During the debate on the European Union report and European integration, Nezir Kraki, a member of parliament from the Vetëvendosje Movement, raised concerns about the rights of Albanians in Serbia. He criticized the deactivation of addresses in the Preševo Valley and the discrimination that, according to him, is being carried out against them by Serbian institutions.
Kraki said that the EU’s annual reports require serious attention, as protecting human rights and ethnic communities is among the Union’s fundamental principles.
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After members of parliament from the Serb List made claims about the rights of Serbs in Kosovo, he called for the conclusions of the European report on Serbia to also be examined during the debate.
Kraki called for the EU report on the rights of Albanians in Serbia to be discussed
“If we are talking today about the report on Kosovo and members of parliament from the Serb List have come here to complain about their rights in Kosovo, then we should also present the report of that same commission, which addresses Serbia and the rights of Albanians there,” Kraki declared.
According to him, the report describes Serbia’s continued efforts to reduce Albanian representation in local bodies, as well as the implementation of address deactivation.
Kraki: Address deactivation is ethnic cleansing carried out through paperwork
“The report says that Serbia is acting in an organized and systematic manner to reduce the presence of Albanians in local representative institutions, and it is achieving this aim. It also mentions the deactivation of addresses, which is essentially ethnic cleansing through paperwork,” the member of parliament said.
Kraki pointed out that the representation and participation of communities in Kosovo’s institutions cannot be equated with the way Albanians in the Preševo Valley are treated, according to him.
Kraki: Voluntary withdrawal from institutions in Kosovo cannot be compared with persecution in the Valley
“Voluntary withdrawal from institutions here in Kosovo cannot be compared with the persecution that Serbian institutions subject Albanians to in the Preševo Valley. If members of parliament from the Serb List want to understand what it means to be a discriminated minority, I invite them to register temporarily as Albanians in Preševo,” he said.
Kraki also spoke about the necessity of expanding the European Union and said that the membership of Western Balkan countries is important for the security and stability of the continent.
Referring to Robert Schuman’s words about Europe and war, the member of parliament warned that the EU’s failure to expand could increase insecurity in the region and beyond.
Kraki: EU enlargement is a geopolitical necessity
“If Europe does not expand and we remain outside, we could face war; at the very least, insecurity is guaranteed, because it is already present,” Kraki said.
He argued that European enlargement, since the process began, has been significantly influenced by geopolitical circumstances and not only by the technical criteria that candidate countries must meet.
He cited the accession of Spain, Portugal, Greece and the countries of Eastern Europe as examples, saying that major enlargements have also been guided by the continent’s strategic interests.
Kraki: The EU is entering a new cycle
“The European Union is in a new cycle today. The need we had at the beginning for integration and enlargement has returned, particularly for geopolitical reasons,” Kraki concluded.
