Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property Slaven Radunović said today that it is difficult to fulfill UNESCO's requirements regarding Kotor in half a year in order for the coastal city to remain on the list of protected areas.
"So, there are different opinions. What we have now received as a request from UNESCO is difficult to fulfill in the six months that we have been given a deadline. And that deadline was obtained at the great insistence of Minister Vujović. Otherwise, they wanted to propose a moratorium to us immediately. And let me tell you right away, it is not just about Kotor. And the citizens of Montenegro need to be made aware of this problem and for a serious and public debate to be opened on this. It is about the moratorium that they are proposing for Kotor and the Buffer Zone. And do you know what that means in reality? For the entire Bay of Kotor. And the municipalities of Tivat, Herceg-Novi, Luštica, everything. That means a complete cessation of the development of Bay of Kotor in any sense, traffic, tourism, hospitality. An event that would be, to put it mildly, no small event for Montenegro," said Radunović at today's press conference at Villa Gorica in Podgorica.
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According to him, as a citizen, not as a minister, he thinks that a line should be drawn and what happens next.
"Do we benefit more from the fact that we are on the UNESCO list, or do we suffer more damage because, for example, we cannot build a bridge across the Bay of Kotor, not only Veriga, but also this bridge that is envisaged by the Spatial Plan of Montenegro that goes from Luštica, is also questionable and will most likely receive a negative opinion. So, this is a traffic problem that will primarily make the citizens of Boka Kotorska forget about tourists, and that will bother them for many, many more years. That is, God knows how many years if we remain part of UNESCO. And let's not talk about the damage that Montenegro will have directly and immediately towards all those investors who have provided permits and provided HIA studies for UNESCO. Because UNESCO now says, even though we have issued HIJA studies, the moratorium should apply to everything. And we are obligated in that contract with each investor individually. To everyone you give a permit to, you are practically in some kind of contractual relationship. These are enormous damages and I think I say this as a citizen, and I have also said this in the government, just so my colleagues know how I feel about it. "I think, I believe that all relevant institutions in Montenegro that are related to this problem, and the most responsible people in Montenegro, should open a public debate, and why not call a referendum. Of course, a referendum for the citizens of Boka to see what happens next," said Radunović.
He said that this was his honest answer and that this issue was of great importance for Montenegro.
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