2006 Press Releases

Launching of FY06 Ambassadors Fund Project at the Kosovo Museum

October 2, 2006

Minister Haraqija, Director Hadri, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you all for being here today.

The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation was established to help preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. government to the many diverse cultural traditions all over the globe.

As Assistant Secretary Dan Fried noted during his visit here last week, Kosovo's culture is an exceptionally rich one, with influences from a variety of peoples and ethnic groups.

To ensure a proud and progressive future for Kosovo, we must ensure that every part of its multi-ethnic past is treasured and preserved.

We are very glad to make a contribution towards that end, and we are pleased to partner with the Ministry of Culture as well as the Kosovo Museum in this project. The project

we are funding today, with matching funds from the Ministry of Culture, will provide critical improvements to the Museum's storage facilities; upgrade its archiving abilities; preserve the most emblematic object in its collection, known as the "Goddess on the

Throne"; and increase public appreciation for the Museum's holdings.

In 2006, 87 projects throughout the world will be funded by the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. This is the second year Kosovo has been awarded a grant from the Ambassador's Fund. Last year the Ambassador's Fund was awarded to the Gazi Mehmed Pasha Library in Prizren for renovation of its building and conservation of Ottoman era manuscripts.

The U.S. government has worked on other projects in Kosovo, as well. We have supported the renovation of the St. Tutic Church in Prizren as well as the conservation of old manuscripts belonging to the Kosovo Islamic community. The U.S. office in Pristina has brought an American expert to help inventory Kosovo's architectural heritage and has pledged $1 million toward the UNESCO list of endangered cultural heritage sites, which will be used for restoration of Orthodox churches as well as Ottoman and other important Kosovo sites.

Thank you again for coming today and for witnessing this joint effort. With the turn over of this certificate to Director Hadri, the U.S. side of this project is officially launched.