Since 1999, over 120 Orthodox churches have been destroyed in the region
The Russian Andrey Pervozvany Fund will develop a report for the UN,
PACE and UNESCO on the critical situation in Kosovo and Metohja.
President of the Fund Alexander Melnik told journalists on Tuesday that
the situation is particularly critical for Serbs, the local population
of the region.
After his visit to Kosovo
Alexander Melnik said: "We knew that destruction of Orthodox relics was
catastrophic, but did not expect it was so dangerous. We say this is
genocide. We expect to draw close attention of public and political
organizations, Europe's influential political and public commissions to
the problem of Kosovo Serbs."
On January 3-8, a delegation of the Fund,
together with Russian journalists went to Kosovo and Metohja for a
humanitarian mission. They visited densely populated Serb settlements
and Orthodox relics that remained intact. Since 1999, over 120 Orthodox
churches have been destroyed in the region.
The president of the Fund was
deeply depressed with what he observed during the mission. He says that
today Serbs live in a modern ghetto, suffer from unemployment and lack
of medical care. Alexander Melnik says that Serbs can travel about the
native region only being protected by KFOR and the international
police.
Over one thousand of Serbs have been killed and over 250 thousand
people have been ousted from their houses since peacemakers were
introduced in Kosovo in 1999. The president of the Orthodox Fund says
that today 130 thousand Serbs live in Kosovo and only 150 Serbs live in
one house protected by the police in Pristina. |
