REMARKS BY

MINISTER OF CULTURE

OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

H.E. BOŽO BIŠKUPIĆ

ON THE OCCASION OF SIGNING OF

AGREEMENT ON PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

OF CERTAIN CULTURAL PROPERTIES

BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA AND THE U.S.

The White House

February 9, 2005

On the occasion of today's signing of the Agreement Between the Croatian and U.S. governments on the protection and preservation of certain cultural properties, which will promote considerably the cooperation between the two governments and peoples of the two states in the preservation of cemeteries, monuments, historic sites and religious structures of mutual interest, it is my pleasure to greet all those present.

The Ministry of Culture promotes the multicultural values of Croatia with the full support of the Croatian Prime Minister because we believe that these values are vital to and representing the full richness of Croatian identity.

Croatia is orientated toward the future and wishes to participate fully in creating Europe, as President Bush has articulated, whole, free and at peace.  That is the best reason for criminal totalitarian ideologies from Europe’s past never to reappear.  I am proud of the fact that the Croatian government has condemned and rejected all forms of extremism, radicalism, racial, national and religious hatred, and intolerance irrespective of the source from which they come.  Modern Croatia emerged on the basis of the values and achievements of anti-fascism.  I want to especially emphasize that Croatia had one of the strongest antifascist movements in Europe during the Second World War.

The spirit of tolerance and mutual respect toward other religious and cultural communities has contributed to the fact that there is a very large number of preserved monuments in Croatia today of which historic and multicultural values present day independent and democratic Croatia is particularly proud of. The fostering of cultural heritage is one of the fundamental activities of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and it addresses this task with utmost professionalism and responsibility in line with the  principles and objectives of the Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage from 1972.

It goes without saying that the signing of this Agreement is an exceptional event which will contribute to the deepening of mutual knowledge of the cultures of our two countries, and I look forward to intense cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the United States of America in the future and to attain more concrete forms through the work of our two Committees for the Preservation of Heritage in their joint efforts to address the protection of cultural heritage without discrimination. In this way we are fostering easier access to the values of our national cultures as well as proving that care for the preservation of our monuments is not exclusively the national issue of a specific country but that we are deeply aware of the fact that all cultures form part of the common heritage that belongs to all mankind.