Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has welcomed the agreement reached by Albanian political parties from Presheva Valley, Medvegja and Bujanoc to run on a joint coalition list in Serbia’s October 25 parliamentary elections.
Speaking at a government meeting, Kurti described the political unity as an important step toward achieving a result that, in his view, could make the agreement historic for Albanians in the Presheva Valley in their efforts to address what he described as discrimination, exclusion and “administrative ethnic cleansing.”
Kurti also spoke about what he described as an asymmetry in the rights of Albanian communities in Serbia and Serb communities in Kosovo. He pointed out that Serbs in Kosovo have 10 guaranteed seats in the 120-seat Assembly and argued that, under a comparable approach, Albanians from the Presheva Valley should have at least five guaranteed seats in Serbia’s 250-seat parliament.
“Guaranteed representation is a principle that should apply both in Kosovo and Serbia,” Kurti said.
He described the agreement among the Albanian political parties as an important initiative that should be developed through mutual trust, sustained work and commitment.
The joint list, named the “Albanian Coalition,” brings together representatives of several Albanian political parties from Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja for the October 25 elections.
