Albanians from south of Serbia demand talks with Belgrade

An assembly of Albanians from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja has adopted a declaration calling for dialogue with Serbia and Brussels, and pledging to boycott the forthcoming census.

The assembly of ethnic Albanian leaders from the ethnically mixed border region sent their request for talks to Belgrade and the European Union, which is currently mediating negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.

The 65 delegates also adopted a decision to boycott the census in Serbia scheduled for October.

“We are not satisfied with the attitude of the state, which treats Albanians discriminatorily,” Riza Halimi, the only Albanian MP in Serbia’s parliament, said.