Valley Albanians seek the same rights as envisioned for Serbs on European plan

Among other things, the inclusion of the issue of Albanians in the Presevo Valley in talks between Kosovo and Serbia in the Brussels dialogue is required, with the goal of equalising the position of Albanians in the Presevo Valley with the position of Serbs in Kosovo.

This statement has been signed by political and institutional representatives of three Presevo Valley municipalities, Serbia's Parliamentary MP Shaip Kamberi, National Albanian Council Chairman Ragmi Mustafa, the mayor of the Bujanoc municipality, Nagip Arifi, the head of the Bujanovac Community Assembly, Enver Ramadani, Presevo Assembly Speaker Sami Salihu, chairman of the Presevo Assembly. DPA, Ragmi Mustafa, adviser to the Medvedja municipality, Femi Beja.

 

The same was not signed by Presevo Mayor Albania Arifi and LPD chairman and deputy chairman of the Bujanovac municipality, Albania Musliu.

Below, you can read the full document:

The declaration of Albanian political and institutional representatives of the Presevo Valley municipalities to the present geopolitical context following Ukraine's Russian occupation requires a more pronounced dynamic, especially in security issues, minority rights and collective security principle of the Western Balkan region.

So in this direction it is important that the Presevo Valley is the focus of Western transatlantic policies, even with the support of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania.

To achieve this, of course, it requires formal and substantial involvement of the Presevo Valley issue in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, facilitated by the European Union.

Speaking of non-most communities in Kosovo and not those in Serbia, it does not serve peace tomorrow, but rather. The commitment to reciprocity in the right of non-most communities is based on the principle of equality, and for us this is vital.

This symmetry and this harmonisation in the right of non-US communities in the region would serve Serbia's Europeanisation and democratisation, and would legitimise the involvement of the European Union in its facilitating role of dialogue.

Officially establishing the legitimate and fair demand of reciprocity in the right between Serbs in Kosovo and Albanians in Serbia in the Brussels dialogue is the step we are doing today, representatives of the Presevo Valley.

We ask the European Union and the United States to support this noble principle based on the liberal tradition of democratic states on our continent.

So far, the Republic of Serbia has not implemented the fundamental goals of the agreements, such as integration, rapid economic recovery, the return of the displaced population, and the demilitarisation of the region by special security units and military forces.

In addition to constitutional and legal obligations, as well as obligations which are imposed by already internationally recognised agreements, the Republic of Serbia has taken over Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and special obligations with three separate documents that have been adopted by the Government, which have not been implemented.

Therefore, the only way forward is to empower this initiative and address our request to the European Union, High Representative Joseph Borrell, and US State Department representative Gabriel Escobar, that the issue of Albanian minority rights in Serbia be included and addressed under the reciprocity principle in Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and within the framework of the Franco-German proposal.

Therefore, in line with the principle of reciprocity in the field of individual and collective rights, in line with international standards applicable in the region.

We Albanian political and institutional representatives of the Presevo Valley in support: Universal Declaration of Human Rights - The European Convention on Human Rights and Basic Freedoms and its Protocols; The Framework Convention on Protection of National Minority; The European Charter for regional or minority languages (1992, Strasbourg); Other international documents in this field, as well as on the basis of: Mars's 1992 Referendum; Conchuli 2001 Agreement; The 2006 political platform; Seven-point plan approved by the Government of the Republic of Serbia on June 4th 2013 The initiative to form the association of Albanian municipalities in 2015:

1. A) The complete realisation of the collective rights of Albanians, according to the highest standards set forth with relevant UN documents, the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as relevant practices, and addressing them within the framework of Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and the Franco German Proposal;
2. b) Substantial freeze of international monitoring of Albanians in Presevo Valley;
3. C) Includeing the issue of Albanians in the Presevo Valley in talks between Kosovo and Serbia in the Brussels dialogue, with the goal of comparing the position of Albanians in the Presevo Valley with the position of Serbs in Kosovo.
4. d) We ask the Government of Serbia to implement all its obligations to the Presevo Valley and implementation of all agreements signed with international factor mediation,
5. and) ask for halting the Albanians' addresses in the Presevo Valley and reevaluating unvised documents.
6. f) We invite the European Union, the United States, the Council of Europe, O The SEU and NATO for a joint assessment of the 2001-2023 political process in the Presevo Valley;
7. g) We invite the institutions of the Republic of Albania and Kosovo to, under actions for regional co-operation, engage in the protection of the interests of Albanians in the Presevo Valley, in line with the March 1st and 2nd 1992 referendum for territorial political autonomy with the right to join Kosovo.