Ministers Schwarz and Cheko write to the NGO for Decani Monastery: Decision, unfair

Europe's Nostra decision is unfair and politically influenced. During the process, Europe Nostra has not visited Kosovo and the Monastery, and has not consulted the interest parties. The Decani Monastery and any Orthodox church in Kosovo enjoy the highest level of security. With this letter, the ministers invited the Europa Nostra organisation in Kosovo to see the monument closely and to negotiate with local residents, monastery clergy, civil society organisations, professionals, security institutions, international organisations operating in Kosovo, state officials and others. The damage caused to Kosovo's reputation with this unfounded decision should be repaid without delay.

Below, we invite you to read the complete English letter:

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Your Honor. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europe Nostra,

On behalf of the government of the Republic of Kosovo, we express our concern for Europe's Nostra decision to include the Decani Monastery on the “list. The seven most endangered monuments in Europe”. We are convinced that this decision is unfounded, since it does not match facts on the ground. Furthermore, the decision is clearly politically influenced, an unprecedented practice in the history of Europe's top reputation Nostra.

We invite you to visit Kosovo and look closely at the state of the Decani Monastery. During this decision you have neglected an essential dimension, consultations with the interest parties, while you have received a biased and unprofessional text of the nominal organisation. Therefore, we invite you to come and talk to the local residents, the Monastery clergy, civil society organisations, professionals, local and international security institutions, international organisations operating in Kosovo, state officials and others.

It is the independent and professional assessment of local and international order and security institutions 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 devoted to protecting all the country's cultural heritage assets, particularly Orthodox churches and monasteries, Orthodox clergy, religious practitioners and non-S majority communities.

The institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are the highest institutions in the defence of cultural heritage assets in the country. We protect our heritage. Our heritage is universal, it belongs to all mankind, past generations, present and future. In that spirit, we invite you for principled cooperation with the goal of protecting cultural heritage as effectively as possible. We oppose instrumentising cultural heritage for the political benefits of one state or another.

Your delegation's visit to Kosovo propose that it be realised as soon as possible. The damage that you have done to Kosovo's reputation with your unfair and unfounded decision, you must compensate without delay. We are keen to believe that the result of your visit and assessment of the situation will result in a review of your list of leaving the Decani Monastery.