UNMIK/PR/1243
PRISTINA – UNMIK notes with great disappointment that Bishop Artemije has decided unilaterally to withdraw from an agreement with the PISG to reconstruct Orthodox religious sites damaged during the violent riots in March.
The Bishop’s decision will mean a considerable delay in the important and urgent task to reconstruct the sites that were destroyed in March, and, as such, runs counter to the overall goal to build a multiethnic Kosovo with full respect and security for all communities and religious sites.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Bishop Artemije and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports on the Reconstruction of Orthodox Religious Sites on 28 June. This agreement laid down the principles of cooperation between the Ministry and the Church in utilizing the funds made available by UNMIK and the PISG.
Until now, considerable progress had been made on this issue, starting with an assessment mission led by the Council of Europe to conduct an impartial assessment of the scope of the damage. Based on the resulting estimates, 4.2 million euros has been allocated from the Kosovo Consolidated Budget for reconstruction of the damaged religious sites.
The Bishop’s cancellation of his earlier agreement and withdrawal of his representative from the process has suspended ongoing preparations for reconstruction. Eight tenders had already been announced, providing for immediate work on 11 sites, while tenders for another 21 sites were ready to be issued on 7 October. However, the entire tender process is currently suspended due to the Bishop’s regrettable decision.
UNMIK officials have made vigorous efforts to communicate with Bishop Artemije to stress the importance of rejoining the process of reconstruction. Several meetings have been held with the Bishop in Gracanica and with the Minister of Culture of Serbia and other officials in Belgrade to persuade them not to block this important process.
Last week, the SRSG and COMKFOR also appealed to the Bishop to reconsider his decision, but to no avail. The Bishop insisted on the need to redefine his relationship with the international community on the basis of “new principles,” which he has not yet presented, leaving the reconstruction process suspended.
UNMIK remains committed to expeditious reconstruction of the 34 Serbian Orthodox monuments that were damaged or destroyed. However, for the process to succeed, full commitment by all sides is necessary.