Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Hajrulla Ceku sent a letter to Executive President of Europa Nostra Hermann Parzinger inviting him to visit Kosovo and expressing their concern over the organization’s decision to include the Monastery of Decan to the list of Europe’s Seven Most Endangered Monuments. 

Gervalla and Ceku expressed the view of the Government of Kosovo that the decision was ‘unfounded’ and not in line with the reality on the ground. “The decision is clearly politically influenced, an unprecedented practice in Europe Nostra’s highly regarded historical reputation,” they said.

“We invite you to visit Kosova and see up-close the state of the Monastery of Decan. During your decision-making process, you neglected an essential dimension, consultation with interested parties, while you took into account a tendentious and unprofessional text by the nominating organization. Therefore, we invite you to come and speak to the residents of the area, clergy of the Monastery, civil society organizations, professionals, local and international security institutions, international organizations operating in Kosova, state officials and others,” the letter reads. 

Gervalla and Ceku also said that local and international law and order institutions have all concluded that Orthodox Churches in Kosovo enjoy a high level of security and are not endangered. “The Republic of Kosova is fully committed to the protection of all cultural heritage assets of the country, and particularly of Orthodox churches and monasteries, the Orthodox clergy and members of religious and minority communities.”