Last Sunday, March 8th, Swiss French-language television STS1 in the context of the show "Mise au Point" was made with the current exodus Kosovo, referring to the time that the war in Kosovo.
The show is served from the archives of the Swiss TV. A part of the interviews with the deputy Leuenberger and Ambassador Malaj, realized in 1998.
The presenter of the show: It is not the first exodus of Kosovars. We all remember the war, when tens of thousands of them fled to Switzerland.
But their movements started in the 60s, to become the second day of the Kosovar community abroad, or as some say, the 27th canton in Switzerland. If we go back to this special relationship.
(Starts story)
Reporter: In 1999, the column of civilians fleeing from the war in Kosovo. This year, landing with tens of thousands of refugees in Switzerland.
Ueli Leuenberger: At this point, approximately one tenth of the population of Kosovo was in Switzerland who came as workers.
Reporter: They follow the path of Naim Malaj. Once faced with torture in prisons in Serbia
Naim Malaj: I was 16 years old when I was in prison, and was described as a terrorist
Reporter: He flees to Geneva and gaining asylum.
Naim Malaj: For me the choice was obvious Switzerland since my father was here since the 80's, as a worker.
Reporter: In the middle of Switzerland and former Serbian province is a long story, and not well known.
Ueli Leuenberger, Swiss do not know, but is Swiss Confederation which has reached a bilateral agreement with the government in Belgrade in 1963, and we went to recruit workers in poorer regions of Europe, in the end, Yugoslavia.
Naim Malaj: Only at that time did not recognize the Swiss public as Kosovars, or Kosovo Albanians, but as Yugoslavs.
Reporter: In the late 80s, persecution intensified exerted by Milosevic in Kosovo. The first wave of asylum seekers arrives in Switzerland. But Kosovars do not have a good image.