By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Authorities in Kosovo decided Monday to reject a request from Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije to visit the country.
"Serbia continues to violate the Brussels Agreement, does not allow our state officials to visit Serbia, does not end its campaigns against the Republic of Kosovo in the international arena during the integration and recognition processes, and continues to use hate speech and threats against the Republic of Kosovo and its representatives. As long as this happens, we will not allow visits,'' said the Foreign Ministry.
The statement added that such visits will not be allowed as long as Serbia continues to prevent Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
Patriarch Porfirije wanted to visit the Peja Patriarchate in the west of the country.
In addition, Serbia was called to act on the principle of reciprocity regarding mutual visits.
The news was announced earlier in the day by the head of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic.
"The Serbian Patriarch, Mr. Porfirije, has always, on every occasion and in every place, with his messages, gentle words and actions called for peace and the coexistence of Serbs and Albanians in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. Unfortunately, these are values and messages that today no one in Pristina understands," said Petkovic.
The Serbian Orthodox Church said in a statement that it was "unacceptable" that Patriarch Porfirije was not allowed to enter Kosovo.
The statement called on everyone with influence on the Kosovo issue to "take action to stop the violation of the freedom of movement of the Serbian Patriarch, bishops and clergy and the human rights of the Serbian people in the country."
Porfirije said the Serbian Orthodox Church "cannot be part of any political negotiations and agreements" on Kosovo.
In the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, which are conducted under the auspices of the European Union, the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church is part of the agreement on the path to normalization of relations, which was reached in 2023.
The agreement states that the parties "will formalize the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and afford a strong level of protection of Serbian religious and cultural heritage under existing European models."
"Respect and protection of human and especially religious rights represent a universal civilizational value, because these rights belong to everyone and must be guaranteed to the Serbian Church and its faithful people," said the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church on March 26.
The position of the Serbian Orthodox Church coincides with the position of Belgrade, which does not accept the independence of Kosovo, which was declared in 2008.