Two members of the United States Congress, Keith Self and Suhas Subramanyam, have begun a meeting at the Presidency of Kosovo with Acting President Albulena Haxhiu.
During their regional visit, the American delegation is expected to hold meetings with representatives of Kosovo’s central institutions, as well as officials from international and local security institutions. Meetings with representatives of civil society and the media are also planned.
While visiting the Presevo Valley, Congressman Keith Self spoke about the ongoing challenges between Albanians and Serbia, stressing the need for a deeper understanding of the realities on the ground.
“We have seen that there are real problems between Albanians and Serbia, as we already knew. But we will also go to Kosovo to learn about the Serbian minority there. So, we are visiting both places to better understand how minorities are treated and what rights they have,” Self said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam raised concerns about education and unequal development, describing them as major issues facing Albanians in the Presevo Valley.
On the other hand, Ardita Sinani described the visit as highly important, saying it shows that the issues facing Albanians in the valley are receiving growing international attention.
“Our impression from this meeting is extremely positive. The congressmen showed great interest and asked for concrete details on many of the issues we discussed. This gives us hope that the voice of Albanians in the Valley is being heard more and more by international decision-makers across the Atlantic,” Sinani stated.
At the same time, Shaip Kamberi emphasized that while Belgrade continuously demands high standards for Serbs in Kosovo, the same standards are not being applied to Albanians in the Presheva Valley.
