Minister Ceku reacts after decision to introduce Decani Monastery on list of most endangered objects

Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Hajrkull Ceku has expressed concern over the news that Europe Nostra has decided to put the Decani Monastery on Europe's list of the 7 most endangered monuments in 2021.

Ceku, through a Facebook post, has stressed that, according to him, the only concern, allegedly related to the Decani Monastery, is said to be an unbuilt “road that Europe Nostra itself finds agreement has been reached between all sides, including Orthodox clergy”.

He said the country's institutions are dealing with this issue with full dedication.

We are holding internal consultations, as well as our international friends, to determine the next steps to tackle this problem, which we will take in the coming days. The Republic of Kosovo is the highest institution of protecting cultural heritage assets in the country. We protect our heritage. Our legacy is universal. It belongs to all mankind, belongs to past generations, present and future”.

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We took the news yesterday that Europe Nostra has decided to put the Decani Monastery on Europe's list of the 7 most endangered monuments in 2021.

When this organisation had decided that the Decani Monastery would nominated it on the list of most endangered monuments, the president and Kosovo prime minister reacted with a letter revealing clear arguments on why this Manastir does not make it on this list, since she did not meet even the basic preconditions to be considered endangered.

It is the independent and professional assessment of relevant order and security bodies that Orthodox churches in Kosovo enjoy high security levels and are not endangered.

With the declaration of independence, the state of Kosovo has approved all constitutional, legal, institutional and political guarantees for the protection and advancement of the rights of all non-partisan communities in our country.

The Republic of Kosovo is fully committed to the protection of all the assets of the country's cultural heritage, particularly Orthodox churches and monasteries, Orthodox clergy, religious practitioners and non-party communities.

Monuments included in the Europa Nostra list are really at risk, as the collapse is threatened because of various factors. The exception here does only the Decani Monastery, which, in Europe's own argument Nostra, is described as a functional cult object in good condition, where daily liturgies develop, where the community performed their ceremonies being open to pilgrims as well.

The only alleged concern over the Decani Monastery is said to be an unbuilt road for which Europa Nostra itself finds agreement has been reached between all sides, including Orthodox clergy.

The language used in the nomination text is incorrect, biased, and unacceptable. Citation “local examiners” is deliberate exaggeration, alleged attack by terrorist organisation “I The SIS” is unfounded in fact, so this makes us believe that the nominator has not followed a professional argument line but has strayed into a content with political burdens and completely ground to resources.

Both in the nomination text and in the final declaration, among other things, the status of the state of Kosovo is prejudged, as well as efforts are made to link the monastery issue with political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Both these claims are inaccurate and are in line with the political position of the state of Serbia. Kosovo has defined status, and it has declared independence on February 17th 2008. This unanimous declaration of the will of the people of Kosovo through its elected representatives has also been confirmed by the International Court of Justice in July 2010. While the interconnection between the monastery issue and political dialogue is unstable, it must be rejected as all guarantees for cultural heritage stemming from the Ahtisaari Plan are involved in the Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Kosovo, and this issue should not be reopened.

In the reasoning of this organisation, its bias is clearly seen when the references are taken sharply from Serbian history in cases when it mentions the inner characteristics of the object, until Kosovo mentions it with a banner! This approach to Europe Nostra is unprofessive, unrealistic, one-sided, and clearly political.

The decision to put the Decani Monastery on the list of the 7 most endangered objects is not based on sound logic, since the reasoning itself conflicts with arguments about the danger of impending. The photos that Europe Nostra himself published on its official page also speak of.

Institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are addressing this issue with full dedication. We are holding internal consultations as well as our international friends to determine the next steps to tackle this problem, which we will take in the coming days.

The Republic of Kosovo is the highest institution of protecting cultural heritage assets in the country. We protect our heritage. Our legacy is universal. It belongs to all mankind, belongs to past generations, present and future.