Members of the United States House of Representatives, Republican Keith Self and Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, are visiting Presheva today, where they are expected to meet with representatives of local authorities, Albanian political parties, and the Albanian National Council.

The visit to this town in southern Serbia, inhabited mostly by Albanians, comes after the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress approved a bill earlier this year requesting the US Secretary of State to prepare a comprehensive report on the position of minorities in Serbia, with a particular focus on Albanians in the Presheva Valley.

The bill, initiated by Congressman Keith Self, foresees the examination of several issues related to the Albanian minority in Serbia, including the “passivization” of addresses — the removal of citizens from the addresses where they are officially registered.

It also addresses restrictions on the use of the Albanian language in public institutions, the non-recognition of diplomas issued in Kosovo, and the lack of school textbooks in the Albanian language.

These issues were also mentioned in the US State Department’s 2023 Human Rights Report on Serbia.

The Mayor of Presheva Municipality, Ardita Sinani, told Radio Free Europe that the visit of the American congressmen is an important signal of international attention toward the position of Albanians in the Presheva Valley.

A day earlier, the congressmen were in Belgrade, where they met with the State Secretary of Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nevena Jovanović.

According to a statement from the ministry, discussions focused on bilateral relations between Serbia and the United States, the situation in the region, and the position of the Serbian community in Kosovo.

A meeting with the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, had also been planned, but it was canceled.

On May 24, the American congressmen also visited Sarajevo, where they emphasized their commitment to the Dayton Peace Agreement and the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They are expected to continue their Balkan tour with a visit to Kosovo as well.

What is the position of Albanians in Serbia?

Members of the Albanian community living in southern Serbia — in the municipalities of Presheva, Medvegjë, and Bujanoc — have often raised concerns about discriminatory practices by authorities in Belgrade, while officials from the Government of Kosovo have consistently supported their claims.

Kosovo has provided assistance in several sectors, including agriculture, but has reported that Serbia has obstructed the implementation of certain payments.

Representatives of the Presheva Valley and the Serbian state reached three agreements in 2001, 2007, and 2013, which foresaw the protection of rights and the integration of the Albanian minority, but their implementation has remained limited.

The integration of Albanians into institutions is also part of Serbia’s obligations within the framework of negotiations for membership in the European Union.

According to the latest population census conducted in 2022, more than 60,000 Albanians live in Serbia, making them the country’s fourth-largest minority.

Meanwhile, Belgrade’s decision to reinstate mandatory military service has raised concerns among Albanians in the region, who say they carry painful memories from the past.

In a 2021 report by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, Presheva, Medvegjë, and Bujanoc were described as “hostages of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.”