A few days ago, a protest was organized in the municipality of Bujanoc in Presevo Valley to condemn the Serb discrimination against Albanians, during which they expressed the popular anger that Albanians are the most discriminated community, the fourth in number in Serbia and the most oppressed ethnicity in the Western Balkans. Speakers in the protest which was held in Bujanoc under the guard of Serb police called on the Belgrade government to end the Serb discrimination against Albanians. 
During the protest under the motto "for identity and dignity" the participants denounced the non-recognition of diplomas, non-integration in the state institutions and passivization of addresses. One of the slogans said “we want school books in Albanian!”   
The head of the Albanian National Council in Bujanoc, Nevzad Lutfiu, said that the protests demanding the fulfillment of the rights of Albanians will continue. "We tried hard to solve our problems through dialogue, they deceived us, they lied to us, there is no hope and no one even recommends us to hope. We don't have time for new deals. We will not be silent and we are very determined," said Lutfiu. 
"I invite the government to urgently and unconditionally start the realization of the obligations taken and the signed agreements. Above all I invite the international community, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Quint countries to react as soon as possible quickly to stop the discrimination and apartheid," said Lutfiu.  
Albanian representatives of the institutions in the Presevo Valley said that their rights continue to be violated and Serbia has not shown the political or pragmatic will to solve the issues of the Albanians of the Valley. 
According to the latest population census in Serbia, about 60,000 Albanians live in the Presevo Valley. 
Political representatives pointed out that the situation in the Presevo Valley region continues to be dire and that no progress has been made since the end of the conflict in 2001 between Serbian government forces and Albanian insurgents fighting for more rights for Albanians in the area. 
Present in the protest the Albanian deputy in the Serbian parliament, Shaip Kamberi, said that this situation is unstable and unbearable.  
Albania's Daily News had an interview with Deputy Kamberi. "We are hearing in certain circles in the international community that Serbia has the power to guarantee regional peace and security. This discrimination in the Presevo Valley is happening under the patronage of certain capitals of the world that prefer stability to the detriment of democracy," said the Albanian deputy in the Serbian parliament, Shaip Kamberi in the following interview: 

Albanian Daily News: Albanians have tried to talk with the state authorities on their rights but everything has been ignored. Two questions - which is the message conveyed by this protest and are we at the point of discriminatory oppression that Albanians are saying 'enough is enough'? Secondly, how have the relevant Serb authorities reacted towards the demands of the Albanian community? 
MP Shaip Kamberi: Yes, it is a fact that the Albanians have been trying to dialogue with the central government for 23 years in a row, since the war of Liberation Army of e Presevo, Medveja and Bujanoc (UÇPMB) even though the Serbian authorities are trying to deny it. As a result of this, we have the three agreements signed in 2001, 2009 and 2013. Unfortunately, it is the Government of Serbia that, in no way, is showing willingness to respect and implement these agreements. The lack of serious will in Belgrade to dialogue with the Albanians to solve common problems is characteristic of all governments from 2003 until today. But, while the previous governments have tried to at least justify their non-fulfillment of obligations, the governments of Serbian progressives (SNS) are refusing to accept that the agreements exist. Even the latest reactions after the August 14 protest prove the lack of political will in Belgrade to treat Albanians as equal citizens. The refusal to accept the presented facts, the refusal to unconditionally respect the standards of minority rights, including the standard for effective participation in decision-making and the fair and equal participation of minorities in the work of state bodies, is clear evidence that the Serbian authorities do not accept Albanians as equal citizens of the state, which they have described as a Serbian state, despite the fact that 20 percent of the population in Serbia consists of members of minorities. 

-You were one of the main speakers accusing Serbs of treating Albanians as 'enemies' who don't deserve any institutional representation.  Mr. Kamberi, how could a people survive in such an atmosphere and Serbs themselves-ordinary citizens do not feel ashamed in face of such a discrimination in the 21st century when even in Africa it has been eradicated? 
- Equality means the same rights for all citizens before the law, the prohibition of discrimination on any basis. 
The central government in Belgrade is refusing to respect our rights, it is refusing the integration of Albanians into state bodies, it does not recognize our diplomats from Kosovo, it is systematically and unfairly discriminating against us, it is narrowing our basic space for a normal life. It is refusing to respect the three agreements signed with the Albanian representatives and mediated by the internationals. 
So the government in Belgrade is severely violating the most basic values of the European Union: peace, democracy, human rights, minority rights, justice, equality before the law, the rule of law. It is violating the foundations of the European Union itself and in the eyes of the European Union and the entire international community that were the mediators and guarantors of the three signed agreements (2001, 2009 and 2013). Living in such circumstances, discriminated against, is a difficult life for every Albanian here.   

-Belgrade ignores the accord of 2013 and internationals, mediators, keep silent. Does the protest signal the start of a new anti- discrimination movement and how much are Presevo Albanians supported by Albania and Kosovo? 
- Over the years we have tried to convince the Serbian authorities that they have an obligation to respect the agreements with the Albanians. We have also tried to sensitize the diplomatic corps in Belgrade about these problems and we have launched an awareness campaign in European centers and Washington. The protest marks another form of our commitment to rights, freedom, equality, peace. Our demands are demands that are the foundations of the EU. Therefore, we expect that the EU will finally react more seriously to the discriminatory Belgrade. 

-The protest was considered by Serbs as an attempt to destabilize the region? What could you say about this claim as a senior foreign diplomat in Tirana stressed that Belgrade remains the source of destabilizing the region? 
-If they cannot justify their non-reaction, non-respect of the agreements, Serbia tends to demonize the demands of the Albanians - a well-known tactic of the autocrat Vucic. Like he is acting against his opponents in Serbia, he has also reacted to our demands. 
And how can our request be destabilizing since it is part of the system bodies in Serbia? How can the demands for justice and non-discrimination be destabilizing? There are no arguments, and that's why Vucic aims to demonize our demands through the controlled media, his politicians in power. Vucic, and his regime is the only destabilizer of the region. He is trying to destabilize the entire Western Balkans (BiH, Montenegro, Kosovo). 
The Serbian World project is an expansionist project. Serbia is the only country in the Western Balkans that does not recognize its borders, because it has territorial disputes with its neighbors. Those Serbian demands are dangerous enough to push the Western Balkans into a new wave of violence. 

-To conclude Mr. Deputy, what are your expectations about the future of Albanian democratic rights as Serbia aims at joining the EU? 
-With a Serbia like this under the regime of the autocrat Vucic where the policy of revising history, denying crimes, discriminating against minorities, and expansionist aspirations has become the norm, we cannot have much optimism. The hope remains that the international community will finally understand the intention of Vucic, who, for the realization of the unfinished dreams of the 1990s, is waiting for Russia's victory in Ukraine. It is hoped that they will understand this game and act in accordance with the interests of good neighborliness, sustainable peace in the Western Balkans. And these goals cannot be achieved without respecting the rights of minorities, without the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, with mutual recognition. Until then, we will use all means of political action to achieve our goal of democracy, freedom and equality. / ADN