OSCE supports three-day workshop on protection of Montenegro’s cultural heritage in Podgorica and Cetinje

PODGORICA/CETINJE 7-9 May 2019 – To further strengthen Montenegro’s capacities in creating a digital cultural property database, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro with the support of the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) organized a three-day workshop on best practices in protecting cultural heritage from traffickers in cultural property from 7 to 9 May 2019 in Podgorica and Cetinje.

This event was a follow-up to a regional workshop on combating illicit cross-border trafficking in cultural property organized jointly with TNTD and the Italian OSCE Chairmanship in October 2018.

Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro Siv-Katrine Leirtroe thanked all the participants and experts from Austria, North Macedonia, and representatives from the Ministries of Culture and Justice, the Basic Court Nikšić and the University Mediterranean for their participation.

“In addition to lectures, this workshop will facilitate discussions on best practices, mechanisms and tools to monitor archaeological sites and maintain controls in museums, protect museum artefacts and share good practices in inter-agency co-operation,” said Leirtroe opening the workshop. She also announced that two back-to-back workshops on the same topic will be organized in November this year.

Dražen Blažić, State Secretary of the Ministry Culture said that, on the one hand, cultural heritage testifies to our proud history, achievements and to the most valuable courses of our state and society. And on the other hand, cultural heritage in a contemporary context is an extremely important resource with economic potential for its valorisation. “Today we can conclude that cultural heritage is very often a target of numerous abuses and attempts of smuggling. For that reason, the prevention of illegal cross-border trade in cultural goods is an extremely important task, and requires a vigilant attitude by the state towards this emerging challenge,” said Blažić.

The first two days of the workshop were held in Podgorica with the third day held in the Historic Royal Capital of Cetinje where participants visited the National Museum of Montenegro, the old Government House, exhibition spaces of the Artistic, Historical and Ethnographic Museum, and King Nikola’s Palace.