Deputy Defence Minister Admir Shabani has reacted to DUI’s allegations regarding the representation of Albanians at the Military Academy of Northern Macedonia, saying that this party has no credibility to raise the issue, as according to him, the current situation has been inherited from previous governments.

Shaban has recalled that Talat Xhaferi has been deputy defence minister from 2004 to 2006, the period during which the Military Academy was placed under the mortorium and had rejected primary-cycle students by 2008. He has also stressed that Xhaferi has been defence minister at Nikola Gruevski’s government from 2013 to 2014.

According to Shaban, even during LSDM’s last term, when Xhaferi was chairman of the Parliament and later technical prime minister, in the Military Academy contests applied only one or two Albanian screws annually.

) DUI has no credibility to talk about the participation of Albanians as candidates at the Military Academy, Saban has declared.

He has acknowledged that the trend of reducing the number of Albanian candidates is disturbing, but has stressed that this issue cannot be resolved overnight and requires a systematic approach, starting in the orientation of young people in high schools.

Shaban has said in some cases he has called public for Albanian candidates to apply at the Military Academy, since, according to him, even during DUI rule, the number of Albanian applicants was very low.

He has called for continued sensationalisation of young people and parents so that the Military Academy can be seen as career opportunities, representation and contributions to state institutions.

In the end, Shaban has called on DUI to stop, as he has described, manipulations and attempts to create the impression that Albanians are being discriminated against only now that this party is in opposition.