Architect Says Staff at Institutes for Protection of Cultural Monuments Should Collectively Resign

General Staff Building in Belgrade (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

Architect Slobodan Maldini called on Nov. 27 on all employees at institutes for the protection of cultural monuments to resign, and on members of the Chamber of Engineers to return their licenses.

He issued that call because the authorities have annulled the cultural monument status of the General Staff building in Belgrade, despite all the professional organizations and both institutes for the protection of cultural monuments having opposed it. "All the professional organizations were against removing the General Staff building's protection, both institutes for the protection of (cultural) monuments opposed it. It seems that it meant nothing," Maldini told the Nova newspaper.

In a case where that means nothing, as he put it, the question is are the profession and institutes necessary at all, if they cannot protect Serbian cultural heritage.

Asked whether protection of the General Staff building could be sought in international institutions, the architect replied that there may be room there because the removal of protection itself had been done illegally. "However, let's be honest, Serbian politicians played poker with seasoned poker player Donald Trump. They bet our property, and that is our culture and history, put it all on one card in a game with a sly poker player. Maybe they thought they would get something out of it, but all that happened was that we all lost. Why would someone in the international community feel sorry for us when it's our own fault," said Maldini.