On 31 May, UNMIK SRSG Lamberto Zannier met with His Grace Bishop Teodosije, the Head of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren at Gračanica Monastery. Mr. Zannier was accompanied by Leonid Markaryan, the Head of the UNMIK Office for Community Support and Facilitation. The meeting focused on the current concerns of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Kosovo, in particular, the long-term protection and reconstruction of the SOC patrimonial sites

 

 

The Bishop highlighted the importance of preserving the Reconstruction Implementation Commission as an effective, internationally recognized mechanism enabling technical cooperation between the Kosovo authorities and the SOC in the cultural heritage area, as well as the importance of ensuring the proper functioning of the Special Protective Zones established around the patrimonial sites, and of implementing measures that will ensure the economic sustainability of the monastic community in the Diocese. The SRSG and Bishop Theodosije also discussed the importance of fostering dialogue between Kosovo's ethnic and religious communities.