MOUNTAINEERS SET STANDARDS

26. October 2015.

Presevo – The above photograph speaks the best about “Ostrovica 2015”, the eight visit of mountain climbers of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia to the mountain with the same name (1,164 meters high), which is situated in the vicinity of Presevo.

Disregarding the daily political developments, young people with flags, residents of Presevo and the surrounding area, members of the Army of Serbia, around 250 of them organized another socializing event, which was better than all the previous ones. The entire event was organized by a retired civil protection officer Bajram Sadriju, the President of the Mountaineering Society "Ostrovica" in Presevo.

“On retiring, I had a yearning to do this, and working with mountaineers, whose language is the language of youth, satisfies me and makes me young and happy, "says Mr. Sadriju and shows the photos taken on that occasion.

Young people from Sofia and Kyustendil (Bulgaria), Skopje and Kumanovo (Macedonia), Tirana and Elbasan (Albania), Gnjilane and Pristina (Kosovo) and finally from Belgrade, Leskovac, Nis, Vlasotince and, of course, Presevo, are in them. They were, not without a reason, joined by members of the Army of Serbia, led by Brigadier General Zoran Lubura, the Commander of Vranje garrison, and Lt. Col. Goran Sankovic.

“All this was rather modest eight years ago, when we started organizing the event. Carrying an Albanian flag at the event would have been a sheer provocation. The situation has now changed, while the special tone of the visit was given by General Milosav Simovic, when, a few years ago, our peers from the Army joined us, "said Kujtim Sadriju, the Coordinator of the International University’s Department in Novi Pazar, who successfully puts his father’s ideas into practice.

Sitting by a campfire, having tea, singing, dancing and having fun, Jimmy from Tirana, Guni from Elbasan, Aleksandar from Skopje, Žikica from Kumanovo, Aco from Sofia, Dragan from Vlasotince, Dusica from Leskovac, Snezana from Belgrade, Sedat from Presevo….. had in their phones hundreds of photos of Ostrovica and wonderful memories of the three-border area of Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo and Metohija.

“No one is a stranger here, so I suggest that when we meet next year, the event be called the "Meeting of Mountaineers of the Balkans,"said, in the end, Jimmy Begeja from Tirana.

Source: “Alo” daily and Coordination Body