Juda Balje: New party priority is Kosovo's approach to Bosnian recognition

The president of the newest party in Kosovo, Social Democratic Union, Duda Balje, is reserved to give promises, but she says she is convinced that this party will bring about change for the Bosniak community in Kosovo.

Balje also said the creation of the new party did not take the lead, but the idea came precisely from people in her community, Klan Kosova reports.

I'm an MP who's been on the ground a lot and the idea of creating a new party has come from the ground. In the past 70 percent of the time I was among the Bosniaks in Kosovo, and the idea came from the thought that it came from there”.

“We have created this party with some people who had the same idea and vision and we've decided to offer the Bosniaks and a policy slightly differently”.

“Day has been a very positive day for me and I have received many messages and support from both Albanians and Bosniaks. I feel stronger since yesterday, I have experience in politics and I think I'm ready to share the positive work and the negative”.

We together will provide policies for middle people who are doing their job because we Bosniaks are more of this middle layer and will work hard in this direction. I will work harder for persons with disabilities, with Bosnian youth, advancing women in politics. I don't want to promise you much, but I want to work hard with people who support me and I'm sure success is close to us”

Balls in Eyes 7 said her community loves the state of Kosovo, perhaps even more than other communities.

We were both Bosniaks in Kosovo, during the war and after it and are present at the local level and at the central level. We have three Bosnian deputies in the Assembly, and we have never done anything to the state. As a Bosniak community, I think we are more Kosovars than many Albanians and other communities”.

We have Bosnia, but it has accepted Kosovo, so we have no strong back. Therefore, we are trying to make the position of Bosniaks much stronger here in Kosovo because we have Kosovo and we have decided to live here and we will give our energy to make Kosovo as good and stable for all Kosovars”.

The MP said the party's priority will have to establish contact with Bosnia and that they will try to bring Kosovo closer to recognise the neighbouring state.

This is one of the priorities in our six-month-old party programme. The first official trip will be to Sarajevo. It is not the party's first activity there, but it will be an official meeting because we think that it is important for us as Bosnia and Kosovo to establish contact with Bosnia”.

The inability to travel to visa-free Bosnia harms Bosnians because Serbs have Serbia's passport. In Sarajevo I have visited an association of Albanians and Bosniaks that is big and how much I have heard from them they have trouble traveling to Kosovo”.

I'll try to pray that at least we have a contact office there as a first step. There are no Bosniak people in Bosnia who have not accepted Kosovo as an independent state, but they are in a ghetto and have many troubles”.

The first party office is in Prizren because I live there and for me this opening is logical. I work every day in Pristina and have contacts here with the Bosniaks. But, of course, the goal is to open the office in Pec, Istog, and Dragash”.

Balje, pointing to why he left the previous party, said this party was founded for Bosniaks, but there are Albanians who adapt to the party programme.

I have many friends today in Vaca, and I also have a great gratitude for this party because politics I learned there. But, along the way we didn't think the same way and I decided to go out and try” myself.

Did he get an offer for co-government from Albin Kurti?

With Kurti I had an official and private meeting in Prizren. We met with 10 deputies in this city once, but Kurt has decided to make a slightly different policy with us. He's tried to talk to us alone. Now we have a multiethnic group and three MPs are out. We haven't had the support of the next prime minister so we can go along and I think he's been working well with us and wrong with us”.

If 14 ministries become, I hope one will not be given to the Serb community, but to 10 deputies”.