Secretary General Franco Dal Mas, took part, today in Trieste, in the ceremony unveiling the commemorative plaque dedicated to Dositej Obradović, a leading figure of Serbian Enlightenment thought and Minister of Education in the early 19th century. The event took place in the presence of the First Lady of the Republic of Serbia, marking a high-level institutional moment of cultural remembrance.
Secretary General Dal Mas attended alongside CEI Deputy Secretary General Ivana Pejović, reaffirming the Organisation’s longstanding ties with Serbia - today a CEI Member State since 2000 - and its commitment to strengthening cultural and institutional cooperation across the region.
Obradović lived in Trieste at different stages of his life, describing the city as a crossroads of ideas, cultures and opportunities. It was here that he developed part of his intellectual and literary work, and where he found an essential link to broader European currents.
The presence of CEI representatives at the ceremony aimed to underline the role of Trieste as a historical meeting point among European cultures and today’s CEI Member States, including Serbia. The legacy of Obradović—who found in Trieste an environment conducive to intellectual exchange - stands as an early example of the cultural ties that anticipated the regional cooperation that the CEI promotes today through dialogue, partnerships and joint initiatives among its Member States.