The only Albanian member of the Serbian Parliament, Shaip Kamberi, has written a letter to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
Through this letter, he informed Vučić that he would not participate in the consultations for the formation of the new government.
“I notified the President that I do not find it reasonable to be part of a fake democratic process, merely to fulfill the formality, while my compatriots remain a severely discriminated minority in the state system for the past 13 years,” he wrote, publishing the full letter.
Letter:
Mr. President,
On behalf of the electoral list “The Political Struggle of Albanians Continues – Shaip Kamberi,” which, in this composition of the National Assembly, has a deputy representing the Albanian community in Serbia, I inform you that, for the first time in the history of our parliamentary representation, we will not participate in the scheduled consultations for the formation of the new government.
Albanian deputies have participated in consultations over the years, which, according to the local legislation, are conducted by the President of the country with all parliamentary lists that secure mandates of representation in the National Assembly.
Just like in 2012, in 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2024, Albanian deputies have presented, in written form, the legitimate requests of the Albanian population to the presidents of the state, as an urgent need to improve and advance the position of Albanians in the Republic of Serbia.
Since 2014, the requests of Albanians have primarily been based on the well-known “Seven-Point Plan” document, which was drafted at that time by all Albanian political entities.
This same political platform, deemed as a right and drafted according to local legislation and European standards, was approved by the Government of Serbia in 2013.
Since then, despite our political and institutional efforts, no government led by you and the political entity you have long directed has seen it reasonable to cooperate with Albanian representatives to implement our legitimate requests.
- a. The passivization of Albanians continues today;
- b. The non-recognition of the diplomas of our students who completed studies at universities in the Republic of Kosovo remains the main reason for the massive departure of Albanian youth from the Preševo Valley;
- c. The doors of public institutions continue to remain closed for Albanians, and their employment in these institutions is still impossible;
- d. The language of hatred (even though you personally promised to act against it) remains part of the daily communication of high state representatives with Albanians;
- e. Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa continue to be the least developed municipalities in Serbia;
- f. Doctors who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Health House in Preševo, despite the Government’s guidance that they should be employed permanently, remain unemployed;
- g. Similarly, Albanian specialized staff in the police remain unemployed;
- h. For years, not a single Albanian police officer has been employed in the local police in Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa.
Considering all of these issues and being convinced of the deep lack of political will in Belgrade for substantial improvement in the position of Albanians, and for Albanians to be treated as equal citizens of this state, I inform you that we will not participate in the planned consultations for the formation of the new government.
The current political crisis in Serbia requires a completely new approach, without pressure on those who think differently, with full media freedom, and with the unconditional respect of human rights and national minorities.
I remain committed to continuing our political struggle and remain open to talking and collaborating with anyone who, in a serious, sincere, and non-calculative manner, in the spirit of European Union foundations, is ready to begin fully realizing our legitimate demands.
Until then, I do not find it reasonable to be part of a fake democratic process, merely to fulfill the formality, while my compatriots remain a severely discriminated minority in the state system for the past 13 years.
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