The Albanian MP in the Parliament of Serbia, Shaip Kambersi during his speech on Thursday, placed the national Albanian flag next to him.
The speaker of Serbian Parliament Ivica Dacic asked him to take away the flag saying that it was a violation of the regulations.
“I kindly ask you to respect the regulation of the National Assembly which clearly states that it is forbidden to display symbols of other parties or states,” Dacic said.
Similar action came from the Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic saying that Kamberi is more interested in talking about the flag than the problems in the country.
“I would like to discuss on more specific issues. If you think that you have the right to show your flag, to talk about a flag of another country, this shows the level of how real the problems you think are for the Albanians in [Albanian- majority] Presevo and Bujanovac,” Bernabic said.
Kamberi answered by saying that there is nothing more important than the identity.
“We might have work ahead, but if we don’t have identity and language […] this flag has been used by Albanians since 1443 and it is more a national flag thane a state one,” Kamberi stated.
The discussion came on the day when Kamberi requested amending the Law on the Rights and Freedoms of Minorities saying that “the Serbian flag flies freely in Kosovo’s Gracanica [Serb- majority municipality] and Kumanovo [North Macedonia], but the same does not apply to others in Serbia.”
Meanwhile, Kamberi wrote on Facebook that equality of rights is a precondition for peace in the region.
“Serbia remains the only country in the region that prohibits the use of the national symbol for its minority, through the law on minorities. While the Serbian national minority legally uses the flag in Gracanica, Kumanovo and Kotor; The Albanian flag is banned in the Presevo Valley,” Kamberi wrote.
