A jump from the Old Bridge and the throwing of flowers for all victims of war and a group photograph were held two days ago in Mostar for high officials and participants of the conference “MOSTAR 2025: Dialogue for the Future,” with which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) marked the 20th anniversary of the inscription of the area of the Old Bridge and the Old Town of Mostar on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On that occasion, Mayor Kordic recalled the project of the reconstruction of the Old Bridge and thanked all donors as well as the present minister Gordan Grlic Radman for the participation of the Government of the Republic in that project.
He recalled that the City of Mostar, that is, the Old Bridge and the old town core, was inscribed on the UNESCO list of protected cultural heritage on July 15th, 2005, as the first monument from BiH.
“We are proud that we are part of the protected world cultural heritage, and at that time there was one idea that I still uphold today, and I am sure the majority of people in BiH do as well, and that is that through that symbolic act of the reconstruction of the Old Bridge and the inscription in the world heritage it is said that this Bridge does not belong to anyone personally, but that it is a Bridge that belongs to all people in the world. Since July 15th, the Bridge has been a world cultural heritage, and whether someone likes it or not, it belongs to all inhabitants of this planet. Unfortunately, at that time, there were people who thought that the Bridge should not connect people but divide them, and they tried hard to make sure that the connection did not happen. Fortunately for us in BiH and for all the inhabitants of the world, they did not succeed – we succeeded – and that is the message, no matter how much someone tries, that it will always be a symbol of one thing, and that is a connection, and that is how it will remain,” emphasized Mayor Kordic.
The mayor recalled that as an additional incentive to the renewal of coexistence in Mostar, within the reconstruction project of the Old Bridge, three buildings of the three peoples were restored. Napredak’s dormitory, the Waqf Court, and the Bishop’s Court were restored, and this was not chosen by chance because it was a message that three constituent peoples live here, as well as other citizens.
“We must use the conference ‘Dialogue for the Future’ to reflect on a common future in order to resolve some misunderstandings that we evidently have. We need to find that path we found in 2005, join forces, and move forward again. Call all good people and head into a better future because it definitely awaits us in Europe,” said the Mayor of Mostar Mario Kordic.
The conference “Dialogue for the Future” was held yesterday at the Mepas Hotel in Mostar, and gathered distinguished high officials, presidents, prime ministers, ministers, international and BiH decision-makers, representatives of Southeast European countries, the European Union (EU), UNESCO, experts on cultural heritage, academics, civil society leaders and non-governmental organizations, youth, as well as media representatives and other participants.
The organizers emphasized that the topic of this year’s conference, “Shared Heritage as a Tool of Diplomacy,” aims to promote dialogue on peacebuilding, cultural preservation, and international cooperation, and to recognize Mostar’s path of reconciliation and its global symbolism as a bridge between cultures, religions, and peoples, Klix.ba writes.
