Presevo Valley insists on reciprocity with Serb rights in Kosovo

Among other things, they expect the future government and, as they say, the incoming prime minister, Albin Kurti, to positively reflect the requirements for their involvement within the political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Bujanoc Mayor Shaip Kamberi told Radio Free Europe that immediately after the formation of the new Kosovo government, they will seek a meeting with the new prime minister to submit the requirements, but also to announce the problems facing the Albanian population in the Valley. According to him, Albin Kurti, who is expected to be the mandate for forming the government, has pledged a change in the situation in the Valley.

We expect the future government to be much more active in terms of concrete assistance to the Presevo Valley because we currently face a situation, one of the most serious in our new history”.

The mass removal of people due to numerous political and economic problems is weakening the national core. It is the last moment that Pristina and official Tirana will understand this and have concrete projects of direct assistance for the Presevo Valley”, Kamberi said.

Representatives of the Presevo Valley say they are also looking forward to the continuation of dialogue on normalisation of reports between Kosovo and Serbia.

Within this dialogue, facilitated by the European Union, Kosovo Serb representatives have been part of Serbia's delegation. So Albanian representatives of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanoc also say they will ask the Kosovo side to include them in the Kosovo delegation.

The “irrespective of which option Kosovo will choose in relation to Serbia in the upcoming talks, cannot be tolerated for the Balkan situation to have privileged minorities, such as Kosovo Serbs, while we (the Presevo Valley Albanians) are denied even the most basic rights Serbia's own Constitution envisions”, Kamberi said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Albanian National Council in the Presevo Valley, Ragmi Mustafa, told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo's new government should systematically and programmatically approach the vital issues of Albanians in the Presevo Valley.

“We expect that there will be increased attention, there will be a special and strategic programme on how to approach the Presevo Valley, taking into account that the Valley is part of Kosovo's historic, vital conflict. We consider that all the demands we have and that we have today, only to have will and strategy to approach solutions”, Mustafa said.

On the other hand, Lieburn Aliu, a member of the leadership of Vetevendosje Movement, which, based on the preliminary result of the 6 October elections, is expected to form Kosovo's new government, told Free Europe that Vetevendosje in the first place faces Serbia Establishing the principle reciprocity.

Aliu said the request for reciprocity is expressed in a joint statement by municipal advisers of the Presevo Valley since 2006.

“Mbi the basis of full reciprocity lies with Serbia, this will be the fundamental principle when it comes to the rights of Albanians in Presevo, Bujanoc and Medvedja. On the other hand, through Kosovo institutions we will do our utmost to be in co-ordination even with institutions in the Republic of Albania so that we can help the citizens of Valley”, Aliu said.

He also said Kosovo institutions should create some conveniences for citizens from Presevo Valley, taking into account that they have faced various obstacles in Kosovo as well.

The issue of three municipalities in southern Serbia was often mentioned by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci. He has stated many times publicly that he will commit himself to the extent that he had declared,Border correction between Kosovo, SerbiaThese three municipalities cross Kosovo territory.

However, the idea of changing the border Thaci has often highlighted, in the political spectrum in Kosovo, but even wider, had not found support.