MFA of Germany: Our ambassador in Kosovo did not seek the relocation of the memorial plaque

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the ambassador of the country in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, had not advocated for the relocation of the memorial plaque at the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, and they mentioned that concerning the Visoki Decani Monastery, he had only addressed its geographical location.

That is how the Ministry responded, in a letter seen by Kosovo Online, to a question from Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Petr Bystron: "Why did the German ambassador in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, express support for the relocation of the monument to fallen Serbs from 1912 to 1918, and why did he characterize the Serbian monastery Decani as a 'Kosovo monastery?'"

"The claim that the German ambassador expressed support for the relocation of the monument is incorrect. The fact is that, without the knowledge of the German embassy, one memorial plaque at the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Pristina was moved before November 11 in connection with the installation of a new monument. A German-French commemoration of the victims of World War I was held at that location. Both embassies publicly stated and expressed regret over that incident. At the end of November, the memorial plaque was returned to its place," the response from the State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Katja Kohl, pointed out.

Kohl reminded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Embassy in Kosovo had repeatedly advocated for the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"In a tweet from November 17, the German ambassador addressed the geographical location of the monastery in Kosovo," it was added in the response to the parliamentary question.