The session began with opening remarks from Mr. Mehdi Halimi, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo in France, and Mrs. Anila Hyka Smørgrav, Co-Director of GERMIN’s board and member of the Albanian Diaspora’s Coordinating Council. Their welcoming speeches set a warm and inclusive tone for the event.

Ms. Sihana Bejtullahu, Co-Executive Director at GERMIN, introduced the Engaging Diaspora Professionals (EDP) program to the audience. She highlighted the transformative opportunities the program offers and its significant impact on connecting the diaspora with their homeland.

The event concluded with an interactive discussion, where participants shared their ideas and proposed innovative solutions, paving the way for future initiatives to strengthen the ties between Kosovo and its diaspora.

These sessions are not only pivotal for GERMIN’s ongoing projects but also crucial in enhancing our mission to forge stronger connections between Kosovo and the global Albanian diaspora.

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Interviewer: How do you generally assess the integration of the Albanian community in Croatia and their role in state institutions and the society?

Mrs. Lekaj-Prljaskaj: Albanians are well integrated into Croatian society, proven by their role and contribution over the years. The representation of Albanians at the state institutional level has changed for the better with my arrival as a deputy. In addition to advancing the position at the parliament level, the participation of Albanian youth in institutions has also increased. I addressed this in my first mandate, with the rationale that our youth, the second and third generation here, has benefited and achieved superior education and are contributing to a greater extent to the Croatian society. Therefore, this should also be reflected in their involvement in Croatian public institutions.

Interviewer: Albanians in Croatia have been continuously organized and engaged over the years. What is the current state of community organization, regardless of its form, through associations or individuals?

Mrs. Lekaj-Prljaskaj: Albanians have been organized in community associations since the former Yugoslavia, starting with the Student Association “Skhëndija”, which was culturally and politically active. Meanwhile, during the 90s, associations were established in every prefecture. Associations and other socio-cultural organizations have mobilized Albanians’ economic and social contributions in Croatia. However, Albanians also contributed greatly beyond the economy and culture during the Croatian War of Independence. Many community members were part of the liberation and independence efforts between 1991-1995. The same Albanians, who contributed to the war in Croatia, continued their involvement and contribution during the war in Kosova, giving great support to the resistance movements of our people there.

Today the community organization has advanced in terms of the structure and form. We have many cultural centres across Croatia, and now a multi-functional centre in the heart of Zagreb, Croatia’s Capital. However, participation is not at the level we would like it to be.

Relations with the Countries of Origin and the Danger of Assimilation

Interviewer: In relation to homeland countries, particularly Kosova and Albania, what is the level of exchanges and support?

Mrs. Lekaj-Prljaskaj: Communication with the mother countries is currently a little weak regarding the support we receive for the Albanian community here. At the official level, I can say that I have good communication with all the institutional representatives. But there is disappointment and higher expectations when I talk about our community.

Our mother countries must do more, especially to preserve and cultivate the language and traditions, because the lack of support means a greater risk of assimilation, especially for the new generations.

To be clear, we do not ask the mother countries for material support, but commitment through various projects such as lobbying to strengthen the position of Albanians here, raising awareness among the diaspora members about the identity and community, etc. Commitment and support are needed to strengthen the community and national values in the context of the 21st century.

Interviewer: What are the biggest challenges facing the Albanian community in Croatia?

One of the challenges, as I mentioned above, is our youth’s low level of involvement. Although there are many associations, barriers still make our youth hesitant to participate and engage in community activities and Croatian institutions. 

The risk of assimilation is a challenge in itself. Working as much as possible with the new generations is urgent in this direction, starting with the preschool children. Here, upon my arrival in the Croatian parliament, I noticed other minorities, one thing that impressed me a lot is the Czech minority, which has been in Croatia for 300 years and has very well-organized community organizations, they have kindergartens, primary schools supplementary education in the Czech language, etc. 

However, we as Albanians have only managed to have supplementary Albanian language education in 17 schools, with a very small number of students participating. A problem here is also the lack of commitment of parents, who should be more dedicated to their children, especially in cultivating the Albanian language. So, the family should have a greater role in participating in community activities and daily work to cultivate our national language and traditions.

For the Albanian community, regardless of where it is, my message is to work more to cultivate our values and language and not forget where we come from.

Elections and a Fourth Term in the Croatian Parliament

Interviewer: Parliamentary elections will be held soon in Croatia. What are your expectations for a fourth term in parliament?

Mrs. Lekaj-Prljaskaj: The elections are a little specific here as far as the election of the minority MP is concerned. In this regard, I expect all Albanian and other voters’ support. Although I have the support of all the associations, starting from the Union of Albanians, what is more important is the work on the base, that is, communication with the voters and that on the day of the elections, everyone comes out to vote so that we do not allow you to lose our seat in the parliament after a few years. I am a deputy of a specific group, where, in addition to Albanians, Bosniaks, Macedonians, Slovenians and Montenegrins also enter. There is a risk that we will lose our seat if we are not unified. Seeing the work and achievements made so far, other ethnic communities have begun to engage to an extent never seen before to have their representative in the parliament. In this regard, there must be no division among Albanians. I am convinced that we, as Albanians, will be united in this process as well.

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The primary objective of these meetings was to analyze the specific needs of the diaspora and contribute to ongoing legislative initiatives aimed at enhancing their involvement in Kosovo. A comprehensive summary of these discussions and analyses will be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to inform the development of the new diaspora strategy and legislation.

In the initial meeting on December 12, convened at the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Berlin, GERMIN engaged with a segment of the Albanian diaspora community in Germany. The focus was on exploring their potential contributions to Kosovo’s policy development, alongside addressing their needs and challenges in connecting and engaging with state institutions.

At the onset of this meeting, the attendees were introduced by Mr. Faruk Ajeti, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo in Berlin, and Blerta Lazebegu, President of the Organization of Academies and Students of the Albanian Diaspora (OASA) in Berlin. Meanwhile, Lirim Krasniqi, Co-Executive Director at GERMIN, informed the attendees about the purpose of the ‘Diaspora for Policy Development’ project.

During the open discussion, participants shared their opinions and suggestions regarding the new diaspora strategy and law, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora is expected to publish for public consultation soon.

The discussion highlighted several key challenges, including barriers and prospects for learning the Albanian language overseas, the need for better organization within diaspora associations, and the complexities of bureaucratic procedures for investment and economic involvement in Kosovo. Additionally, the registration of diaspora members emerged as a significant topic of discussion during the meeting.

Meanwhile, on December 14, GERMIN convened the second meeting with the Albanian diaspora in Hamburg, Germany. This gathering was a pivotal part of the ongoing dialogue surrounding the diaspora’s impact on policy development in Kosovo.

Organized in partnership with the association ‘ODA e.V. Hamburg – Organization deutsch-albanischer Akademiker,’ this meeting was also supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Kosovo in Hamburg and held at its premises.

The opening speech was held by Mrs. Saranda Osmani, U.D. Consul General of the Republic of Kosovo in Hamburg and Muhamet Idrizi, Chairman of the Chamber of Hamburg. Meanwhile, Lirim Krasniqi, Co-Executive Director at GERMIN, moderated the discussion, which brought together all generations of compatriots in Hamburg, from the first immigrants of the 60s to those who were born or moved to the area in recent years of Hamburg.

Among the key topics of discussion were: learning the Albanian language abroad, the organization of compatriots in professional associations, problems with dual citizenship and documentation on ancestry in Germany, public diplomacy, as well as the organization of an economic/business character in relation to the mother country. The discussion also included the topic of diaspora registration and access to information on services in Kosovo.

In the meeting, among other things, the new law and strategy of Kosovo for the diaspora was discussed, which is expected to be published for public consultation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.

The summary of discussions from this meeting will be analyzed further with the aim of inclusion in the strategy and new legislation for the diaspora. An advisory group will soon be formed for advocacy to the Ministries and bodies of the Assembly of Kosovo.

This discussion took place with the support of the regional project “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Common Values in the Western Balkans” implemented by Centar za promencije členi društva (CPCD) in cooperation with the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), and the Center for Research and Policymaking (CRPM) and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).

The content of this post is the sole responsibility of GERMIN as the project implementer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).

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