Kosovo approves land restitution to Visoki Decani Monastery

(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 13 MAR - The Kosovo government has ordered the Cadastral Agency to implement the Constitutional Court decision issued in past years and return to the Visoki Decani Monastery 24 hectares of land it owned and of which the monastery had been deprived. Speaking today at the end of a government session, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the decision was made to ease the path toward Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe.
    The government, he remarked, could either fulfill the condition established by the High Court or do without Council of Europe membership. "We decided to exercise common sense," he said. While still considering such a decision harmful, the premier pointed out that Council of Europe membership would be a historic victory for Kosovo.
    For years, the international community had been urging Pristina to return the land to the Monastery, in compliance with the Constitutional Court's 2016 decision. Located not far from the town of Pec/Peja in western Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Visoki Decani Monastery is famous for its precious medieval frescoes and is, therefore, a destination for many visitors and tourists. (ANSA).