Vucevic: International institutions must prevent the destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Milos Vucevic, today called on relevant international institutions, primarily UNESCO, to prevent attempts to destroy Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo, after illegal construction work heavily damaged the hermitage of Saint Peter of Koris, an ancient Serbian Orthodox shrine from the 13th century, near Prizren.

In a post on Instagram, Vucevic pointed out that the regime of Albin Kurti continues with illegal and anti-civilizational attempts to destroy everything Serbian and Orthodox in Kosovo.

"It is shameful and unacceptable what the Pristina regime is doing and how far they are going, while international factors remain silent about their vandalism and barbarism. What other words can describe the latest incident that occurred at the site near Prizren, where illegal construction work caused severe damage to the space of the hermitage of Saint Peter of Koris, a 13th-century site considered part of the invaluable spiritual and cultural treasure of the Serbian Orthodox people and the entire Christian world. This incident shows all the hatred of Albin Kurti towards the Serbian people, their cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. His handwriting is clear – he wants to erase everything Serbian," Vucevic emphasized.

The Prime Minister stated that the endangerment of religious sites is absolutely unacceptable, as is the fact that such behavior is not criticized but publicly endorsed.

"I call and appeal to all relevant international institutions, especially UNESCO, to prevent attempts to destroy Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, which, by its significance and centuries-old existence, belongs to European cultural heritage. We will continue to invest in the restoration and preservation of our shrines, just as we will continue to help our people in Kosovo and Metohija in every way possible," Vucevic concluded.

The Raska-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church announced yesterday that recent illegal construction work caused severe damage to the space of the Hermitage of Saint Peter of Koris near Prizren, an ancient Serbian Orthodox shrine from the 13th century.

The Hermitage of Saint Peter of Koris is officially protected as one of the 50 special protected zones, in accordance with the Law on Special Protected Zones of Temporary Institutions.