A statement given to Serbian media claiming that Prime Minister Albin Kurti had decided to implement the decision regarding the land of the Decan Monastery “as a favor to him” has turned out to be a “mistake” and a “mix-up of events.” The protagonist of the statement, Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic, told KosovaPress that he confused two different moments: the government’s recent decision on the Decan Monastery and an event from early 2023, when he had intervened with the prime minister to grant a visit permit to the Serbian patriarch.
Rasic said on Sunday that his persistence led to the implementation of the decision to transfer 24 hectares to the Decan Monastery, during which Kurti had told him, “I am doing it for your sake.”
“I will say it, perhaps without modesty, but it happened thanks to my continuous persistence. For years I explained why it was important. In the end, the prime minister called me before the government meeting and told me: ‘I have thought about this a lot. We will do it, but you know, because of you,’” he said for Radio Gorazdevac.
However, today he described this as “absolutely untrue.” The Minister for Returns told KosovaPress that the issue of the monastery’s property is far more serious than being interpreted as a personal favor. According to him, such a misinterpretation only demonstrates the deep political polarization in Kosovo.
“I regret that there are political structures that consider there is a government or a prime minister who, for the sake of a person, gives land or state property in the form of saying ‘here, I will give it to you.’ This is absolutely untrue, and I believe these matters are far more serious than how they are being interpreted by certain political structures. Unfortunately, this only shows how polarized the political parties and the entire political spectrum in Kosovo have become. I remember other moments when every decision, every conversation, every statement was made with dedication and seriousness, not like it was presented this time,” Rasic said.
He explained that the confusion occurred because of a past event when the Serbian patriarch had requested permission to visit Kosovo and had asked the prime minister for an unhindered visit.
“I do not consider it something as tragic as it was portrayed in writings on social networks. It is regrettable to see such extreme polarization, where each side interprets decisions — especially when, from my personal perspective, they have been beneficial for all peoples and all communities in Kosovo, and particularly for the progress of Kosovo’s institutions. To see such a turn where that good decision was presented as something bad, as if it was done for the sake of one person, for me is not appropriate,” he added.
