Italian Senator: Expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo would be a failure we must not allow

Italian Senator and Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Italian Senate, Stefania Craxi, spoke today about the support of the CEI Secretariat for the integration of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. On that occasion, she recalled the appeal of the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, warning that if Orthodox Serbs were forced to leave Kosovo, “it would be a failure we must not allow.”

The establishment of the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Trieste in 1996 “marked a turning point in the development of the initiative,” transforming it into a genuine instrument capable of promoting and coordinating concrete cooperation programs, Craxi stated at the ministerial meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the CEI, as reported by the Italian news agency Nova.

As she noted, the choice of Trieste was not accidental, as the city is “a historic crossroads of trade, a meeting point of Latin, Slavic, and Germanic influences.”

Craxi emphasized that over these thirty years, the Secretariat has become “a true institutional infrastructure for regional cooperation,” capable of connecting public administrations, universities, research centers, financial institutions, and economic actors.

The senator added that one of the most significant contributions of the CEI has been its support for the European integration of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

In conclusion, she once again recalled the appeal of Patriarch Porfirije, warning that if Orthodox Serbs were forced to leave Kosovo, “it would be a failure we must not allow.”

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric stated that he was grateful to the Chair of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Stefania Craxi, who spoke today about the position of the Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, mentioning the Patriarch and the overall situation of Serbs.

“In Trieste, there were commendable and positive views about Serbia. Thus, the Chair of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Stefania Craxi, referred to the difficult position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and also mentioned the words of Patriarch Porfirije on this issue. I publicly thanked her and recalled that Italian soldiers have been guarding the Visoki Decani Monastery for decades. In the discussions I had, I pointed out the gravity of the situation of our people in Kosovo and Metohija,” Djuric told reporters.