Albania and Serbia are discussing the reciprocal opening of consulates in Bujanovac and Shkodër, but no final agreement has yet been reached, Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha said on Thursday in a post on X.
Hoxha was responding to Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric, who had stated earlier that the two countries had reached an “agreement in principle” to open consular offices in the two cities. Duric did not provide a timetable or explain the next steps.
“Albania has requested the opening of a consulate general of the Republic of Albania in the Presheva Valley. Serbia, for its part, has requested the opening of a consulate general in Shkodër,” Hoxha wrote on X.
He added that the necessary steps would be taken only “if and when the parties reach agreement on every aspect and detail of this process.”
Albania’s request was first announced publicly in April, after Hoxha met Duric at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. At the time, the Albanian Foreign Ministry reported that Serbia had expressed readiness to respond positively to the opening of an Albanian Consulate General in Bujanovac.
The Serbian Foreign Ministry’s press brief on the meeting did not mention the proposed consulates.
Hoxha defended the negotiations on the grounds of reciprocity and national interest. He said an Albanian consulate would provide permanent representation in the Presheva Valley, strengthen connections with the Albanian community, and help protect its rights and interests.
According to Serbia’s 2022 census, 61,687 ethnic Albanians live in the country, the overwhelming majority in the municipalities of Presheva, Bujanovac and Medveda. Albanians constitute over 94 percent of the population of Presheva and about 62 percent in Bujanovac.
The possible Serbian consulate in Shkodra has drawn wide criticism. Former Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati called it a mistake, both strategically and tactically.
Critics argue that it would create a false equivalence between the large Albanian community in southern Serbia and Serbia’s much smaller minority presence in Albania. Albania’s 2023 census recorded 584 people who identified as ethnic Serbs nationwide.
Hoxha rejected that argument, saying diplomatic reciprocity did not require equality in the two countries’ objectives or interests.
“Our foreign policy is not built on emotions or perceptions but on national interest, respect for the norms and practices of international law, as well as on the spirit and values of Europe,” he said.
Shpërndaje te miqtë
