tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159605657008977642011-11-27T15:40:16.358-08:00herengrachtnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-715960565700897764.post-54307906514190192502008-06-16T12:03:00.000-07:002008-06-16T12:22:57.012-07:00<strong>Leaders and representatives of nine South-East European states have pledged at a United Nations-organized meeting Sunday to use the region’s waterways to encourage greater cultural understanding, according to a statement of the UNESCO.<br /></strong><br />The Athens Declaration, adopted by seven Heads of State and two high-level representatives, emphasizes the importance of rivers, lakes and maritime routes in contributing to regional cooperation.<br /><br />Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey committed themselves to developing a pool of joint projects involving the waterways to contribute to regional peace and stability.<br /><br />The countries share waterways like the Mediterranean Sea with the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, the Black Sea and the river Danube.<br /><br />“No civilization and no culture is monolithic as both are the result of millennia of contacts and exchanges,” according to the statement.<br /><br />The declaration, which was reached at a summit in the Greek capital Athens, was co-organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/715960565700897764-5430790651419019250?l=herensteeg-europa-zuidoost.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>herengrachtnoreply@blogger.com0