President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, said after a meeting today with Albanian political representatives of the Presevo Valley that Kosovo needs to assume responsibility for the Albanian population there. “Kosovo has successfully marked the tenth anniversary of its statehood and now, more than ever, it needs to take responsibility it is entitled to for protection of Albanians living in the Valley. Kosovo respects territorial integrity of all neighbouring countries, in this case Serbia’s too, but it cannot close its eyes in face of injustices and contempt Albanians of the Presevo Valley are subjected to,” Thaci told reporters.
He said it is his duty as president of Kosovo to not only listen to the problems of the Albanian community in Presevo Valley but to also undertake concrete measures to “address these problems in a democratic and peaceful manner in accordance with European standards.”
Thaci said it was unfortunate that Serbia is far from meeting international standards when it comes to rights for Albanians there. “Today, I promise the citizens there that Kosovo and its institutions will use every democratic mean to protect their rights,” Thaci said further adding that he would like to believe that authorities in Belgrade will welcome Kosovo’s ‘legitimate’ interest for the wellbeing of the Albanian community there.
Asked whether he would sign any agreement with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic whereby Presevo Valley would join Kosovo while the north of Kosovo would go to Serbia, Thaci said there will be no partition of Kosovo. “The final historic Kosovo-Serbia agreement will be between two independent countries,” he noted. He said the will of the residents of Presevo Valley should not be put in the same bag with what he called ‘fake news’ regarding partition of Kosovo.
Thaci said he promised legitimate representatives of the Albanian community in Presevo to continue meetings and analyse the prospects of introducing their demand expressed through a 1992 referendum in the framework of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Whether the aspirations of the Albanians in the Valley will materialize is difficult and almost impossible, added Thaci, but he vowed to raise the issue in the dialogue with the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. He said chances for a final agreement with Serbia being reached are ‘slim’ but that he hopes a miracle will be possible.