Gouillon: Pristina, through a revision of history, attempts to erase the Serbs and their cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija

The Director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and the Serbs in the Region, Arnaud Gouillon, stated to Kosovo Online that through a revision of history, without any evidence, Pristina was attempting to erase the Serbs and their cultural heritage from Kosovo.

"This is revisionism, when, without evidence, without historical facts based on material evidence and research, the Albanians claim that what is Serbian and Orthodox is actually Albanian, sometimes even Catholic. This is the case with the church dedicated to the Mother of God near Pec. As soon as there is a foundation beneath a church, and there is always a foundation, in this case – the foundation of a Byzantine church, they say: 'Well, that Byzantine church is Illyrian, and we Albanians are Illyrians', even though there is no evidence for that. Then they add that everything built above that Byzantine church is theirs," Gouillon said.

Our interlocutor emphasized that the Albanians used the same narrative for other Serbian churches and monasteries.

"They claim that the Visoki Decani Monastery is actually a part of Kosovo's Albanian cultural heritage. They say the same for the Church of the Virgin of Ljevis and Gracanica, and that is something very dangerous. It's not just certain extremists saying this; it's their serious media and their politicians. They introduce this into the school system, and children believe in these lies," Gouillon emphasized.

He gave an example of the most famous basilica in Paris, the Sacre-Coeur on Montmartre, which was built in 1870.

"Underneath that church is the foundation of a Roman temple dedicated to the god Mercury. Can anyone imagine an Italian from Rome coming and saying, 'Well, this is not French cultural heritage, but Italian cultural heritage'? Can you imagine 'Corriere della Sera' or 'La Repubblica' writing articles about it? Can Italian politicians say, 'Well, you have usurped what is ours because Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre are a part of Italy, it is Italian cultural heritage'? No one can imagine that. No historian will ever claim that. However, this is what the Albanians are doing in Kosovo and Metohija. We know that Italians are descendants of the Romans, but Albanians are not descendants of the Byzantines, and we are not even sure if they are indeed descendants of the Illyrians. Certainly, the only cultural heritage that exists in Kosovo and Metohija is Serbian cultural heritage. We also have Byzantine cultural heritage and Turkish cultural heritage. This is what the whole world knows, historians, and everyone who has dealt with these issues," Gouillon emphasized.

He stated that "historical revisionism is an attempt by the Albanians to impose a new ideology and new principles without evidence, which unfortunately spread in society, among children, questioning the coexistence of everyone down in Kosovo and Metohija for future generations".

"We saw in 1999 and 2004 attempts to destroy and erase, at a physical level, all Serbian traces in Kosovo and Metohija. Since they failed in that, now, through a revision of history, they are trying again to erase the Serbs, Serbian cultural heritage, and the Serbian Orthodox Church from Kosovo and Metohija. That is dangerous," Gouillon said.

As he emphasizes, the only way to counter this is with the truth.

"We can counteract through book promotions, and public diplomacy, by organizing events and presenting the truth on this topic. For example, through my humanitarian organization 'Solidarity for Kosovo', one of the topics in the next edition of our magazine, published every three months, will be the cultural heritage of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia will continue to address this issue at the international level. We take it extremely seriously. We will continue to collaborate with the Serbian Orthodox Church to emphasize these issues that are of vital importance for the future of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," our interlocutor stated.

Gouillon concludes that this is a question for all Serbs wherever they live, and he would also say it's a question for the whole of Europe because the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo is a part of European civilization and world cultural heritage.

"Even UNESCO recognized this by placing four churches and monasteries under its protection, all of which are a part of the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. They know it is at risk because it is on the list of world cultural heritage. Everyone knows; we need to activate, continue, not give up because only when we are proactive can we influence reality," Gouillon emphasized.