The two American congressmen, Republican Keith Self and Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, will visit the Presheva Valley today (Tuesday).
The Mayor of the Municipality of Presheva, Ardita Sinani, has said that they welcome the American delegation.
“A historic moment for the Valley”, she considered the visit that is expected to happen today, through a reaction on Facebook.
Sinani later told the Balkan Service of Radio Free Europe that he intends to highlight some of the main problems faced by the Albanian population in the Presheva Valley in front of the congressmen, KosovaPress reports.
“First of all, it is about the insufficient institutional representation of Albanians in state institutions, the issue of passivation of addresses, the non-recognition of diplomas obtained in the Republic of Kosovo, the uneven economic development, the high rate of unemployment and the constant migration of young people,” she said.
She added that the need for sustainable implementation of agreements reached earlier, which are related to the rights of Albanians in this region, will also be elaborated, as well as the issue of blocking the financial means of the Kosovar authorities for the support of the Albanian population in the Valley.
“In particular, we will also open the announced issue of the establishment of mandatory military service, given the sensitivity and concern of citizens in the Presheva Valley regarding this issue, as well as the need for all processes to be developed with full confidence and equal treatment for all communities”, emphasized Sinani.
The representatives of the Preševo Valley and the state of Serbia have reached three agreements, in 2001, 2007 and 2013, which provide for the protection of the rights and integration of the Albanian minority, but these agreements have not been implemented.
The integration of Albanians in state institutions is part of Serbia’s obligations within the negotiations for membership in the European Union.
With the initiative of congressman Self, the members of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the House of Representatives of the US Congress approved in January of this year a draft law, which required the US Secretary of State to prepare a comprehensive report on the position of minorities in Serbia, with a special focus on the Albanians in the Presheva Valley.
