Ekrem ZAJMI

The pomposity of spreading the news about the decision to create the Association of Albanian Municipalities, which most of us refers to it as East Kosovo, seems to have caused a deep feeling of patriotism that it hasn’t been seen since the declaration of Kosovo’s independence.

The creation of this association was not anticipated with any process or any commitment from the Albanian leaders in Preševo, neither those in Kosovo or Albania to make any diplomatic movement to facilitate and improve the situation of the Albanian minority in this region through threats to Serbia through the European Union. As a result, this association has assumed an historical nature more than an advocacy nature in the field of justice, police, education system, using the national symbols and language, health, financial issue, culture etc.

The tendency of reciprocity with Serbia in the case of Serbian minority in Kosovo has been seen from the politician of Eastern Kosovo as a proper moment to benefit from it so they can finally realize their dreams for their rights in their motherland. Indeed, as the Serbian minority could get their rights, the Albanian minority are asking the same rights too. EU should respect rights of minority of both Serbians and Albanians.

The creation of this association without any coordination from European Union, without any strategic support from Albania and Kosovo, without the internal support from politicians of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa, made this mechanism nonfunctional. The Albanians who lives in that region as minority still are facing discrimination, and since they remain non represented, they have to face with the Serbian projects of destroying Albanian identity.

The efforts of the Albanians in Eastern Kosovo and their struggle to advance on the issue of human rights and freedom from Serbia and to reunion with Kosovo began years ago. Let’s start with the referendum for “political-territorial autonomy with the right of reunion with Kosovo” in 1992 where the majority voted Pro. Then the war of Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac which ended with the The Agreement of Koncul, through which Albanians won some rights, where most of them remain only on paper, to the decision dated on September 12, 2015 for the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with Albanian majority, in response to the establishment of a similar association in Kosovo.

*The opinions of the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Prizren Post.