Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation

Remarks by Ambassador Milovanovic at the Opening of the Hammam Tetovo, Macedonia

October 15, 2007

H. E. Gillian Milovanovic

Good evening Mr. Prime Minister, Minister of Culture Xhemaili, Deputy Assistant Secretary Graffy, distinguished guests.  It is a real pleasure to be here, to see the Hamm am in its new restored form.  I saw it when it still had the “Sheraton Pizza” sign out front and when the inside was in a very sad condition.  What a marvelous transformation we see tonight.

Those who have been involved in designing, planning and carrying out the work should feel very proud, tonight.  They have preserved an important part of your shared heritage and restored this architectural treasure to the citizens of Tetovo and of Macedonia.

Macedonia has such a rich history, such a rich and varied culture.  Since 2001, when the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation began, the people of the United States have helped to conserve and restore  Stoa, the archeological excavation of Stobi, the Church of the Holy Savior (Sveti Spas) in Skopje, the Megalithic observatory Kokino, and now the Hammam here in Tetovo.

Ambassador Milovanovic address visitors at the opening of the Hammam in Tetovo (large photo)	Prime Minister Gruevski & DAS Colleen Graffy viewing the paintings on display at the Hammam (large photo)

How wonderful that a structure that so long ago served as a gathering place, a public bath, has now becoming a gathering place once again.  On this occasion we will celebrate the paintings of local artists exhibited here through the Association of Artists.  This is a wonderful way to inaugurate a public space whose very bricks and mortar are a bridge from the past to the future.  I am particularly pleased that the Hammam will be available to all who want to display their work, exchange views, and take the opportunity to expand their horizons through exploring the arts and more generally ideas together.

Tonight with me I have a very distinguished guest, Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Graffy, who traveled from Washington, DC in large part to share in the excitement of this evening.  During her stay here in Macedonia, DAS Graffy has reached out to a broad range of Macedonia’s citizens of all ages and backgrounds.  Her visit, and the event we celebrate together this evening, are but examples of the constant exchange of views and the intense partnership that characterize relations between both the governments of the United States and the Republic of Macedonia and the peoples of our two nations.

Public Diplomacy, in which Deputy Assistant Secretary Graffy excels, is designed to build “mutual understanding” through exchanges, such as the Fulbright, and cultural events.  For example, some 300 Macedonians have participated in exchange programs to the U.S. in the 17 years since Macedonia became independent.  Last week, an American speaker, Terri Silver, who is an expert in school systems, spoke with counterparts about what has and hasn’t worked in the U.S.  And this week Greg Hopkins, a prominent American jazz musician and teacher, from the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, is in Macedonia to work with young people by “teaching world music through jazz.”  As a “cultural envoy,” Greg teaches your children by listening to them and will also bring his experiences while in Macedonia back to the U.S. to share with his American colleagues.  Both our countries are richer for these exchanges.

And so tonight, as we celebrate the opening of the Hammam, I’d like to stop for a moment and say:  all of us, irrespective of our own nationality or background, we value the culture and heritage of this place.  I am grateful that, thanks to the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, I have been able to demonstrate practically that the people of the United States appreciate and value the people of Macedonia.  We value your history, your culture, your diversity.  We value your art and architecture and archeology.  In preserving the past together, we build the future.

Thank you.