Greece, North Macedonia and Albania together toward UNESCO: joint candidacy for Lake Prespa with EU support

Greece, North Macedonia and Albania are joining forces for the joint candidacy of Lake Prespa to UNESCO, with financial support from the EU.

Following the recent inscription of Mount Olympus on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Greece now aims to include Lake Prespa in the prestigious catalogue as well, as the Greek newspaper Kathimerini writes, published today by Agrotim. The initiative, which Athens launched back in 2014, when the lake was placed on UNESCO’s Tentative List on 16 January 2014, has now been raised by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni into a joint candidacy with Albania and North Macedonia.

Next Friday, the Greek municipality of Prespa will host a meeting of the culture ministers of the three countries — Lina Mendoni of Greece, Blendi Gonxha of Albania and Sedat Sulejmani of North Macedonia — which will also be attended by the EU ambassador in Skopje, Michalis Rokas, to plan the next steps toward the joint nomination.

Asked by Kathimerini, Rokas said that the EU, in addition to political support, has decided to finance the first relevant studies as well. He stressed the geopolitical importance of the joint effort by the three neighbouring countries to protect and affirm the natural and cultural wealth that unites them.

Enthusiasm for the idea was also expressed by the mayor of the municipality of Prespa, Jorgos Stergiu: after Mount Athos, Meteora and Olympus, the lake would become the fourth site in Greece declared a World Heritage site. “Our relations with our neighbours are excellent. For years we have cooperated to protect the lake and we carry out joint programmes. We look forward to the opening of the border crossing that is under construction and will link us more closely with the tourist centre of Ohrid,” he said.

Albania’s Minister of Culture, according to Kathimerini via the ATA agency, stressed that the importance of the initiative goes far beyond the UNESCO candidacy itself: more international attention for Prespa, more opportunities for protecting and promoting cultural heritage, sustainable development, quality tourism and new prospects for local communities.