CEI PD General Committee on Cultural Affairs Debates Protection of Religious Sites as Important Segment of Heritage

In her address, the Chairperson of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija, Danijela Nikolic, emphasized that to better understand the problems faced by the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija, it is important to emphasise that there are 1,300 churches, monasteries, sites and cultural entities on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, which represent the cultural and historical heritage of the Serbs. The security situation of the Serbs on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija is burdened with numerous problems, with the presence of acts of violence against the Serbs. When we talk about the protection of religious sites, we are talking about the protection of cultural assets, or rather, the protection of national heritage, which is our obligation, said Nikolic. She added that the current measures to protect the Serbian tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija are ineffective and that it is time to protect because of the danger of its loss due to the difficult and unsafe conditions in which Serbs live in Kosovo-Metohija. She added that this is not only the obligation of the Republic of Serbia, but also of international organisations, because this is a territory under international protectorate, and called for the inclusion of parliamentary diplomacy in these processes. Nikolic dedicated a significant part of her presentation to the role of parliaments in preserving cultural heritage, with a special emphasis on the supervisory role when it comes to the protection of religious sites, and used this opportunity to appeal to the international community to protect the Serbian people, as well as to raise the protection of Serbian religious sites in Kosovo-Metohija to the highest level.

The delegation members were addressed in introductory speeches by the Minister of Culture Nikola Selakovic and Milena Parlic, Assistant Director for Serbian Orthodox Church Cooperation and Care of Cultural Heritage at the Office for Kosovo-Metohija.

Minister Selakovic emphasised the importance of the CEI as one of the pillars of regional cooperation that contributes to the achievement of regional dialogue. The Ministry of Culture called on all CEI member states to contribute to the field of intangible cultural heritage during Serbia's CEI chairmanship this year. He emphasised that the protection of cultural assets is important for the preservation of memory and national identity. Also, the protection of cultural heritage from destruction is a prerequisite for the protection of the heritage itself. Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija is one of the most endangered assets in the world today, said Selakovic, adding that it is facing destruction, but with an undisguised tendency to erase the identity of Serbian cultural heritage, or "culturocide". Selakovic explained that "culturocide" means the destruction of cultural identity through three stages, physical destruction and the banning of culture, falsification of history and erasure of culture, as well as the seizure of what has not been destroyed and appropriation as the heritage of a criminal. He added that this is the perfect crime and that in Kosovo-Metohija today it is in its final stage, which heralds a new cycle of violence. If culture is a reflection of humanity and kindness, then attacking it is a crime against humanity, the Minister concluded. He said that Serbia will continue to address international organisations in order to protect the cultural and historical heritage of the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija.

Milena Parlic, Assistant Director for Serbian Orthodox Church Cooperation and Care of Cultural Heritage at the Office for Kosovo-Metohija, informed the MPs about the destruction of sacred sites and the falsification of historical facts in Kosovo-Metohija, as well as about the Serbian Orthodox Church as the guardian of Serbian heritage in Kosovo-Metohija, and especially about the activities carried out by Serbian institutions to preserve the national, religious and cultural identity of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

The members of national delegations to the CEI Parliamentary Assembly exchanged opinions on the preservation of religious sites, which do not only have a religious function, but are part of the national and universal heritage, especially those on the UNESCO list.