A recent housing initiative in northern Kosovo has ignited concerns among local Serbs and raised questions about the government’s intentions. The project, which aims to construct over 200 houses in four northern municipalities, has been met with accusations of discriminatory practices and politically motivated actions by the government led by Albin Kurti.
The agreement to fund the housing units was signed yesterday between Kosovo’s Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, and representatives of the „Orphans of the Balkans“ association. According to Halit Kastrati, the president of the association, which engages in “charitable work across all Albanian lans,” the homes are intended for minority communities living in the North, including Albanians, Bosniaks, Ashkali, Roma, and Egyptians. However, there was no mention of the Serbian community in the official announcement.
This omission has raised alarm among Serbs in northern Kosovo. Miodrag Marinković, Executive Director of the NGO „CASA,“ voiced his concerns to KoSSev, questioning the transparency and fairness of the initiative.
„If this is a returnee project, why is the Ministry for Communities and Returns not involved in the agreement?“ Marinković asked, pointing out the unusual choice of the Ministry of Local Government Administration to oversee the project.
Marinković highlighted the lack of clear information about the project’s objectives and the criteria for allocating the housing units. He noted that established procedures for the return of displaced persons typically involve cooperation with international organizations and consultation with the receiving community—in this case, the Serbian community in the North.
Double standard and discrimination
„If these steps are not being followed, it raises the question of whether the government in Pristina is applying double standards, one procedure for the return of Serbs and another for the return of Albanians,“ he remarked.
The exclusion of the Serbian community from the project has led Marinković to suggest that the initiative might be a form of ethnic discrimination. „If the criterion for the housing project is to support socially vulnerable families, why does it not include socially vulnerable Serbian families in the North, who are also numerous?“ he asked, highlighting what he sees as clear bias based on ethnicity.
„If religious affiliation is one of the criteria for recipients, then it is a case of religious discrimination. So, no matter how this initiative and the decision of the Kosovo government are interpreted, it is clearly discriminatory, and there can be no legal basis for this decision,“ he added.
An attempt to alter ethnic structure of the north?
Marinković further speculated on the legal and ethical grounds of the project, pointing out the recent decision by municipal authorities in North Mitrovica to halt all construction activities, citing a lack of legal procedures for the legalization of these buildings.
„How is it then possible that there is a legal basis for building 200 houses for non-Serbian residents?“ he questioned, suggesting that the initiative might be driven by a „hidden political motive.“
He warned that the project could be an attempt by the Kosovo government to alter the ethnic structure in the North, increasing insecurity among the Serbian community and potentially encouraging further emigration.
„And that is the key question here—what is the political motive behind this? Is it the intention of the Kosovo government to selectively resettle people in order to alter the ethnic structure in northern Kosovo? To create additional insecurity within the Serbian community and encourage further emigration of Serbs? Perhaps the plan is to reduce the number of Serbs to a level that would justify the Kosovo government’s demand to narrow and amend the constitutional powers granted to the Serbian community?“ Marinković speculated.
Marinković’s concerns reflect a broader pattern of actions by the Kurti government over the past two years, which he describes as “arbitrary interpretations and selective application of laws to suit their political agenda.”
„Under the guise of the rule of law, the government is imposing police terror in the North, and under the pretext of integrating Serbs into the Kosovo legal system, it is disintegrating normal life in the North, making it unbearable,“ he stated.
He concluded by urging the Kosovo Serbian community to learn from past mistakes, particularly the decision to withdraw from institutions and boycott elections, which he believes has only facilitated such controversial programs and actions.
„That is exactly what enabled programs like these, the opening of the bridge, the halting of housing construction in Serbian areas, and many other harmful initiatives. Next year is an election year at all levels in Kosovo, and I hope we have learned this lesson,“ Miodrag Marinković told KoSSev.
Kosovo Government Signs Agreement for Construction of Over 200 Houses in Northern Municipalities
In a significant development for Northern Kosovo, an agreement was signed on Monday to finance the construction of over 200 houses across four northern municipalities. The deal was finalized between Elbert Krasniqi, Kosovo’s Minister for Local Government, and Halil Kastrati from the organization „Orphans of the Balkans.“
The „Orphans of the Balkans“ organization stated that the aim of the agreement is to „support and empower minority communities living in these areas,“ which includes Albanians, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians. Notably, the Serbian community was not mentioned in the press release.
Krasniqi, however, provided a more generalized statement, mentioning that the houses are intended for „residents of the northern municipalities“ without specifying the targeted communities.
Minister Krasniqi highlighted that over 100 of these houses will be funded by his ministry, while the remaining funds will come from the „Orphans of the Balkans“ organization.
Over the past years, the organization has signed multiple agreements with various municipalities in Kosovo for house construction, such as in Glogovac and Podujevo, though never at the scale announced by Krasniqi.
The organization, founded in 2009, focuses on humanitarian aid across „all Albanian lands“. In March of this year, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met with Kastrati to discuss similar initiatives.
The construction of houses for non-Serb communities in the north has accelerated following the appointment of new mayors in local administrations previously vacated by Serbs. Krasniqi has visited ongoing construction sites in northern Kosovo, including the Brđani neighborhood in North Mitrovica, where a total of 40 houses are being built. Prime Minister Kurti has also toured these sites.
The Kosovo government has issued tenders on two occasions for the construction of Albanian houses in the north and allocated a total of 7 million euros, including 4 million euros announced in early April, specifically for houses in northern municipalities.
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