Agron Gjekmarkaj, an MP for the Democratic Party, reacted sharply in Parliament to statements made by Taulant Balla. He accused the Socialist majority of trying to present history in line with its own interests and conceal the backroom dealings over Kosovo’s territories.
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According to Gjekmarkaj, the majority interprets the past through the lens of the Socialist Party and the instructions of Prime Minister Edi Rama. He said this deliberately leaves out one of the most serious geopolitical issues to have troubled Albanian political circles in recent years.
Speaking from the parliamentary rostrum, the opposition lawmaker referred to the attempt to change the border between Kosovo and Serbia, a plan that envisaged exchanging the Presheva Valley for Mitrovica. He said that lobbies, media outlets and political figures in Tirana and Pristina had supported the idea.
Responding to Balla, Gjekmarkaj said history did not appear to be his strongest field because, in his view, he reads it one-sidedly, through the “glasses” of the Socialist Party’s interests and according to the prime minister’s instructions. The Democratic Party MP added that although Balla chose to speak about history, he deliberately avoided the debate over the exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia, specifically the Presheva Valley for Mitrovica.
Gjekmarkaj stressed that various figures emerged in Kosovo and Albania, while certain media outlets and lobbies became involved in a project that, according to him, endangered Kosovo’s territorial integrity.
In this confrontation, he singled out Sali Berisha as the only public figure who rose to the level of historical responsibility and national interests. According to Gjekmarkaj, Berisha refused any compromise over territory, instead launching, defending and winning this battle. He added that the former prime minister also paid a price for this stance, which he bore himself with unwavering determination.
