monuments,” Xhejlane Hoxha said, expressing her hope that in 2017, Kosovo would be more prepared to overcome this challenge.
“If we were not admitted this year it does not mean that UNESCO has forgotten us,” she said. “Everyone needs to do his share of the work so that the generations that come will have more interest in protecting the cultural monuments and supporting this mission,” she said among others.
Islam Lauka, former ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Kosovo, said among others that Kosovo could not became a UNESCO members alone through the help of one or certain individuals or groups, but rather through the efforts of everyone. If this happens, then the membership will be there, he said.
“If we protect our cultural heritage and tradition, then the international bodies will also support us,” Mr. Lauka said. Not only the cultural heritage of Kosovo but the heritage of all needs to be protected, not because the Serbs or Turks want this, but this has to happen for the sake of Kosovo,” Lauka added. He also spoke about Austria’s contribution to cultural awakening of the Albanians and promotion of their policies.
Sali Shoshi, head of the Cultural Heritage Without Borders organization, focused on the importance of managing of the sites. He said there had to be an official website for this sector in order to offer information to the citizens in the topic.