Adriatik Kelmendi considers that the idea for the creation of the Association of the municipalities with Albanian majority in the territory that to majority of Albanians represents Eastern Kosovo while to Serbs southern Serbia, seems to be a delayed one, however it is imposed as a necessity. According to him, reciprocity for Presevo Valley should have been the initial strategy of Albanians as a response to the request for autonomy for Serbs within Kosovo.
Kelmendi claims that all the arguments used for Serbs in Kosovo in order to have more competencies, more security and avoid violation of their rights by Albanian majority, are valid for the Albanians who live in Serbia, respectively, Presevo Valley. Furthermore, adds Kelmendi, Albanians in the Valley have more arguments in their hands being that their rights have always been violated, which cannot be said for the Serbs in northern Kosovo, where Pristina authorities could never reach.
He further highlights NATO role as a factor that would not allow new wars for division of territories and stresses that if Kosovo and Serbia are honest on their claims to be part of the European Union, and to practice European values, they cannot be against the rights of the minority communities. According to him, this is the only way to advance the status of the Serb population in the north and that of Albanian population in Presevo Valley. Kelmendi considers that this could be reached only with complete reciprocity. Otherwise, he notes, it would not make sense because the EU cannot impose double standards.
This would make it easier for Pristina and Belgrade to agree on every issue which concerns Albanians and Serbs in the Valley and in the North. “And if someday they would reach a full agreement for exchange of territories, I do not see any problem for the international community to accept it. Until then, we have to accept the current reality, which speaks clearly about the human rights within the current borders and about the impossibility to create mono-ethnic states,” Kelmendi concludes.
