BELGRADE — Marko Đurić has said that fundamentalist Islamic state ideology “has penetrated deep into the pores of society in this region as well.”
According to the head of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo who spoke for the daily Večernje Novosti, this is confirmed by the fact that those who identify themselves as followers of the Islamic State, ISIS, “for the first time publicly called for the establishment of a global caliphate.”
He made the comments after it was reported that graffiti reading ISIS, KLA (UCK), AKSH (Albanian National Army), and, “The caliphate is coming” were found inside the compound of a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Kosovo.
“The only way to achieve results in solving the problem of extremism in the region is the cooperation of all states, the province, and security institutions, and Serbia is ready to support this fight,” Đurić said.
“Since 1999, Serbia has not been present in Kosovo with its army and police, which limits the scope for action, but that does not diminish the responsibility of local and foreign institutions responsible to ensure the safety of the priceless jewels of our cultural and religious heritage,” said Đurić, in reference to the medieval monastery that has been vandalized with the graffiti.
