Gouillon: It is extremely important that we support the Serbs from Albania

Aware of the situation that Serbs have been going through for centuries, yet have preserved their language, culture, and tradition, the Administration for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the region says that they will do everything to support the work of associations, supplementary language schools, various manifestations and everything else that is important for the preservation of Serbian identity on the territory of Albania.

In a statement for Kosovo Online, the director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Arnaud Gouillon, emphasizes that the Serbian national minority in Albania is very important to the motherland.

"It is extremely important for us to support the Serbs from Albania, who experienced really difficult moments in the previous decades during the time of Enver Hoxha, even before that during the time of King Zog. There are still 30 thousand of them, they are still Serbs, they still speak the Serbian language, and it's good that they didn't give up their culture and their identity. It's important that we, as representatives of their motherland, representatives of Serbia, do everything that's in our power," Gouillon said.

Of the four Serbian associations in Albania, only one is active today, the Serbian-Montenegrin "Moraca-Rozafa" from Shkoder.

"The Unity from Fier exists only on paper, it was closed due to a bad financial situation. Due to the demanding Albanian administration, the Orthodox association 'St. John Vladimir' from Shkoder failed to re-register several years ago, while "Skadarlija" from Tirana has not even started its work since its establishment until today. Both associations have the same problem financially because the local law requires associations to have a VAT. In order to get it, they must have their premises and one full-time employee, which requires a lot of money per month, which the associations do not have," Serbian associations said for Kosovo Online.

Understanding the situation in which all associations are, Gouillon points out that the Administration he leads can only help if they are functional, that is, if they have bank accounts and meet all Albanian regulations.

In order to support the work and functioning of our associations, Gouillon says that the Administration will announce a special thematic contest for Serbs from Albania.

"It is particularly complicated in Albania regarding formal legal procedures for associations, it is a little more complicated than in other countries of the region, and here Serbs from Albania must take care to ensure that they have everything they need so that we can support them from here and legally everything will be as it should be. The needs are great, our desire is huge, so I believe that during this year we will succeed, not only to support their associations but also to open several schools for Serbian children from Albania," Gouillon said.

He announced that summer camps would be organized this summer in Serbia for children from the region.

"The camps will last for two and a half months, and our wish is that every Serbian child born in the region, if they did not have the opportunity to stay in Serbia, has the opportunity to get to know Serbia, Belgrade, and their motherland. For the children to get to know each other, comrade, and that when they return to Bosnia, Slovenia, and Albania and wherever they come from, they will be proud of their roots and their Serbia," Gouillon concluded.