Kamberi: Serbia venting enmity with Kosovo to Valley Albanians

MP Shaip Kamberi has been vocal in raising Albanian concerns in Serbia's Parliament. In an interview for KosovoPress, Kamberi has declared that Serbia is drawing out resentment in residents of the valley because of its hostility towards Kosovo, violating the rights it belongs to. It also speaks of disrespecting Kosovo- Serbia on the part of the Serbian state, blaming the EU for failing to fulfill its role in the process.

Albanian representative in Serbia's Parliament, Shaip Kamberi, has said that without Serbia's democratisation, they cannot expect realisation of the rights of Albanians in the Valley. Serbia, as an unfinished state, as he says, still does not recognise its own borders and has aspirations for territories of other states.

The “cannot come until there is a climate in Serbia that denies war crimes, which denies the existence of mass cemetery, which has a policy in recent years of deglorifying war criminals. So I've been trying all these topics to touch, to at least touch the conscience of that part of Serbia, which sincerely wants the European Union. This state still has no clear -- or at least publicly -- say what their priority policy is. Despite statements that speak of European integrations as Serbia's first foreign policy priority, in daily actions are always oriented with Russia and China, which turns into theatrical orientation”, he has indicated.

For dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Kamberi has said that the EU cannot have the role of only facilitators, but also the guarantor of implementing these agreements. He says the European Union does not have the power enough to force Serbia to respect the agreements reached with Kosovo, adding that the hope of doing so remains the US.

“The EU cannot only play the role of facilitators. When they say we'll facilitate the negotiations, what does it mean? They'll bring cold water to the table, bring climateization. The essence is not here, a mediator as powerful as the European Union would have to lead the way in which the sides should walk. Despite ten years of talks, despite many agreements reached, the EU is failing to force -- or convince Serbia -- those agreements to be respected. Therefore, hope remains that the only driving power is the United States of America”, he has declared.

As for the “Open Balkan” initiative, the leader of the Party for Democratic Action has said it cannot be complete an initiative that does not include three other Western Balkan states. Above all, he claims that this concept is being challenged dangerously by the Serbian political concept.

This initiative, however good it may be, how much a desire of the future of the Balkan peoples will be, is being challenged dangerously by the Serbian world, by the political concept of the Serbian world that we are looking at is challenging democracy in Montenegro by trying through the misuse of the Serbian church to change power there. Serbia's attempt to destabilise Kosovo and through manipulated Serbs living in the northern part are the main challenges being made to that concept”, he has indicated.

Even during 2021, Kamberi says that Serbia has continued with the discriminatory policy against Albanians in the Presevo Valley, having no improvement in their lives. Even the 7-point plan containing vital basic issues such as education, health, etc., despite OSCE support has yielded no results.

I can seriously say that there was no positive result right now. We have a valuable response from OSCE mission chief Jan Braathu, who is pushing ahead the need and necessity of applying the seven-point plan, a document drafted by Albanian policies in the undertaking of emergency measures to improve the position of Albanians. But, despite the impact the OSCE may have on this state, it has not produced a result. We are on hold, but even the wait is conditional on the issue that in Serbia next year there will be elections”, he has declared.

Presidential elections in Serbia will be held in April this year. Shaip Kamberi expects Albanians in the Valley to compete together again and to be four Albanian deputies in Serbia's Parliament. He expects no changes in the election of the president, since according to him, there will be no candidates who challenge Aleksandar Vuciqi. /kp