The Swiss will soon baptize their children with Albanian names?

In closing a series of scriptures on Kosovo, Kosovo Albanians and their ties to Switzerland, Portal Watson has conducted an interview with prominent Swiss integration expert Thomas Kessler. In this interview, the issue of the evolution of the image of Albanians in Switzerland is addressed from the early years of their arrival here to now, broadcasts albinfo.ch.

From problematic migrants to exemplary migrants within a few years: The image of Kosovars has evolved strictly”, the article begins in which migration expert Thomas Kessler explains this evolution and answers “if the Swiss will soon baptize their children with names like Gran instead of Luca”.

Kessler says it's impressive how this image changed, even multiple. “In the years É70s, Albanian gastarbajers were considered silent and playful migrants. When the war broke out in Kosovo, he initially had mercy on them as refugees from the Balkans. But then the focus was placed on integration problems, such as in the image of the “raer” (the mad car drivers). It was a time when Kosovo students, coming as refugees, “the lack of knowledge of language, were able to compensate with physical violence”, contains albinfo.ch. Meanwhile, the image of “raser”, according to the expert, has a real basis: the cult of cars and speed driving is a reality in the culture of the southern peoples. And today Kosovars from most Swiss are perceived as neighbours and honest colleagues”.

Furthermore, the journalist considers it a turning <x0-2-5x1> in the image of Albanians in 2011, when for the last time their figure was used as a campaign against foreigners. “While the image of criminals Kosovars in the campaign to expel criminal foreigners (2011) was widespread, in the debate over life initiative, (2016) Kosovars are not even mentioned at all”. Kessler confirms this, under which the notorious SVP plaque “Kosovars slaughter Swiss” is the lowest point of the Kosovo image problem, contains albinfo.ch. Since then, their social establishment begins. Many of the former refugees have already made careers and made good on commercial land. Then, at the focus of the opinion, other foreign groups, such as Eritreans or Arabs, entered already.

Although at work in the image of Albanians sees parallels to the image of Italians from the 1960-70s, Kessler acknowledges that the Albanian (Kosovars) case is more acute. This is about the fact that the country where they came from still remains in political crisis, for change from Italy.

Describing the rapid pace of improving the image of Albanians, and comparing it to the (good) image of Italians the next question imposed on the journalist is: If we're going to have Kosovar dinner soon and our kids are getting baptized with names like Granit instead of Luca? Of course it won't go that far, when it knows what the Italian cuisine is in the world, and we don't know much about Kosovo cuisine. Even Kosovo's names for Swiss children are not that it will become very soon to update, albinfo.ch broadcasts. But what is seen is increased interest in Albania as a tourist destination. “Conotation with the sun and summer holiday experiences would have to improve the image of Albanians in Switzerland even more. ”