Sinani highly appreciates legislation in the US that will address discrimination against Albanians in the Valley

US Congressman Keith Self, chairman for Europe, has raised concerns about the discrimination faced by Albanians in the Valley.

In front of the congressmen, he mentioned the daily discrimination faced by Albanians in Serbia, including the removal of voting rights, language restrictions, educational barriers, economic neglect and institutional intimidation, it reports. IndeksOnline.

“Albanians for America worked closely with congressional offices to bring these concerns forward, ensuring that they were officially recognized at the highest levels of American policymaking,” Self said.

On this occasion, legislation was proposed in Congress that instructs the State Department to assess discrimination against Albanians there.

The mayor of Presheva, Ardita Sinani, has described these developments as extremely positive and not coincidental.

In a utterance for IndeksOnline, the mayor of Presevo said that yesterday's discussion in the US Congress was the product of many years of commitment and continuous lobbying for the violation of the rights of Albanians in Serbia.

"For years, this issue has been addressed in the US Congress and Senate, in the State Department, as well as in parallel in the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the German Bundestag. This process has been financially and politically supported by the Republic of Kosovo, which has treated the Valley not only as an emotional issue, but as part of its state policy. On the diplomatic level, the Republic of Albania has also joined this commitment, through diplomatic support and awareness-raising in various international instances," said Sinani.

Yesterday's step in Congress, according to Sinan, is the strongest step taken in this direction, so far.

"The legislation introduced and approved in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress constitutes the most powerful political and institutional step so far, because it transforms the issue of discrimination against Albanians in the Valley into an official position of the United States, with direct political and diplomatic implications for Serbia."

In this process, it must be clearly emphasized that without Albanians in the United States of America, without organized Albanian-American lobbying, and without our compatriots who are integrated into the highest political institutions in the US, we would not have been able to reach this point. The role of the Albanian-American Civic League, other lobbying structures, and influential individuals has been crucial in keeping this issue alive on the American agenda,” she stated.

According to Sinan, the actual change in the situation in the Valley will begin when political positions find real action and translate into an improvement in the lives of Albanians in the Valley.

This is achieved by "stopping discriminatory practices, opening up prospects for young people and creating conditions for people to stay and build their future in their homeland."

"Discrimination against Albanians of the Presevo Valley did not start yesterday, but dates back to 1989-1990, at the time when the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia began. Since that period, the foundations of the systematic exclusion of Albanians from public and institutional life were laid," said Sinani, saying that initially measures were taken in education, employment and the prospects of young people, which continued with the displacement of Albanians in the Valley and silent ethnic cleansing.

“The violations against the Albanians of the Valley have been continuous, systematic and deliberate, not isolated incidents. In all these phases, the Albanians of the Valley have been active and politically organized… For this reason, we assess that the international factor should have reacted and sanctioned these actions much earlier. However, what is important today is that this process has finally started. Now we must work even harder, more coordinated and more persistently, so that this international commitment is translated into real and positive changes in the rights of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley, in increasing their well-being and in stopping discriminatory policies,” Sinani added.

She stated that, through institutional communication and through representatives of the Valley and the Albanian diaspora in the US, Congressman Self was informed about the situation in the Valley.

"From the communication developed, it is clear that Congressman Self is well aware of the reality on the ground and treats the issue of the Albanians of the Valley as a serious problem of human rights and regional stability. In particular, he has been clear in his position regarding the passivation of addresses, describing this practice as unacceptable and as a mechanism that produces administrative exclusion and a risk of long-term destabilization.

"He sees the Albanians of the Valley as an indigenous community, living in their own lands and facing systematic discriminatory policies, not as a peripheral or purely administrative issue. This realistic assessment has been the basis on which the legal initiative in Congress was built, which is today becoming the official position of the United States," said Sinani.

The Mayor of Presheva assessed that the level of seriousness and understanding proves that the continuous information and lobbying work has placed the issue of the Albanians of the Valley where it belongs: on the political agenda of one of the most important international allies.

Meanwhile, Sinani highly values ​​the cooperation with the diaspora in the US, who have contributed to the advancement of national issues, especially through integration into pan-Albanian organizations.

"It is precisely through this integration into broader Albanian-American structures that the Albanians of the Valley have played an active role in the internationalization of the violations of the rights of Albanians in the Presevo Valley, helping to build contacts, raise awareness among American decision-makers, and keep this topic present on the political and public agenda in the US," Sinani declared.

She added that the Albanians of the Valley, whether in the Valley, Europe or the USA, have made a great contribution to all Albanian national issues, from the state-formation and state-strengthening of the Republic of Albania, to all phases of state-building and consolidation of the Republic of Kosovo.

It is expected that the results of yesterday's legislation will be felt practically by the Albanians of the Valley, who have long been appealing for the discrimination they have been subjected to over the years.IndeksOnline/