Despite active protests and propaganda activities of the Albanian separatist regime in Kosovo, UNESCO has left the Serbian architectural shrines - the monasteries of Visoki Decani, Gracanica, Pečka Patriaršja and the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviš - on the list of cultural heritage in danger of extinction.
This was reported by the UN mission in Kosovo - UNMIK, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
UNESCO has placed a group of medieval Serbian monasteries in Kosovo on its list of endangered heritage sites. The threats due to which medieval shrines were included in this list were also listed: unclear legal status and legislative protection, failure to implement maintenance plans, difficulties in monitoring sites due to political instability and the post-conflict situation, as well as an unsatisfactory state of conservation and maintenance.
The international organization under the UN strongly recommended that Pristina provide full and permanent protection of the sites, as well as the creation of a stable political environment conducive to this. The separatists were required to plan for the restoration and conservation of architectural monuments, as well as work for its implementation.
Serbian Ambassador to UNESCO Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili said the decision is very important as it confirms the ongoing serious threat to Serbian cultural property in Kosovo, which Belgrade points out. She recalled that the shrines - the monasteries of Visoki Dečani, Gračanica, Pečka Patriaršja and the Church of Our Lady of Levis, were included in the UNESCO list at the request of Serbia, which regularly informs the international community about their condition.