Dacic: Unacceptable and scandalous relocation of the memorial plaque in Pristina

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic assessed today that the removal and relocation of the memorial plaque to Serbian soldiers who had fallen in the Balkan Wars and World War I, in the military section of the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, was a scandalous move, especially because, as he emphasized, it came from countries that should exceptionally respect Serbia's contribution in World War I, RTV reported.

"Considering that such a decision was made on the proposal of the French and German embassies and that no one informed Serbs living there or Serbian institutions, it is a scandalous act, regardless of some justifications they use. There is no politicization of this act here; the act itself is a shameful politicization done under the pressure of Albanian political factors in Pristina," Dacic said for Tanjug.

The head of Serbian diplomacy emphasizes that in Pristina, they want to remove, relocate, and destroy everything that is Serbian, and therefore monuments and memorial plaques reminding of the large number of victims that Serbs suffered in the Balkan Wars and World War I bother them.

"Since we consider Kosovo part of Serbia, this is not the subject of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in terms of any reaction, but our state authorities dealing with the issues of Kosovo and Metohija will certainly take all measures to clearly point out the unacceptability of such a move to the representatives of these countries," Dacic said.

Asked whether such a move could damage relations with France and Germany, Dacic said that one should not speak about those categories, but such a gesture must be condemned.

"Even if we are the greatest possible friends, if a move is bad, we must condemn it. In that regard, we certainly strongly condemn such a gesture," he said.

As Dacic stated, the opinion of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija should have been sought, rather than, as he said, fulfilling the demands to remove anything that reminds of Serbia from the view of Albanian media and politicians in Pristina.