"Applied Nostalgia: Belgrade-Valletta" exhibition of photographs opened today in Belgrade

June 23 2017 | Belgrade

 "Applied Nostalgia: Belgrade-Valletta" exhibition of photographs opened today in Belgrade

"The Maltese Presidency of the European Union has proven to be very successful for the European path of Serbia," said Jadranka Joksimović, Minister responsible for European Integration, at today's opening of the exhibition of photographs "Applied Nostalgia: Belgrade - Valletta" in the gallery of the National Bank of Serbia. 

The Minister underlined that she hopes that this trend of opening of negotiation chapters will continue during the Estonian Presidency of the EU. She recalled today that this was a very successful week for Serbia in the process of European integration, since two new negotiating chapters were opened, with four in total being opened during the Maltese Presidency of the EU.

"I hope that we will continue to make progress in areas that are the subject of negotiations, so as to become an EU member as soon as possible," said Ms. Joksimović.

Aside from the Minister, Ksenija Milenković, Acting Director of the European Integration Office, Tanja Miščević, Head of the Negotiating Team for the Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the EU, and Oscar Benedict, Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, also spoke at the opening of the exhibition.

Ksenija Milenković recalled that the project "Applied Nostalgia" has been realised for the tenth year in a row, and reminded that the first exhibition was organised in 2007 in cooperation with Portugal: "Preparations for the realisation of the exhibition with Estonia are in progress, and, in autumn, final arrangements will be made for the exhibition to be realised and to show the similarities between Belgrade and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which will preside over the European Union at that time," said Ksenija Milenković.

Tanja Miščević, Head of the Negotiating Team for the Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the EU, said that this project is another way to show that Serbia is a part of the European cultural space.

"We point to these similarities in the negotiating process as well, since we want to show that Serbia shares these European values," she said.

Oscar Benedict, Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, thanked the European Integration Office for the realisation of the project that, for the twelfth time, presents the capitals of the EU Member States and at the same time shows how Serbia is approaching the EU.

"This is the way to strengthen cultural diplomacy," Benedict said, noting that this cooperation is very important.

Aleksandar Knežević, the author of the photographs from Valletta, expressed his gratitude for the support he received in the realisation of this project and stressed that he was pleasantly surprised by the willingness of the Maltese to help him during his stay in Malta to show the similarities between the two cities in the best way possible.

The exhibition "Applied Nostalgia" is a project of the European Integration Office conceived as a series of joint exhibitions of photographs by two photographers, one from Serbia and one from the country presiding over the EU. The main idea is to improve the cultural exchange between the two countries in this way, as well as to promote European values and cooperation between Serbia and the EU Member States.

The current exhibition, which was organised in connection with the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, will remain open at the gallery of the National Bank of Serbia until 26 June, and from that day until mid-July it will also be presented to the audience in Valletta.