Ristanovic: Albanians in the “Presevo Valley” enjoy incomparably greater rights than Serbs in Kosovo and Albania

The rights and opportunities enjoyed by Albanians in the “Presevo Valley” are incomparably greater than those available today to Serbs in Kosovo and, in particular, in Albania, historian Petar Ristanovic has stated. He added that the proposal of a bill on the alleged systematic discrimination of the Albanian minority in Serbia—recently adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives—is a political move driven by entirely different motives.

Noting that it is difficult for any minority to live in a country that has experienced an armed conflict—since such circumstances inevitably produce consequences, primarily reflected in public attitudes toward that minority—Ristanovic told Kosovo Online that, from a legal standpoint, Albanians in the “Presevo Valley” enjoy very broad rights.
“If we look at everyday life, their rights and opportunities are incomparably greater than those of Serbs today in Kosovo or in Albania. They have highly developed cooperation with institutions in Albania and enjoy their support, while also receiving extensive support from Serbia in terms of funding and educational institutions, especially when their numbers are taken into account,” Ristanovic explained.
For this reason, he believes that the proposed bill calling for the preparation of a report on Albanian rights is a political move motivated by reasons unrelated to any actual endangerment.
The move has received support from Albania’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, while, on the other hand, Serbs in Albania have been practically assimilated.
“For decades, the existence of Serbs in Albania has not been recognized. Primarily during the communist period, and later as well, they were effectively assimilated. Today there are associations that bring together small Serbian communities, but the majority have been assimilated through various programs implemented by the Albanian state—Serbian names were banned, the right to religious practice was denied, association on a national basis was prohibited, and their culture could not be nurtured. After decades of such policies, Serbs were assimilated. It is hypocritical that Albania supports such a demand, but it is a practice we have seen many times,” Ristanovic noted.
From all this, he concludes that the proposal of such a law in the United States is one in a series of similar moves that have taken place over previous decades.
“The objective is clear: Albanians, primarily from Kosovo, harbor territorial pretensions toward that area; an armed uprising took place there after the war in Kosovo, and those pretensions have not ceased. This is a continuous objective which, I believe, they will not be able to realize. However, this should be viewed in that broader context,” Ristanovic concluded.