DPS Kotor: What has the local government done to prevent the devastation of cultural heritage?

In the latest resolution of the European Parliament, adopted two days ago, Montenegro was again negatively assessed in the area of ​​cultural heritage preservation, with special attention paid to the situation of Boka Kotorska, recognized as one of the most valuable cultural and historical areas in the region.

The European Parliament clearly expresses serious concern about the threat to protected sites, including Boka Kotorska and Sveti Stefan, and recalls that Miločer Park, with this site, is listed among the 7 most endangered cultural sites in Europe in 2023. The Municipal Committee of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in Kotor says that they are asking what the current local government, led by Democratic Montenegro, has done to prevent the devastation of cultural heritage and whether it bears some responsibility for such an assessment.

DPS states that these assessments by the European Parliament require serious and concrete re-examination at the local level.

"We remind the public that the Democratic Party of Socialists has repeatedly warned in recent months about irresponsible actions that directly endangered the heritage of the UNESCO protected area. We particularly highlight the case of the archaeological site of Carine in Risan, where excavators, without prior expert assessment and consent from the competent institutions, damaged this site of exceptional importance. Our statement at the time did not meet with an adequate reaction from the competent authorities, nor with the responsibility of the local government, although the consequences of these irresponsible actions were clearly recognized," the Kotor DPS statement reads.

Today, when confirmation comes from the highest European institutions that, as they say, Montenegro does not meet European standards in heritage protection, especially when it comes to Boka Kotorska, i.e. a UNESCO protected area, the local government must answer several questions, say the DPS.

These questions are: who is responsible for the omissions and passivity, what concrete steps have been taken to prevent further damage to the area under UNESCO protection, and whether the desire for investor profit and party calculations has become more important than preserving what constitutes the cultural identity and European value of Kotor.

The preservation of cultural heritage is not a political issue, but a matter of national responsibility and civilizational maturity, according to the DPS.

"Also, the European Parliament resolution warns of the worsening position of minority peoples, with special reference to the Croatian community in Boka Kotorska. We pose a direct question to the current government:

Have you, as a local government and as a party that shapes policies at the state level, ever represented the interests of the Croatian national minority in Kotor? If so, tell us where the results are? If not, tell the citizens why you remain silent while the multiethnic harmony built over generations is being disrupted?

"It is time to show real responsibility towards what makes us a European society, instead of political calculation and selective concern. Here we are primarily thinking about respect for diversity, preservation of heritage and transparent management of public goods," the statement concludes.