He wrote in a written letter to Markovic that "it is the case of occupation of Rumia in front of the official structures of Bar and the state, and that the whole area should be brought to its original state before the installation of the facility in 2005".
"As long as we wait for you to finally remove the illegal metal object or a metal church and release the peak of Rumija from it, on October 14th on the social networks, we saw photoshoots of horses carrying building material on the slopes of the mountain. On published photos after the 20th of October, we can see a stone and concrete wall, scaffolding, a concrete mixer and workers. I think it's time you react decisively through your legally-legitimate institutions on which you are in charge and immediately halt any further construction work at the top of Rumija and start the necessary actions in the spirit of the solution for the removal of that object," the former deputy in the Montenegrin parliament wrote.
He reminded that the church was set up by the then Serbian and Montenegrin Army on June 18th in 2005, with the abundant help of the republican authorities.
"The church on the top of Rumija "flew away" by the military MI-8 helicopters but the whole convoy from the Port of Bar, with the rotating lights, turned on, provided a police car with plates P-200-279. This object that occupied and devastated the top of Rumija, is not only illegitimate but represents a deliberate, objective, clear and the greatest provocation and threat to this peaceful and temperate region, specifically for the indigenous Albanian population and other peaceful people and citizens, high-mountain lovers, states Bardhi. The Ministry of Environment and Environmental Protection issued a decision on the removal of the church from Rumija on July 22nd, because the church was set contrary to the laws."
"This solution has become executive and we have thought that justice will overcome and halt the war occupation and the brutal construction of the Serbian Orthodox Church, not only on the Skadar Lakes but also on the top of Rumija. Unfortunately, the solution has never been made, on the contrary, we have even more brutal and threatening attacks at the top of Rumija, where a solid building is being constructed," Bardhi said.
He urged Markovic to release the peak of Rumija because "natural stones and dense grass, and especially rare plants and their flowers with hundreds of the finest colors and smells, do not have to suffer from the smell of iron and rusty steel joints".
"This is our plea and our request for which we are addressing you. Stop the evil," Bardhi wrote.
A letter from the same content Bardhi also sent to President Milo Djukanovic, President of the Parliament Ivan Brajović, Minister for Human and Minority Rights Mehmet Zenki, Director of Inspection Department Alija Košuti, President of Bar Dušan Raičević, President of Bar Parliament Mico Orlandic and diplomatic representations.
Metropolitan church: Nothing was done secretly on Rumija
The Montenegrin coastal Metropolitan church stated yesterday that "for hundreds of years the people of the Rumija region in the Trojčindan lithium with the cross of St. John Vladimir lied stones at the top of Rumija as a kind of covenant that is passed from generation to generation, believing that on top of this mountain a church will be restored once there were enough stones gathered there".
"This vow was fulfilled at this time: in 2005 the church of the St. Trojica in Rumija was restored, technically it was made as it was possible at that time, and by the footsteps of the vows of its ancestors, the believers of Bar and its surroundings, was decided to materialize that vow and give it a full meaning and the Rumian Church has been, for the most part, covered with stone that their ancestors put there precisely for that purpose."
The Metropolitan church alleged that the church in Rumia "maliciously, by political abuse in the Montenegrin public, declared that it disrupted the inter-religious harmony in Bar".
"This statement is not based on any evidence, it is extremely arbitrary, in essence, untrue."
The works on the church of St. Trojica in Rumija are not new construction works, and they do not change the size or the shape of the church. The main objection by Montenegrin politicians and part of the public is that it is built of metal that has been surpassed. Nothing was done on Rumija secretly today. There are many people involved in the noble work of rejuvenation and beautification of the Rumija’s church, mostly young Orthodox believers from Bar, proudly praising that their efforts are the upgrades of the efforts and the faith of their ancestors. The Rumija Church is the venerable church of many generations of the inhabitants from Bar and its surroundings. It is a living church, in which the Liturgy is served for many believers who attend them, and it is served more often during the year than in other town’s churches," stated the Montenegrin coastal Metropolitan church.
Text by Samir Adrovic, Vijesti online, on October 23rd 2018, read more at Vijesti
