Minister for Communities and Return in the Kosovo government, Dalibor Jevtić, yesterday attended a liturgy in the reconstructed Church of St. Nicolas in the village Banjska in Vučitrn/Vushtrri Municipality and said that Ministry will continue to help reconstruction of Serbian holly sites in Kosovo. The Ministry has provided EUR 19000 for the reconstruction of the Church, which was built in 1346, and was destroyed three times in period 1999-2004.

“We are here today to say that we will rebuild every holly shrine of ours”, said Jevtić. He went on to say that the Ministry will continue to assist, in full cooperation with the Serbian Orthodox Church, wherever possible and not only help reconstruction of destroyed shrines but also help building of the new ones with the goal of sending a message that they are not giving up from staying in Kosovo, because without them there is no return of displaced Serbs either.

There were around 200 Serbs living in this village before the conflict in 1999, whereas only around 40 of them have remained to live there now, and who say that security is their biggest concern.