The refusal to allow Serbian Patriarch Porfirije's visit to the Peja Monastery in Kosovo, where he planned to hold a mass, has been described by some politicians and media in Serbia as a continuation of the violation of rights and persecution of Serbs in Kosovo. Officials from the Kosovo government stated that the visit was not allowed due to the Patriarch's previous statements, which they said incite interethnic divisions.
A few days after his visit to Kosovo was denied, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuçiq, met with Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. Also present at the joint lunch was the President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who is sanctioned by the United States.
Vučić wrote on Instagram that "the Serbian people in Kosovo are exposed to brutal persecution that cannot be easily stopped."
He further stated, "We will oppose this with all political means and will do everything for our people in Kosovo, and of course, we will never agree to an independent Kosovo."
Vučić's stance, along with that of other officials, has been shared by several Serbian media outlets, including Novosti.rs, Informer.rs, Nsuzivo.rs, Novimagazin.rs, Telegraf.rs. In a statement to RTS, Vučić also accused the West of tolerating Pristina's behavior.
The refusal of the Serbian Patriarch's visit has prompted reactions from the international community.
The UNMIK mission wrote on its official Facebook account that the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Ziadeh, is closely monitoring the denial of entry to Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, who planned to participate in the Serbian Orthodox Church Mass in Peja.
“While maintaining freedom of movement is a requirement, in line with existing agreements, access to religious sites is an indispensable component of the full realization of human rights, and in particular, the right to practice religion by all communities. The SRSG reiterates her calls for constructive engagement to resolve outstanding issues through the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to prioritize dialogue over unilateral action.” is stated in UNMIK’s response.
Additionally, European Union spokesperson Peter Stano commented on the refusal of entry to Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, stating that Kosovo violated the 2014 Agreement on reciprocal visits.
“By refusing his entry, the Government of Kosovo has not only violated the 2014 Agreement on official visits but has also blatantly ignored the importance of the Serbian Orthodox Church for a portion of Kosovo's citizens. The European Union continues to call for the full implementation of the agreements that have been reached,” he stated.
The agreement on official visits only outlines the procedures to be followed from the moment a visit request is made. According to the Agreement, religious leaders fall into the second group, where notification must be given at least 48 hours in advance, and any objections must be raised within the first 24 hours.
“The institution making the request will send the notification directly to the Liaison Office (LO) of the party where the visit will take place, sending a copy (cc) to the LO of the requesting party. The LO that receives the notification will immediately confirm receipt. If there is no response within the designated timeframe, the visit is considered approved,” states the Agreement, which came into effect on December 1, 2014. Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, in a statement to the media after the meeting in Brussels on the implementation of the Central Bank Regulation among the Serbian community, cited the Serbian Patriarch's provocative statements regarding Kosovo's statehood as the reason for refusing the visit.
“Patriarch Porfirije applied for a visit. When an application is made, the Kosovar side is obliged to respond, and the response can be either positive or negative. If the response is positive, it is not a violation of the Agreement, but neither is a negative response a violation. However, we can discuss the reasons why Kosovo decided not to allow such a visit at this time. In this case, we need to consider the Serbian side's stance on the dialogue, for example, the fact that Serbia has created a body to attack and violate the Brussels Agreement and its Implementation Annex, hindering Kosovo's European integration,” said Bislimi. He mentioned Patriarch Porfirije's online statements and attacks against Kosovo institutions, where he claims that “Serbs in Kosovo are pursued and persecuted just for being Serbs.”
“I think this is undignified for religious representatives, who should promote closeness between people, not divisions between ethnic groups,” Bislimi emphasized.
In one of these videos, which continues to circulate on social media, Patriarch Porfirije speaks about how Kosovo was stolen from Serbia.
"Kosovo is not just a geopolitical issue; on the contrary, it is a matter of our identity. Our late Patriarch Irinej, with his simple words, used to say that if something is given, it cannot be taken back, but if something is stolen, it can always be returned. For six centuries, Kosovo has been a story of prayer, a subject of prayer for us Serbs. After six centuries, we remained in Kosovo, and Kosovo remained within Serbia," Porfirije states, among other things.
This is not the first instance where mutual visits have been denied, as they have previously been accompanied by controversies between Kosovo and Serbia.
In November 2021, Serbia denied the request for a two-day visit by four Kosovo Government ministers to the Presevo Valley, Medvedja, and Bujanovac.
*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation. “Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.”
