Albanians in south Serbia

The Albanians in Serbia are a minority in the country. [Note 1] According to the census conducted in 2002, the proportion of professing as Albanian population in the whole Republic of Serbia amounted to around 0.82 percent. In the figures are 61 647 people. In Central Serbia, the share of 1.10 is much higher than in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, with 0.08 percent.

The Albanians in Serbia form for centuries in the south of the country autochthonous population. In some Opštini (singular Opština; community), they represent the majority, such as in the southern Serbian towns Presevo (Albanian Presheve ) and Bujanovac ( Alb. Bujanoc ), and in others they are a significant minority, as in Medveđa ( Alb. Medvegja ). According to the 2002 census, refer to themselves in the Presevo Opština 89.10 %, 54.69 % in the Opština Bujanovac and in the Opština Medveđa 26.17 % as Albanians. The three Opštini in the triangle to Macedonia and Kosovo are collectively referred to as the Presevo Valley ( Alb. Lugina e Preshevës ) and have an area of ​​1249 km ².

History

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire late 19th and early 20th century, the region came to Niš, Kumanovo and Gjilan to the Kingdom of Serbia. In this lived a large Albanian population, not only on Presevo Valley was limited, but was also located further north until Niš. Driven by nationalism and Islamophobia, the Albanians were replaced for this area to Kosovo or in those areas where they still live today. When the Republic of Albania declared its independence in 1912, the territory awarded to her not even covered half of the majority of Albanians inhabited space. Kosovo and the Presevo Valley remained outside these limits.

After the Kosovo war in 1999 and Kosovo declared independence in 2008, the voices that called for a terminal of the Presevo Valley to Kosovo were increasing. Referring to its western neighbor 's called the Presevo Valley and Eastern Kosovo.

As a result of unemployment and poverty, many Albanians emigrated from the Presevo Valley. Objectives were to the north of Serbia (including the capital Belgrade ), Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and the United States.

Legal and social situation

The use of the Albanian language in the administrative and transport is regulated in the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Serbia, where the use of all minority languages ​​in the country is resolved. The three aforementioned Opštini use alongside Serbian and Albanian as an official language. This scheme is still quite young, but was supplemented after 2004 in the region of Presevo valley ethnically motivated conflicts were flared. The school also Albanian is taught as a language of instruction also next to Serbian. In the authorities of the administration, school, police, health, fire etc. Albanians are again increasingly set.

Although the situation has stabilized, there are still signs that large sections of the Albanian population are unhappy especially with the social situation in the Presevo Valley. Again and again, there are, for example, ethnically motivated incidents from both sides. In the Albanian media in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia is often referred to this situation and Albanian nationalist voices even require a connection of the Presevo Valley to Kosovo, often in exchange for the northern Kosovo, inhabited mostly by Serbs. Such votes shall be rejected by the Albanian and Serbian officials. Rather, they aim towards a common coexistence and respect for minority rights.

Policy

In the National Assembly of Serbia, the Albanians are with Riza Halimi, the former mayor Preševos represented. He is a member of the Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley.

Culture

The Albanians in Serbia speak the gegischen dialect of Albanian and profess majority of Sunni Islam. Cultural ties to Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia are very close. Not infrequently, the Presevo Valley is visited by leading Albanian politicians.