Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Mrkic, attended the holy pontifical liturgy at the Visoki Decani Monastery on Sunday, 24th November, on the occasion of the patron saint's day of the Imperial Lavra of Visoki Decani Monastery, celebrating Saint Stefan Decanski the Great Martyr, the monastery's endower.

Apart from Minister Mrkic, the holy liturgy was attended by high domestic officials, Serbian Government Ministers: Minister of Defence Nebojsa Rodic, Minister without Portfolio responsible for Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin, and Special Adviser to the Foreign Minister Marko Blagojevic. The service was also attended by high foreign officials: Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo Samuel Žbogar, Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Norway to Pristina and Belgrade, Mr. Jan Braathu and Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg, former Norwegian Ambassador to Pristina Sverre Johan Kvale, Ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy to Pristina, UN and OSCE representatives, and the Commander of KFOR, Italian Major General Salvatore Farina.

On behalf of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Patriarch presented the highest decoration of the Church, the Order of Saint Sava, 1st class to: the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, the European Commission, and the Order of Saint Sava, 2nd class, to the former Norwegian Ambassador, Mr. Sverre Johan Kvale. The recipients of the honours were particularly commended for the help provided to the returning Serbs, and for the restoration of churches in Kosovo and Metohija.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Mrkic congratulated those honoured and he talked to Serbian Patriarch Irinej, and with Sava Janjic, abbot of Visoki Decani monastery.

Minister Mrkic toured the new residence on the monastery's grounds with Bishop Teodosije of Raska and Prizren, where he was informed about restoration works on the monastery.