The National Co-ordinator for Cooperation with the UNESCO for Cultural Heritage Vladimir Džamić told RTS that the US decision to withdraw from UNESCO was not too surprising and that he does not expect other countries to follow their move.
Vladimir Džamić says that the US had a turbulent relationship with the UNESCO since 1974 when they protested over UNESCO’s relations towards Israel, and then in 1984, when they left UNESCO, which lasted until 2001.
Džamić notes that since 2013, the US did not have the right to vote, as well as in 2015 when the vote took place on entry of Kosovo into UNESCO.
“The influence that the United States has in the world, in the UNESCO does not exist, and probably the dissatisfaction is manifested by leaving the organization itself,” Džamić said.
He adds that, although the United States has formally abandoned UNESCO, nothing will actually change in terms of lobbying for Kosovo.
“We should not relax. Our goal is that Kosovo is not in the UNESCO,” he adds.
The United States yesterday withdrawn from UNESCO because they consider that the organization is anti-Israeli and due to the need of its “fundamental reform”.
