Ademi: I believe most illegal buildings in Ohrid will be demolished by February


I hope and I believe that most of the illegal buildings in Ohrid will be demolished by February, Minister without portfolio Edmond Ademi told Radio Free Europe.

Asked how many illegal buildings would be demolished within the deadline given by UNESCO, Ademi noted that was not the task of the Government, but the Municipality, and it depended on the capacity of the Municipality.

“As the PM said, if the Municipality doesn’t have the capacity to solve this, and if it turns for help to the Government – the Government will help,” Ademi said.

Regarding the claims made by NGOs that the law presented in Baku was different from that sent to the Parliament, Ademi categorically denied.

“A version of the law was sent in January. You know, legislation and law is a matter of process. A second version was sent to Baku in April, the one adopted by the Government. If you go through the conclusions from Baku, you’ll see that UNESCO welcomes the Government’s decision to adopt the law that is now in Parliament. So, it’s not true that one version has been sent to Parliament and another to UNESCO,” the minister pointed out.

According to Ademi, who led a government delegation at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku, UNESCO’s recommendations and remarks about Ohrid actually date back to 2009, 2010 and 2013, at the time of the previous government.

“A large part of these illegal buildings are from 2009, when the legalization law was passed. The situation is as it is, the problem is in our hands now, and this Government will deliver results,” said Minister Ademi.