Aid from Russia has arrived in Serbia’s earthquake stricken city of Kraljevo while additional $2 million of Russian money is to be spent on preservation of Christian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo.

Late on Thursday, 38 tons of aid arrived in the earthquake stricken town of Kraljevo from Russia. The aid includes 60 winter tents, 62 heaters, two motor generators, 1,500 blankets and eight tons of canned food.

Aid to Kraljevo, valued at half million dollars, is sent by the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situation to the Serbian Interior Ministry.

Serbia’s Emergency Situations Sector chief Djordje Babic said that the aid is extremely useful because it will provide better accommodation for the people whose homes were damaged in the latest earthquake in winter conditions.

“It is also important that the equipment is mobile. This means that it can be reused in other areas if necessary after the damage caused in Kraljevo is repaired,” Babic said.

Head of the Emergency Situations Headquarters in Kraljevo Radoica Kocovic said that the aid will be distributed to Kraljevo residents as soon as the customs and sanitary procedure is completed.

One of the hundreds of Serbian Orthodox Churches destroyed by the Muslim Albanian separatists while NATO countries stand and watch then recognize the Albanian separatists as an independent country.

Russian aid to Serbia comes after Moscow approved $2 million for restoration of Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo that have been destroyed by the Muslim Albanian separatists although NATO troops are there to allegedly protect.

Most NATO countries have recognized Albanian dominated Kosovo as an independent state.

Russian donation for shrines in Kosovo is in arrangement with UNESCO.

The money will be spent on restoring four Orthodox facilities which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list but are under threat by the Albanian separatists even though NATO is in Kosovo under a UN mandate.

The monastery of the Serbian Patriarchate in Pec, monasteries in Dečani and Gračanica and the church of the Mother of God in Prizren will be aided.

Russia is also organizing the necessary administrative work and expert examinations. It will send there experienced architects, engineers and experts who will take part in the restoration works.

“The Russian Church will continue to render feasible help to Orthodox Christians in Kosovo, in particular, to monasteries and convents. The Serbian clergy welcomes Russian monks and nuns when they come to Kosovo. After all, the Russian Church has a lot of experience in organizing monasteries – today, there are over 800 monasteries and convents in Russia. We can well help our brethren in Kosovo,” said the chairman of the Department for external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Hilary.

Russia’s decision to donate money to save the Kosovo shrines is a part of the UN’s humanitarian program for Kosovo.

December 4, 2010
SERBIANNA
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