Kotor

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International relations

The Municipality of Kotor is member of several prestigious societies, associations and organizations which, aiming to promotion of European standards and values, gather cities with specific historical, geographical, sociological and cultural characteristics. For Municipality of Kotor, the most significant are memberships in the Organization of World Heritage Cities, International Association of Peace Messenger Cities, and Association of Walled Cities of the Mediterranean, Organization of The Most Beautiful Bays in The World and The Association of Multiethnic Cities of Southeast Europe - PHILIA.

Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion

The Adriatic-Ionian Euregion (AIE) is an association established on the 30th  of june 2006 in Pula ( Croatia)  for the promotion of trans-national and inter-regional cooperation between regions and local authorities of the Adriatic and Ionian basin countries.
Today the association counts 26 members ( Regional and Local governments from Italy, Greece, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania).

The  AIE is a non-profit-making association, which represents a model for cross-border and interregional co-operation aimed to promote the coordinated and integrated development between regions of the area.

The aims of the AIE are : forming an area of peace, stability and cooperation, protection of the cultural heritage, protection of the environment, sustainable economic development in particular of tourism, fishery, transport and agriculture and solution of transport and other infrastructure issues. Another important aim is to support European citizenship trough actions that promotes the involvement of citizens by developing their sense of European identity and appreciating multilingualism and multiculturalism as common European heritage.

For more informations please visit: www.adriaticionianeuroregion.eu

South Adriatic Eurodistrict

Two-year cooperation between the twinned municipalities of Kotor and Campomarino from Italy, contributed to the idea of implementing a joint promotion of territorial cooperation in the Adriatic by establishing the South Adriatic Eurodistrict. (SAE)
Eurodistrict connects cities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Italy, enabling them more efficient access to European funds for the development and stimulation of regional cooperation.

Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities (Forum delle citta adriatiche e ioniche)
Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities is an international organization founded in 1999 with the aim of establishing and strengthening the economic, social and cultural cooperation between cities and municipalities along the Adriatic and Ionian Sea. Forum has 43 members - the cities and municipalities of Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Croatia and Montenegro.
The Forum was established in Ancona in Italy, which is the main initiator and the headquarter of the Forum. Annual Assembly of Forum is held alternately in cities on both sides of the Adriatic Sea, and The Board has meetings more frequently in order to prepare the Assembly and other important issues. Forum discusses important issues in the field of conservation policies and improvement of the environment, sustainable tourism development (in accordance with the policies of Agenda 21, Agenda 21 and later Adriatic Agenda prepared by the Forum itself), improving infrastructure through joint projects financed by the European Union.
Forum promotes peace and friendship, and its main objectives are preservation of natural assets in the Adriatic-Ionian basin and the development of cooperation in the region, with emphasis on improving sustainable development in tourism, and whole region. Forum, which is recognized by the European Union, is trying to get more financial support from the European and international funds for projects and initiatives complying with this program.

Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) is an international non-governmental organization, based in Quebec, Canada where the First International Symposium of World Heritage Cities was held in July 1991. OWHC gathers 227 cities inscribed on UNESCO list, and the goal of the organization is to promote cooperation among its members and to assist them in the implementation of Convention of The World Heritage Sites. With that aim, OWHC organizes symposiums and seminars on development, conservation and protection of cultural heritage. It also cooperates with the United Nations, UNESCO -, the World Bank and the Council of Europe, in an effort to raise awareness of the necessity of better protection of sites in conditions of armed conflict.
Considering the fact that Kotor is on the UNESCO's list from 1979, it has been an active member since the foundation of OWHC.

The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities (IAPMC), formed in 1988, is working closely with the United Nations, and the general aim is to make the municipal authorities take an active role, within their own borders, in spreading the culture of peace.
Kotor is an active member of The Association since 2008.

Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World, founded in Berlin in 1997 brings together 30 most beautiful bays. The town of Kotor with Kotor Bay meets all the criteria for membership in this exclusive club. In the first place, only a Mediterranean fjord has a colorful flora and fauna, followed by unique geomorphologic structure, economic potential, and of course, the cultural and historical specificity, which helped Kotor together with the Bay of Kotor to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List.

Mediterranean Network cities - Mediterranean citadels founded in 2007 in Cagliari Sardinia in order to connect 14 Mediterranean fortification cities sharing common interest in the field of economy, tourism development, preservation and protection of environment and cultural heritage. Between 2007 and 2013, Kotor, within the framework of the Network and cooperation with other cities, is going to implement 14 projects in the field of culture, economy and ecology, funded by the European Union.

Association of Multiethnic Cities of Southeast Europe (PHILIA) founded in 2004 in Belgrade, by signing the Multiethnic Tolerance Agreement. The Association represents the collaborative framework of nearly 50 Balkan cities (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania) aiming to strengthening of multi-ethnic tolerance and cooperation at the local level, through identification of joint priorities in the area of economic and culture.

Silk Road

Signing joint declaration cities along the "Silk Road" 2012 in the Chinese city of Xi'an was completed the conference cities along the "Silk Road," where municipality of Kotor also took part headed by Mayor Marija Ćatović.
Silk Road, which begins in China, was the trade route that linked the eastern and western civilization from the II century BC to the sixteenth century.
It played a key role in the economic, social and technological development of countries along the road, which is known as the route of exchange, dialogue, friendship and prosperity. The Silk Road is long over 7000 kilometers and a rich diversity of landscapes and world heritage.
Silk Road Forum mayor focuses on common projects in the field of tourism and socio-economic development of cities that share similar historical and cultural tradition. The goal is to connect cities that are located in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Europe.

In Xi'an on May 27th, 2012, Kotor and the Chinese city of Xi’an signed the Agreement on friendly exchanges and cooperation.
In addition to the above, the City of Kotor is sister city with Santa Barbara (USA), with Szeged (Hungary), Campomarino and Venice (Italy), Nessebar (Bulgaria), Subotica and Belgrade old city (Serbia), Trogir (Croatia) and soon it will be sister city with Obidos (Portugal). Decision on twinning cooperation agreement with the town of Obidos, Portugal is signed on March 02nd, 2012.