Kosovo's 13th anniversary of independence finds northern Albanians discriminated against?

Emir Azem, a northern resident of Mitrovica, has announced to Kosovo that Albanian residents of that part do not have any enthusiasm for the holiday, though he said they gather together and wish each other where they can.

According to him, the north continues to remain a major problem, so it is impossible for Albanians in that part to celebrate with flags, music and like.

The “Albanians in northern Mitrovica have previously met with great joy Kosovo independence by believing and hoping that their political, economic and social situation will change positively... There's no enthusiasm for a party like tupana, but no doubt we meet where we can, we wish each other for this party, but as I said, the problem is still big... "It's clear that a small number of Albanian citizens live in the center of town, but logic and thinking tells me that they don't even have the opportunity to say the courage to celebrate in the center of town where there are 150,000 Serbs... ] Even though they live in the Republic of Kosovo, they cannot wave the flag of Kosovo or national in the centre of the city, this is something that is reality and we can't hide”, Azemi said.

Fetije Pirqi, who also lives in the north of this city, says Albanians across the Ibria do not yet feel free and dare not celebrate as their countrymen do in the rest of the city. Accusing institutions that they have not done enough for this part of the country, she hopes that now with the coming of the new government in power, things will change for the better.

And we don't feel free like our fellow citizens of the southern part. ... You know we party like north like south... ] The government has had to care for the north more, hopefully now and then we have the new government and the works are done”, Pirqi stressed.

Even Dion Gashi, another resident of northern Mitrovica, denies that Albanians there feel a holiday atmosphere.

For us northern Albanians, there is no independence in this” part, he said briefly.

Meanwhile, politicologist Musa Preteni, has suggested that even after 13 years of independence, Kosovo has serious problems of extending its sovereignty to the northern part, and as a result, Albanians in that part have major security problems and other aspects.

He added that today on the 13th anniversary of Independence, Albanian citizens of that part face no good situation, as a result of the failure to realise many agreements for the north, which there were between Kosovo and Serbia.

Preteni has blamed institutions responsible for neglect, because they have not worked enough in this direction, but has also cited the EU as the main responsibility because, as he said, he has not put enough pressure on Serbia for implementing the agreements.

Even after 13 years of independence, Kosovo has serious problems with the extent of its real sovereignty and de fact in the northern part, and as a result of that, Albanians living in that part expect this anniversary again in a poor state, having major problems in terms of security and in other respects.... "There have been a large number of agreements between Kosovo and Serbia regarding the northern part with EU mediation. Today, on the 13th anniversary of independence, we face the lack of practical realisation of these agreements as a result of the neglect of Kosovo institutions, which have not done enough work on this part. But, normally, much of the responsibility falls on those who were middlemen, who fall into international institutions, most specifically the European Union, who has not put the pressure on Serbia to implement these agreements”, Preteni said.