Official reacts to "Kosovization" of Serb heritage

The agreement signed by the U.S. and Kosovo cannot in any way derogate Serbia’s historic request to stop “Kosovization” of the Serb heritage in Kosovo. This is according to Serbian Assistant Foreign Minister Sladjana Prica. Official reacts to "Kosovization" of Serb heritage “A bilateral agreement absolutely cannot question the right of a state on whose territory some cultural heritage is located on and to whom such cultural heritage belongs to,” she stressed. According to Prica, this is guaranteed by UNESCO’s documents, especially the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, whose contracting parties were Serbia and the U.S. “and certainly not Kosovo”. “Not a single bilateral agreement can question someone’s ownership, i.e. the property right. The sole owner of the heritage is the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC),” the assistant minister pointed out. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga signed the Agreement on Protection and Preservation of Certain Cultural Properties on Wednesday. Commenting on the fact that the U.S. secretary of state noted that one of the most beautiful cultural monuments was the Serbian Orthodox Gracanica monastery, Prica stressed that all Serbian sacred and religious monuments were in danger, not only the four monasteries that had been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List at Serbia’s request. Even though she stated that it was not clear what the agreement envisaged, Prica said that Clinton “did say Gracanica was the 14th century Serbian Orthodox monastery”. “I have seen the Gracanica monastery, one of the most famous cultural monuments which dates back to the 14th century but it is only one of many such places. It is necessary for Kosovo to create a pluralist society that will guarantee civil rights equal for everyone and to preserve the cultural monuments for the people in Kosovo and the Balkans but also for the people in the entire world,” Clinton said on Wednesday. Prica stated that the fact that the draft agreement and its title mentioned ownership and Kosovo’s religious heritage was “unacceptable”. According to her, the way the Kosovo president commented on the agreement and her insistence this was Kosovo’s joint cultural heritage absolutely cannot deny not only the 2004 events when more than 300 churches were damaged, burned down and destroyed but also the events in the last ten years when independent organizations, such as OSCE, noted that Serbian Orthodox churches and other monuments have been destroyed. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence in early 2008, but Serbia rejected the proclamation and considers it illegal. A view of the Gracanica monastery (FoNet, file)

Official reacts to "Kosovization" of Serb heritage

“A bilateral agreement absolutely cannot question the right of a state on whose territory some cultural heritage is located on and to whom such cultural heritage belongs to,” she stressed.

According to Prica, this is guaranteed by UNESCO’s documents, especially the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, whose contracting parties were Serbia and the U.S. “and certainly not Kosovo”.

“Not a single bilateral agreement can question someone’s ownership, i.e. the property right. The sole owner of the heritage is the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC),” the assistant minister pointed out.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga signed the Agreement on Protection and Preservation of Certain Cultural Properties on Wednesday.

Commenting on the fact that the U.S. secretary of state noted that one of the most beautiful cultural monuments was the Serbian Orthodox Gračanica monastery, Prica stressed that all Serbian sacred and religious monuments were in danger, not only the four monasteries that had been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List at Serbia’s request.

Even though she stated that it was not clear what the agreement envisaged, Prica said that Clinton “did say Gračanica was the 14th century Serbian Orthodox monastery”.

“I have seen the Gračanica monastery, one of the most famous cultural monuments which dates back to the 14th century but it is only one of many such places. It is necessary for Kosovo to create a pluralist society that will guarantee civil rights equal for everyone and to preserve the cultural monuments for the people in Kosovo and the Balkans but also for the people in the entire world,” Clinton said on Wednesday.

Prica stated that the fact that the draft agreement and its title mentioned ownership and Kosovo’s religious heritage was “unacceptable”.

According to her, the way the Kosovo president commented on the agreement and her insistence this was Kosovo’s joint cultural heritage absolutely cannot deny not only the 2004 events when more than 300 churches were damaged, burned down and destroyed but also the events in the last ten years when independent organizations, such as OSCE, noted that Serbian Orthodox churches and other monuments have been destroyed.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence in early 2008, but Serbia rejected the proclamation and considers it illegal.