SKOPJE, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev urged on Wednesday the municipality of Ohrid, a site protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to proceed with removing illegal constructions otherwise the government will strip its jurisdiction from the city in this sector.
Zaev told reporters that illegal buildings must be removed, because they are endangering the lakeside city of Ohrid.
"Everyone is equal before the law. All the illegal buildings must be removed otherwise the state will remove them. UNESCO-protected Ohrid is under threat because the population is rising," Zaev said.
Zaev said that he expects the mayor of Ohrid to take actions in accordance with the law.
"If the municipality fails to act, the state will, and the jurisdiction of the city in this sector will be removed," Zaev told reporters.
In its 43rd session held in Baku, Azerbaijan from June 30 to July 10, UNESCO ordered North Macedonia to take measures to protect the heritage of the lakeside city of Ohrid, otherwise this site would be added to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
According to previous UNESCO reports, the lakeside city of Ohrid and the surrounding area are endangered by illegal constructions, which damage the authenticity and integrity of the site.
North Macedonia's Minister without portfolio in charge of Diaspora Affairs, Edmond Ademi, who led a government delegation at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku, declared for the local media that UNESCO's recommendations and remarks about Ohrid actually date back to 2009, 2010 and 2013, at the time of the previous government.
According to Ademi, the majority of these illegal constructions are from 2009, when the legalization law was passed.
The lakeside city of Ohrid, located some 170 kilometres southwest of the capital Skopje, was accepted as Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO respectively in 1979.
