First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic visited Kosovo and Metohija today, where he toured Serbian cultural heritage sites under UNESCO protection. Minister Dacic visited the Gracanica Monastery, the Patriarchate of Pec and the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren. Minister Dacic spoke to the sisterhood of the Patriarchate of Pec Monastery, while at the Gracanica Monastery he talked with Bishop Teodosije.

The Serbian Prime Minister stated in Prizren that he had not come to Kosovo to send negative messages regarding relations with Pristina:"Belgrade is constructive and Prime Minister Vucic and I discussed this issue with Ms. Federica Mogherini, and Messrs. Isa Mustafa and Hashim Thaçi were present as well. We insisted, I insisted myself, to negotiate the issue and to not undertake any unilateral actions, and then we find ourselves in a situation where we fight each other. Since this had not been discussed in Brussels, the consequence of that was this situation, the fact that Kosovo did not receive the required majority needed for UNESCO membership", the Minister said. Dacic stated that religious and cultural heritage of the Serbian people in Kosovo was a sensitive issue for him and that it must be resolved.

"It is important to preserve all of this, for instance, there are four sites in Kosovo which are under UNESCO protection, and one of them is the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis. These objects should be preserved and finally reconstructed, and we want to help reach some kind of a solution for these issues, solutions which will be to everyone's satisfaction", said Minister Dacic.