AFCP - Painted Mosque Project Completion

Remarks by Ambassador Paul D. Wohlers

December 10, 2012

Good morning, Minister Kanceska-Milevska, Mayor Bexheti, Mr. Rexhepi, Mufti Esati, Imam Kasami, Mr. Selmani, honored guests, and friends.  I am so pleased to be here with you all today to celebrate the completion of this important project.   

On September 15, 2011 – just three days after I arrived in Macedonia as the U.S. Ambassador – the Minister and I met here on this site to sign the grant to restore and preserve the façade of this beautiful and historic Painted Mosque. 

Fifteen months later, it is a great pleasure to be back, to meet many of you again, and to see the results of this important project.

First, I want to congratulate the Director, Mr. Memet Salmani, and the staff of the National Conservation Center, especially Mr. Vlado Mukovski, the team manager for this project, on the beautiful results of their intensive and intricate efforts.  They have not only protected and preserved the remarkable artwork on the façade of this historic treasure; they also have restored these paintings to their original splendor.

The People of Macedonia and visitors from around the world can now appreciate the superb artwork, as well as the rich cultural heritage that inspired the creation of this beautiful mosque – regardless of their religious or ethnic background.

Through our excellent collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the people of Macedonia, the U.S. Embassy in Skopje has awarded more of these restoration grants than any other U.S. Embassy in all of Europe.  Since 2001, we have been delighted to support eleven Ambassador’s Fund projects in this country, totaling well over $1 million dollars.   The grant for this project of over $94,000 dollars was one of the largest awarded to a project in Europe. 

Looking at the results, on the façade of this beautiful mosque, I truly am proud that the U.S. Embassy was once again able to work with our Macedonian friends and partners on such an important endeavor.

The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to support projects that protect the rich cultural heritage of another country, in order to save these treasures for future generations from around the world and to demonstrate our respect for that heritage.   Since its creation, the Ambassador’s Fund has invested $30 million to support almost 700 preservation projects in more than 120 developing countries.

Of those 700 projects around the world, surely none is more beautiful, more culturally significant, or a more important symbol of the rich, shared history of a country than this mosque.  We at the U.S. Embassy are honored to have been a part of the efforts to protect one of Macedonia’s historic treasures so that others can enjoy it, as we do today, for many, many years to come.

Thank you.