The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, has accused Serbia of trying to stop the financial support of the Government of Kosovo for Albanian farmers in the Presevo Valley.

“The Government of the Republic of Kosovo strongly condemns the efforts of the Serbian authorities to stop the donation dedicated to subsidizing Albanian farmers in Preseva, Bujanoc and Medvegja,” said Bislimi on Facebook.

Earlier on Tuesday, representatives of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley said that the Ministry for Human Rights and Minorities of Serbia has called for the cancellation of a competition for subsidizing agricultural crops from a fund of the Government of Kosovo.

The government of Kosovo allocated 1 million euros for subsidies in the agricultural sector for Albanians in Presevo, Bujanoc and Medvegja for the year 2024, the mayor of Presevo, Ardita Sinani, said in October.

Bislimi said that the donation of the Kosovo Government aimed to improve the life of the Albanian community and support economic development in the Presevo Valley, knowing that “even further, the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvegja are among the most underdeveloped municipalities in Serbia, among the most the poor with high unemployment, especially among young people”.

The Albanian National Council announced the public call for farmers on October 26, 2024 and since then has received over 1,178 applications, according to Bislim.

“Exactly on December 10, on the International Day of Human Rights, Albanians in Presevo, Bujanoc and Medvegja were deprived of the possibility of assistance from the Republic of Kosovo”, said Bislimi.