Kurti asks Albania to raise issue of Albanians in Presevo Valley with Serbia

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he had not read the draft for establishing the Association of Serb Municipalities presented to France, Germany, the EU and the US last Thursday by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, instead suggesting he present it to Serbia as a way to protect Albanians in southern Serbian municipalities.

Ethnic Albanians in the southern Serbian municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovic, and Medvegja have been illegally and systemically removed from the Serbian civil registry to the tune of over 6000 citizens over the last few years. This has removed the right of Albanians to vote, access healthcare and education, buy and sell property and benefit from state services.

“Then all I propose is that Rama present this draft statute for national minorities to Vucic at the next meeting for the Open Balkans for the Albanians of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanovac since the Constitution states that the rights of Albania must be protected Albanians outside the borders,” Kurti said.

He added that Rama should propose measures for Albanians in Serbia instead of proposing for Serbs in Kosovo.

The Open Balkan format involves Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, with Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina refusing to participate and Montenegro hesitating for now. It aims to facilitate free movement, trade, and ties between countries in the region through a series of agreements.

Albanians living in the region have asked that the issue of their removal from the region be included in the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

Chairman of the Albanian National Council Ragmi Mustafi said in 2022, there must be a solution for the systematic discrimination they face at the hands of Serbian authorities.

“What is important for us, within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, is to address the issue of the Presevo Valley. We hope that the other steps in a programmatic and systematic approach will find a comprehensive solution, which means including the political-legal issue of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley.

Reciprocity is important to us. Reciprocity means equality, and it means treating the rights of minorities symmetrically,” he said.

Over almost a decade of research found that over 6000 Albanians were removed from state records in what the Helsinki Committee called “administrative ethnic cleansing”. Research conducted by academic Flora Ferati Sachesenmaier included the testimonies of many residents and former residents, analysis of historical voter lists, and reams of official documents.

The data shows that according to state statistics, Albanians have decreased by up to 71% in some areas, although they still physically live there. Residents say Serbian authorities sent state officials to verify their addresses, but these individuals would not actually visit the address and would instead report back that the property was empty. Entire families would then be removed from the civil registry, with no route for appeal.

The EU Commission said in 2022 that it was aware of the reports of the mass erasure of ethnic Albanians from official databases.

“We are monitoring the situation in light of the commitments taken in the framework of the accession negotiations, particularly those related to the rights of persons belonging to national minorities,” a Commission spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added, “Serbia is required, within Chapter 23 ‘Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, to implement its legal framework and dedicated action plan on minorities.”

In 2021, during a visit to the region, Rama said the power of diplomacy should be used to resolve issues related to Albanians in the region. He added it was important to “put in front of Serbs the comparison of how Serbs are treated in Kosovo, and how the citizens of Presevo are treated by Serbs. The contrast is great. Serbs in Kosovo have the freedoms any national minority would dream of having.”

Kurti and Rama were set to meet on Wednesday in the first public meeting since the draft was presented but the meeting was cancelled by Rama over fears Kosovo is set to be sanctioned by the West.

(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)