Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti fired Gazmen Salijevic, the Deputy Minister of Communities and Returns. Why? Salijevic, who represented Roma from regions with a Serbian majority. Prime Minister Kurti was considered pro-Serbian. However, the situation becomes absurd when his replacement is a Serb favorite of Kurti, making Salijevic appear more "pro-Serbian" than the Serb who succeeded him.
Meanwhile, high-level negotiations on the role of Serbs in Kosovo's institutions are led by the EU and the US. But who defends the interests of Roma and their representatives like Gazmen in these discussions? Did the Serbs and Serbia reciprocate the loyalty shown by Kosovo's pro-Serbian Roma? Did the Albanians and Kosovo recognize the contributions and loyalty of their pro-Albanian Roma alliance
These circumstances highlight a critical issue: the Roma in Kosovo are torn between the Serbs and the Albanians. So who or what can unite Kosovo's Roma towards a distinctly pro-Roma agenda - one that is for their interests and their future.
A few days ago, Gazmen Salijevic announced on his FB profile: "Dear friends, I would like to inform you that today I have been dismissed from the position of Deputy Minister of Communities and Return." I will not say much about the government and the people who lead it, except that they have never shown any real interest in solving the Roma problem. Roma living in most Serbian municipalities are never seen as citizens of this society. but this should not break us, but strengthen us in the fight for the rights and interests of the Roma."
