MP from Bujanovac: Ecology Isn’t the Biggest Problem in Three Municipalities in Serbia’s South

Saip Kamberi

An MP from Bujanovac, Saip Kamberi, has said that Belgrade’s continued refusal to accept ethnic Albanians as “equal and worthy citizens” is the biggest problem in three municipalities in southern Serbia rather than infrastructure or ecology as claimed by Aleksandar Martinovic, a new chief of the Coordinating Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac.  

“Serbia’s refusal to honor the signed agreements” and to apply the relevant rights for minorities “holds the Presevo Valley as hostage,” Kamberi has said as cited by portal Bujanovacke. He stressed that this region had the lowest income in Serbia and had remained undeveloped even 22 years after the conflict.  

“The share of ethnic Albanians in state bodies: the judiciary, the police force, the Customs Administration, inspection services, the health care system, social and pension institutions, energy and railway companies, etc. remains symbolic and represents flagrant violations of laws,” Kamberi stressed. He added that ecology and economy were serious problems which had to be addressed, but that in this case, they had been used to divert attention away from other priority commitments which Serbia had been refusing to implement.

Kamberi also said that ethnic Albanians were expecting that the Coordinating Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac would not be used for local political calculations or serve for anyone’s personal political agenda.

After the first meeting with officials of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, held in Bujanovac on Aug. 18, Martinovic told reporters that ecology and economy were the biggest problems in these municipalities.