MR. STANKOVIC ON THE DECISIONS REACHED BY THE MUNICIPALITY OF BUJANOVAC

16. November 2020.

Belgrade - The session of the Municipal Assembly of Bujanovac, with the proposal to appoint Gent Cakaj, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, as an honorary citizen and dismiss the only two directors from the Serbian community, at a time when all state capacities are aimed at preserving people’s health, is a bad message of the governing structure in that municipality.

This was stated for "Novosti" by Zoran Stankovic, the President of the Coordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, who reacted to the scandalous decisions reached at today's session of the Municipal Assembly of Bujanovac. Following the most recent local elections in that municipality, the Albanians formed a government in which there are no representatives of the Serbs.

“When it comes to the decision to declare Mr. Cakaj an honorary citizen, the law is clear on that issue. Everything is defined by the Law on Local Self-Government. Article 93 of the law specifies that the local self-government may decide on awarding the title of an “honorary citizen" to a person whose work and achievements are of special importance for the municipality, with the prior consent of the Ministry that is in charge of local self-government," Mr. Stankovic says.

He also points out that the replacement of the only two directors from the Serbian community, those of the Sports Center and the Library, is a decision that takes us backwards:

“This move can be interpreted as a provocation. Such decisions do not contribute to the well-being and unity of the people in that area. As we all know, Bujanovac is a multiethnic environment. I believe that the Serbs and Albanians can, as they have done so far, live together and solve problems together, and I hope that in this particular case, reason and mutual respect will prevail as part of the generally accepted values in a multinational environment," MR. Stankovic said.

Mr. Stankovic sent a message that tolerance and patience were not only the obligation of one side, in this case the state, but also that every citizen of this country had its rights and obligations, while political leaders also had the responsibility:

“We will continue to work on providing good living and working conditions to all the citizens living in the three municipalities, while abiding by the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Serbia”.

Source: “Evening News” daily and Coordination Body