United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization Dialogue among Dialogue among Civilizations Summit of the Heads State South-East Europe, Republic Serbia Civilizations Summit of the Heads of State of South-East Europe “Culture is by far the best way to defend the values of democracy. Communication between diff erent cultures was always happening, regardless of the political or economic diff erences… Th e affi rmation of Contemporary Art a cultural identity through dialogue and cultural interpenetration is a and Reconciliation way to achieve universal cultural values, the intercultural.” Boris Tadić Boris Tadić in South-East Europe Bamir Topi President of the Republic of Serbia Bakir Izetbegović Republic of Serbia Georgi Parvanov 1-2 September 2011 Ivo Josipović “Th e people of South-East Europe have demonstrated how cultural Gjorge Ivanov dialogue can help people overcome diff erences and reconcile after Filip Vujanović confl icts. Th ey have shown also that dialogue is essential for progress Traian Băsescu together towards sustainable development and political stability. Th is vision of culture as a bridge for reconciliation and development is ever more important today…” Irina Bokova Irina Bokova COUNCIL CONSEIL Androulla Vassiliou Director-General of UNESCO OF EUROPE DE L'EUROPE Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni Pavlos Yeroulanos George Postica Dialogue among Civilizations Summit of the Heads of State of South-East Europe Contemporary Art and Reconciliation in South-East Europe Republic of Serbia 1-2 September 2011 Th e “Dialogue among Civilizations” series is directed by Hans d’Orville Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning UNESCO Th e authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Th e designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Published in 2012 By the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 7 place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France Edited by Ann-Belinda Preis Senior Programme Planning Offi cer Bureau of Strategic Planning and Maria Linda Tinio – Le Douarin Assistant Programme Coordinator Foresight Programme Bureau of Strategic Planning © UNESCO 2012 All rights reserved Photo credits: pages 58 to 63: © owned by artists pages 64 to 67: © Press Service of the President of the Republic of Serbia pages 68 to 69: © Saša Reljić, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Belgrade pages 70 to 63: © Hans d’Orville for UNESCO Composed and printed in the workshops of UNESCO BSP-2012/WS/2 Foreword by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO Th e 9th Summit of Heads of State of South-East Europe was remarkable from several angles. Th e Summit reaffi rmed the political will of the region’s leaders to pursue increased co- operation and confi rmed their determination to place culture, the arts and heritage at the heart of regional peace-building, reconciliation and development. All leaders pledged, indeed, to promote cooperation in South-East Europe with a special focus on cultural diversity, dialogue and cultural heritage. Th e theme of the Summit – Contemporary Art and Reconciliation in South-East Europe – was especially meaningful. Experience in the region shows that reconciliation requires the formation or restoration of genuinely peaceful relationships between and within societies. It calls for the transformation of attitudes and beliefs within society. Th e Summit recognized art’s unique ability, especially arts education, to strike a balance between cognitive and emotional 3 development and to lay strong foundations for moral behaviour. Held in the beautiful Roman archaeological site of Viminacium, the Summit was more than a meeting of leaders. At the generous invitation of President Boris Tadić – and for the fi rst time – twenty outstanding sculptors, painters, and writers from countries of the region were invited on the day before the Summit to share ideas and perspectives, including creative content, with the political decision-makers. Th e Viminacium Declaration recognizes “the essential role of the arts in the life and development of individuals and society at large, and accordingly respect and assist artists in their freedom of creation and expression, their dignity and their integrity in describing, capturing and interpreting changing conditions of the contemporary, globalizing world.” In this framework, I am pleased the Declaration welcomes UNESCO’s new initiative on ‘Culture: a Bridge to Development.’ Agreed in a context of fi nancial and economic diffi culty in Europe, the Declaration clears new paths for policy coordination and cooperation, including with UNESCO and the Council of Europe. I am grateful to President Tadić and the people of Serbia for this initiative and the warm welcome extended to all. Th e Summit has set a new benchmark for reconciliation through culture and the arts and through the bridges of dialogue and understanding. Th ere are no stronger foundations for lasting peace. Irina Bokova Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Table of Contents Foreword – Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO 3 Contemporary Art and Reconciliation in South-East Europe – Viminacium Declaration 7 Statements of welcome 11 Boris Tadić – President of the Republic of Serbia 12 Irina Bokova – Director-General of UNESCO 16 Statements by the Heads of State and Heads of Delegations 21 Bamir Topi – President of the Republic of Albania 22 Bakir Izetbegović – Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina 25 Georgi Parvanov – President of the Republic of Bulgaria 29 Ivo Josipović – President of the Republic of Croatia 31 Gjorge Ivanov – President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 34 Filip Vujanović – President of Montenegro 37 Androulla Vassiliou – European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth 39 Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni – Director General of Education, Culture and Heritage, 5 Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe 43 Messages and Written Statements 47 Traian Băsescu – President of the Republic of Romania 48 Pavlos Yeroulanos – Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Hellenic Republic 50 George Postica – Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Moldova 53 Photo Gallery 57 Annexes 75 Programme of Th e Summit of the Heads of State of South-East Europe 77 List of Participants 79 Contemporary Art and Reconciliation in South-East Europe Viminacium Declaration We, Heads of State of South-East European countries, met at the Roman archeological site of Viminacium in Serbia on 2 September 2011, for the 9th Summit of South East European countries, devoted to the theme of “Contemporary Art and Reconciliation in South East Europe”, organized under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Serbia, the Director-General of UNESCO and the Secretary-General of Council of Europe and attended by the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Ministers of Culture of South East European countries as well as artists from the region; Reaffi rming the ideals and principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Constitution of UNESCO, the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Also reaffi rming the ideals and principles laid down in the relevant international standard- 7 setting instruments of the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe: Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950), Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Confl ict (1954), and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999), Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Cultural Property (1970), Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), European Cultural Convention (1954), Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), Convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), Convention on the Protection of Architectural Heritage of Europe (1985), European Convention on the Protection of Architectural Heritage (revised) (1992), European Landscape Convention (2000) and Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (2005); Jointly celebrating at this Summit the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001); Further reaffi rming the continued relevance of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist, adopted at the 21st session of the General Conference of UNESCO, in Belgrade, 1980, as well as the recommendations of the two UNESCO World Conferences on Arts Education (Lisbon 2006 and Seoul 2010); Emphasizing that the present Declaration is in continuity with the Message on the Dialogue among Civilizations (Ohrid, 2003), the Summit Declaration on Interreligious and Inter-Ethnic Dialogue in South East Europe (Tirana, 2004), the Declaration on Cultural Corridors of South East Europe, Common Past and Shared Heritage – A Key