Meta meets with ethnic Albanian minority leaders in Serbia

TIRANA, Feb. 22 – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ilir Meta received the Albanian political representatives of the Communes of the Presevo Valley in southern Serbia.
The delegation from the Presevo Valley was composed of Riza Halimi, Chairman of the Party for Democratic Action and Member of the Assembly of Serbia, Ragmi Mustafa, Chairman of the Albanian Democratic Party and Chairman of the Commune of Presevo, Jonuz Musliu, Chairman of the Assembly of Bujanovc, Shaip Kamberi, Chairman of the Commune of Bujanovc, Skender Destani, Chairman of the Assembly of Presevo, Rahmi Zylfiu, Vice Chairman of the Commune of Presevo and Orhan Rexhepi, Chairman of the National Albanian Movement.
They discussed the political and security situation in the Presevo Valley and wider in the region.
Meta reconfirmed the full-fledged support of the Albanian Government for the legitimate concerns and demands by Albanians in the Presevo Valley.
He also encouraged the political representatives of the Presevo Valley for a unified position regarding their demands, which would add to their political impact and would produce larger potential for the representation of interests of Albanians in Serbia.
A special place in the talks was occupied by the improvement and advancement of the rights of Albanians living there, since it is known that the extent of a country’s democratization is also specifically defined by the rights of minorities living there, said Meta.
“We shall stand close to this community and we believe that the cooperation among all Albanian factors shall assist in the further advancement of all their rights,” he said.
Meta said that an important issue in the relations between Albania and Serbia has been and shall be the advancement of the rights of the Albanian community living in the Presevo Valley. “We would like to have a growing understanding, since Presevo Valley should be a source of stability for our region and at the same time a source of welfare and perspective for all its inhabitants and, in particular, for all Albanians, who due to previous regimes in Serbia have experienced an unacceptable discrimination and we believe they are left behind, since the current Serb Government and President of Serbia are committed to the European integration of that country.”
The Presevo region is full of tensions and it has been the scene of a 2000-2001 ethnic Albanian rebellion against Serbian rule. The conflict ended in a Western-brokered peace deal but tensions have simmered since.