Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Press statement by Marko Djuric, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia

The decision of the UNESCO General Conference to refuse membership to the self-proclaimed Kosovo is a victory of reason and justice over politics, and the confirmation that Serbia, when it acts in unison with support from its citizens and institutions, may influence international processes.

I thank all our citizens who have been involved raising global awareness and presenting the truth about the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija over have the past weeks, and we owe special gratitude to the countries whose representatives in Paris today stood against the policy of dictation and against the victory of injustice in UNESCO.

Even though many in Pristina and across the world today will be disappointed by the decision of the General Conference of UNESCO, such an outcome should frustrate no one, since it is only an affirmation of the fact that the initiative was faulty from the outset. We must use other ways to look for solutions.

One of the messages from the today’s vote at the UNESCO is that issues of highest interest for the Serbian and Albanian people in Kosovo and Metohija cannot and must not be solved through unilateral decisions and initiatives, because such solutions can never be durable and sustainable.

The issue of the status and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the status of the Serbian cultural patrimony in Kosovo and Metohija, must, regardless of the ambitions of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina, be addressed through the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and with participation of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

If we are to jointly take part in the process of normalization of relations, then the Serbian people cannot and must not be excluded from decision-making about their own cultural heritage, and everything else would constitute an act of violence.

We must avail ourselves of the upcoming period to sensibly and fairly resolve the issue of the status and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija. Belgrade stands ready to enter into this dialogue.