Debates on the restoration of Xhafer Deva's house, Minister Çeku: Serbia tends to portray Kosovo as a Holocaust denier

The Minister of Culture in Kosovo, Hajrulla Çeku has given details on the debate on the restoration of Xhafer Deva's house, which has the burden of history coming from the Second World War in Mitrovica.

Invited to 'Politiko' in Top News, the minister said that the source of this debate comes from Serbia, as he is trying to portray Kosovo as a Holocaust denier.

Excerpts from the interview:

It is a continuation of efforts to restore this building that is a cultural heritage monument in Kosovo. The debate originated in Serbia, as it was an official request from the Minister of Culture for the EU and UNDP to withdraw funds and leave the project. .

It is an attempt to fabricate a narrative that portrays Kosovo as a Holocaust denier. This is a lie that historical facts show otherwise. We know that Albanians protected Jews during the Holocaust.

Did the intervention of the German ambassador sink the project?

Knowing the historical background from which the German ambassador comes, I understand a raised concern, but I clarify that the narrative from Serbia as a stimulus for Germany's reaction is not stable not only for the historical facts but also for the current ones. The monument of Xhafer Deva's house is in public ownership in 1945. It was used as a health house, it has aesthetic values ​​and it stands out.

It is part of the memory of the inhabitants of Mitrovica and is in a degraded condition and the last rehabilitation intervention was done in 2018.

What was the purpose if it was restored?

To emphasize we are restoring a monument, then the regional center of cultural heritage and other spaces such as art galleries, museums, etc. will be located.

Duam ta përdorim për të zhvilluar debatin që ka nisur, por diskursi ka degjeneruar si dhuna kundër arkitekturës dhe artefaktit. Është në kundërshtim me praktikat e mira evropiane .

Zhurma në Kosovë ishte për qëllime politike?

Pjesa nga Serbia është e qartë. Jam takuar me ambasadorin gjerman për projektin dhe kemi ofruar sqarime e na duhet kohë për detajet si të vazhdohet projekti.

Besoni se do rikthehet ideja e financimit?

Financimi i takon ministrisë së kulturës së Kosovës. Kjo nuk është ceshtje financash, por po bisedojmë me të gjithë, duhet të ctensionohet situata e të bëhen konsultime shtesë me komunitetin në Kosovë, por të restaurojmë këtë monument. Nevoja për restaurim të mos lidhet me debatin politik. Diskursi i fundit mund të ketë pasoja afatgjata për mbrojtjen e trashëgimisë kulturor.

Pllakë këtu shtëpia e Xhafer Dedës?

Nothing was planned, but only the functions, spaces for activities, documentation center.

Who was Xhafer Deva

Xhafer Deva, born in Mitrovica was an Albanian politician during the Second World War, 1939-1945.

In 1944 Xhafer Deva was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs in the Government of Albania, which was formed with the support of Nazi Germany.

His past brought the reaction of the German ambassador to Kosovo, according to which Deva had been an accomplice of the Nazis who committed the Holocaust, the genocide against the Jews during the Second World War.