The Chairman of the Albanian National Council, Enkel Rexhepi, stated on A2 CNN that after the strong reaction in the US Congress, concrete steps are expected to stop discrimination against Albanians in the Presheva Valley, starting with the return of deactivated addresses.
Rexhepi stressed that the current situation is extremely dangerous, especially due to discrimination in security institutions. According to him, if this trend continues, within ten years no Albanian will remain in the Serbian police in the Valley.
"This is alarming. The 2001 conflict came precisely from institutional oppression and police behavior. If the police become entirely ethnic Serb, discrimination and oppression will be inevitable, and Albanians will be forced to defend themselves. This could return us to the situations of 2001, and this should not be allowed," said Rexhepi.
He said that he has personally raised this concern with international partners: "We have said it openly both in Berlin and in Washington: this issue is extremely delicate and could degenerate into very dangerous scenarios if action is not taken now."
Rexhepi expressed optimism that after the strong signal from the American Congress, Serbian politics will be put under pressure to correct the violations: "The first step should be the return of all deactivated addresses and the real integration of Albanians into institutions."
