On 4 March 2025, a meeting was held in the Mufti’s Office of Mostar with the Mufti of Mostar, Salem Dedović, D. Sc. The meeting was initiated by the beginning of activities on the realisation of conservation and restoration works on the porch of the madrasa in Počitelj.

In addition to the host, the Mufti of Mostar, the meeting was attended by representatives of the non-governmental organisation “Help” that had been implementing the project on behalf of the European Commission, Mr. Mahir Hujić and Mr. Almin Adžović, and Robert Stergar, Dipl.Ing.Arch., on behalf of the Institute for the Monuments’ Protection.

The meeting was opened by Mufti Dedović with an introductory presentation in which he welcomed the guests and thanked them for their interest in Počitelj and the residents of Počitelj.

The Director of the Institute for the Monuments’ Protection, Mr. Stergar, reminded the Mufti in his introductory presentation of the contribution of the Institute for the Monuments’ Protection to the implementation of the conclusions of the “Initiative for the Rehabilitation of Počitelj and its Promotion as a Top Tourist Destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, first of all, the analysis performed, the condition of the infrastructure, communal services, traffic, public and private assets of cultural and historical heritage, interpretation infrastructure and the offer of cultural and tourist content, which was presented in the “Initiative” at the meeting held in mid-May last year. The analysis of the current situation resulted in the initiation of a project of conservation and restoration works on the porch of the madrasa in Počitelj.

Representatives of the “Help” organisation informed the Mufti of Mostar about the activities already undertaken, about the invitation to legal entities authorised to carry out works on national monuments of BiH and the meeting held at the location of the madrasa with construction companies that expressed interest in participating in the project. They addressed issues related to the organisation of the construction site and the conditions for carrying out the works. They also informed the Mufti of Mostar about certain technical issues that arose during the meeting at the location of the madrasa and that would be resolved in the coming period.

The Mufti thanked for the efforts and emphasized that he was aware of the numerous issues in Počitelj itself as well as the efforts of the EU Delegation to help, both with the buildings of the architectural heritage and with the recovery of life and living conditions in Počitelj. He expects that through the EU4ALL program, which is implemented by the NGO “Help” with the support of the Institute for the Monuments’ Protection, a series of processes will be initiated that will lead to a better environment in Počitelj itself.

After an exhaustive cordial conversation, Mufti Dedović invited the guests to organise such meetings more often in order to discuss the problems that were arising on everyday basis.

It was established that the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, as before, will provide support for every project within our jurisdiction and will continue to provide professional assistance and be open to constructive discussions.