Prishtina, 30 June, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, today participated in the round table with the Egyptian community, on the occasion of marking the Memorial Day of this community, organized by the Office for Community Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister.
At this table, where Deputy Prime Minister Emilija Rexhepi, Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, MP Fridon Lala and other representatives from the Egyptian community were also present, the challenges and opportunities for the Egyptian community in Kosovo were discussed.
Welcoming him to the Government building, on the occasion of marking the Memorial Day of the Egyptian Community, Prime Minister Kurti expressed his thanks for the contribution made by this community to the Republic of Kosovo, and emphasized that he is also grateful for the opportunities for co-governance through the Office of the Prime Minister and the Assembly of Kosovo.
The Prime Minister added that our Government has supported all communities without distinction, therefore the Ministry of Local Government Administration has allocated three million euros, as well as one million for infrastructure projects for communities whose families do not have homes or need renovations.
As an important step for the realization of the quota for employment in institutions, as provided by the law, he singled out the creation of the inter-institutional team for encouraging and promoting employment for the Egyptian, Ashkali and Roma communities in our country.
He underlined the benefits and opportunities that the Superpuna platform and “Kosova Generation Unlimited” present to the members of this community in gaining work skills and inclusion in the labor market.
Prime Minister Kurti called for as many applications as possible, because they offer golden opportunities for the youth of the Egyptian community and their participation in the labor market.
During the discussion at this round table, the Prime Minister said that despite the challenges and difficulties that this community faces, which according to him we will face together, he said that the National Platform for Reporting Cases of Discrimination against communities has been launched and that the purpose of this platform is to prevent discrimination against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Community, for which he encouraged them to report any case at www.raportodiskriminimin.org, so that the special team created for this purpose can react, as has happened in the cases so far.
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo for Minority Affairs and Human Rights, Emilija Rexhepi, after congratulating the Egyptian community on the holiday, said that she is there to listen to their requests.
Congratulating the Egyptian community for marking Memorial Day, the Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that not only on the festive days, but there are 365 days that we must commit ourselves to the community and our country. “We have been an inseparable part of history, so even after independence we will remain part of the state and society, to contribute and enrich the multicultural mosaic of our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, the deputy of the Assembly of Kosovo, Fridon Lala, thanked Prime Minister Kurti, who with his presence in many activities of various minority groups, shows his political will to work for all citizens and that his presence for these two years has been the biggest if compared to any prime minister before, in terms of meetings with communities.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Emilija Rexhepi,
Dear Minister of Local Government Administration, Mr. Elbert Krasniqi,
Dear Member of the Assembly of the Republic, Fridon Lala,
Dear representatives of the Consultative Council for Communities at the Presidency,
Dear representatives from central and municipal institutions, from civil society as well as from businesses,
Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen
Welcome to the Government building this week when the Memorial Day of the Egyptian Community in Kosovo is marked. I believe that together we have much to celebrate for the community, but I am also here to listen to the challenges that you see remain. This is the second time we are meeting here and I am glad that there have been positive developments since the round table when we were here together a year ago.
I thank you for all the contribution made by the Egyptian community in the Republic of Kosovo – for the opportunities for co-governance through my government cabinet and the Assembly of Kosovo. During this year I had the pleasure of meeting Egyptian community police, scholarship students, and community rights NGOs.
I heard from them about the impact of the measures we have implemented. Within a year, with the Economic Revival Package and the Inflation Coping Package, we have directly supported around 800,000 citizens of the Republic, that is, almost every family. We have also put a special emphasis on communities.
During the year, we supported 123 small businesses and start-up projects for non-majority communities, of which 21 were from the Egyptian community. Also, the Ministry for Communities and Returns has allocated funds for 19 houses to be built for families in need, including the Egyptian community, as well as 373 food and hygiene packages, of which 134 – or 36% – went to the Egyptian community. Now we have allocated another 3 million euros only for communities, for NGOs and for new jobs, in the call that has just been closed at the Ministry for Communities and Returns. For the families of the communities that do not have houses or need renovations, the Ministry of Local Government Administration has allocated 3 million euros, as well as 1 million for infrastructural projects for the communities.
The Office for Community Affairs at the Office of the Prime Minister has supported organizations and media for various cultural activities. We awarded 96 grants to organizations for projects benefiting non-majority communities, with funds earmarked for the Egyptian community for the first time. Following an evaluation of the 2022 Program through extensive public consultation, we have initiated a new approach to the 2023 Program, with the support of the Legal Office and the Ministry of Finance to ensure that NGOs applying for grants must prove to be community-based. After the open call, applications for grants of 300,000 euros for NGOs and 100,000 euros for community media are now being considered.
We have created the inter-institutional team for encouraging and promoting employment for the Egyptian, Ashkali and Roma communities. In our country, we are proud that with the work of this team, together with our partners, we have ensured that in the last round of recruitment for the Kosovo Police, over 20 percent of the cadets are from the non-majority communities of Kosovo, including 1 woman and 3 Egyptian men. Also, we have ensured that last year, three times more Egyptians, Roma and Ashkali benefited from training at the Professional Training Centers compared to the previous year.
Our government is working to create equal opportunities for education and employment. Higher education is offered free of charge to all students from all communities, but with Minister Krasniqi we have agreed on an initiative, together with Minister Nagavci, from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, to share 100 scholarships for Egyptian, Roma students and ashkali in public universities. In October, the competition for another 100 such scholarships will be opened. We have also allocated 300,000 euros in scholarships for high school students from the Egyptian, Ashkali and Roma communities, and we have allocated 200,000 euros for learning centers for children from these three communities.
With the Superpuna platform, we are subsidizing the first 6 months of employment with the minimum wage, which has passed in the first reading 264 euros. This is a golden opportunity for the youth of the Egyptian community, so I call for as many applications as possible. Also, through the “Kosova Generation Unlimited” platform, there is an opportunity for 6 months of paid internship, where we aim for 15% of the internships to be for people from the communities.
Even in the coming months, we have many other opportunities for cooperation and for strengthening the position of the Egyptian community. In the fall, the population census will begin. For the first time we have secured the right for each house to require that the registrar receiving information about the family be from the same community as the house, so we will need registrars from all communities. I encourage you all to be active within the community to ensure the participation of all citizens in the population census, because having accurate information we can offer services to every person in our Republic.
We know that there are still challenges, but we will face them together. In order to prevent and combat discrimination, we have launched the National Platform for Reporting Cases of Discrimination against the Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali Community. I encourage you to report any case at www.raportodiskriminimin.org, so that the special team created for this purpose can react, as has happened in the cases so far.
I’m here to listen to you, so he concluded. But, I thank you once again for your contribution to the construction of our Kosovo, as well as for your willingness to be with us today to continue our joint commitment.
Thank you!
Last modified: July 4, 2023