Albanians in the Valley concerned about EU silence

Representatives of Albanians in the Presevo Valley have criticized the lack of international response to the discrimination they face from the Serbian state. They have accused the EU of an unfair approach, following Kaja Kallas' visit to northern Kosovo and not to the Presevo Valley.

Albanians of the Presevo Valley have expressed concern about the lack of action by the international community against the oppression being inflicted on them on ethnic grounds by the state of Serbia.

The leader of the Democratic Party of Albania, Ragmi Mustafi, has said that the European Union is working with double standards, referring to the visit of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, to Serbs in North Mitrovica.

"If he had to visit them and listen to their concerns, there were a million more reasons to stop in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and listen to our concerns. Albanians here are fleeing their homeland because of the very long series of pressures that official Belgrade is exerting on defenseless Albanians," Mustafi told KOHJA.

The concerns of Albanians in the Valley were also noted in a report by the Council of Europe's Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Serbia, published in early May.

This report highlights as problems: the passivation of addresses, the under-representation of Albanians in public institutions, poverty, unemployment, and difficulties with access to health and education.

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The mayor of Bujanovac, Arbër Pajaziti, said that Albanians in this area have begun to lose hope in the international factor.

"We always encounter negligence or declarative reactions and we have not seen any concrete steps so far. Serbia continues to play with two cards, sometimes with Russia, sometimes with Europe and is using this very well and for this reason it is often pampered by Europe so that they do not let it go with Russia," said Pajaziti.

Before Kallas, who did not visit the Albanians of the Valley, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has requested concrete actions to protect their rights.

And two days ago, during her visit to Switzerland, President Vjosa Osmani also raised concerns about the rights of Albanians in Serbia.

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"What is happening in Serbia towards Albanians is ethnic cleansing by administrative means, and they are doing this by removing them from voter lists, leaving them without citizenship, and there are also many violations of other fundamental rights that are contrary to the international obligations that Serbia has assumed through international conventions," said Osmani.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament also highlighted concerns for Albanians in the Valley, who, among other things, are limited in their right to education in their native language.