URGENTLY HALT WORKS IN THE PROTECTED ZONE OF VISOKI DEČANI

BELGRADE, JULY 29 /SRNA/ - The Office for Kosovo and Metohija called on international representatives to urgently halt the resumption of illegal construction works within the protected zone of the Visoki Dečani Monastery, as reported today by the Diocese of Raška-Prizren.

The Office said that a new attack on one of the most important holy sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church was being witnessed today, through unilateral actions and unauthorized and illegal construction in the monastery's special protective zone, which could have far-reaching consequences for this Serbian medieval gem under UNESCO protection. It was emphasized that, yet again, regulations adopted in Priština were not being respected regarding the guaranteed rights and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija. "These activities are clearly part of a broader policy of systematic pressure on the Serbian Orthodox Church and its faithful, and are therefore being carried out without any consent or knowledge of the Diocese and the brotherhood of the Visoki Dečani Monastery," the Office said. They stressed that they would inform all relevant international actors about this incident and provide, through diplomatic channels, all necessary information regarding the illegality of these works. The Office noted that the rights of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija were being blatantly and shamelessly violated, which is why the international community must respond decisively this time as well and prevent any further activities in the protected zone of the Visoki Dečani Monastery. The Office reminded that over the past 27 years, the monastery had been subjected to four armed attacks, along with numerous other threats and the writing of graffiti containing messages of ethnic and religious hatred and intolerance.