Decani Orthodox Monastery in Decan, Kosovo . Photo: EPA/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

The Holy Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church urged the Belgrade authorities on Friday to ensure Kosovo remains part of Serbia and to refuse to agree any territorial exchange.

“Kosovo and Metohija, with its 1,500 Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries, churches, endowments and monuments of Serbian culture, represents an inalienable, central part of Serbia,” the Serbian Orthodox Church said in a statement on its website.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but Serbia refuses to recognise it, although EU-mediated talks between Belgrade and Pristina have been continuing for several years, aimed at normalising relations.

“Kosovo and Metohija, from our point of view, is not a question of national ideology or mythology nor, moreover, only territory, but represents the very essence of our church and national being and existence, without which we are lost in the process of general globalisation and secularisation,” the church statement said.

An exchange of territories – swapping Albanian-majority areas in southern Serbia for Serb-majority ones in northern Kosovo – has been mooted by some Serbian and Kosovo politicians, but it has never been raised officially.

The Orthodox Church said however that this would represent “nothing more than recognition of the ‘independent state of Kosovo’ and the giving-away of the largest part of the territory of the province [Kosovo]”.

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