The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, participated today at the Memorial Academy, held on the occasion of the Battle of Koshare Veterans Day and the day of the fall of the hero of Kosovo, Sali Çekaj, under the patronage of Acting President Haxhiu, within the framework of the activities “Albanian Days” 2026.
Acting President Haxhiu, in her speech on this occasion, said that history gives meaning to time, but its direction is determined by people, those who, according to her, in difficult moments, do not wait for circumstances to change, but take upon themselves the burden to change them, among them is the hero Sali Çekaj, whom we remember today, on the 27th anniversary of his fall.
“The life of Sali Çekaj cannot be separated from the course of Kosovo’s history. Born in Broliq, in a family with patriotic tradition, trained as a lawyer and later engaged as a judge, he could have chosen a quieter life. But, he chose the most difficult path, the one that requires courage, sacrifice and unwavering belief that freedom cannot be given away. His upbringing did not allow him to stand aside in the face of repression and the tendency to exterminate the Albanian people of Kosovo by the Serbian regime”, said Acting President Haxhiu.
She further added that since 1991, at a time when the armed resistance had not yet taken full shape, Sali, together with the legendary KLA commander, Adem Jashari and Zahir Pajaziti, engaged for the freedom of our country.
“From the first military preparations, the organization of groups in the country and in exile, or the provision of financial resources, Sali Çekaj was there. All this commitment was not seen at that time, but it was precisely this early commitment that made history possible. Because wars are not won only at the front. They are won much earlier, with organization, with dedication and with courage”, added Acting President Haxhiu.
She said that those preparations took shape in Koshare, where, according to her, the idea of freedom, built over years, turned into open action and direct confrontation.
“In April 1999, in difficult terrain and in direct confrontation, the fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army undertook one of the most important acts of our fight for freedom: the collapse of the Albanian-Albanian border. The unjustly established border, which for decades had divided not only the land, but also the possibility of thinking about freedom as something complete. On April 9, 1999, the battle began,” said Acting President Haxhiu.
She said that the confrontation was unequal, facing the Kosovo Liberation Army was a force larger in number and better equipped with weapons. But, according to Acting President Haxhiu, the KLA had less weapons, fewer soldiers, but had much more motivation, had ideals and an oath not to retreat under any conditions, adding that it was precisely this oath that changed the outcome.
“Fierce fighting took place along the entire front line. As the days passed, the Serbian forces suffered heavy losses. The fight, courage and resilience of the KLA fighters forced the Serbian forces to retreat. On the battlefield, on April 19, 1999, Sali Çekaj – the Veteran, whose life was intertwined with every stage of the struggle for freedom, always in the service of the homeland, always on the front line, also fell heroically”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.
She further said that our hero strongly believed in the idea that the borders that divide a people are not eternal, and that according to her, for him, the collapse of the inter-Albanian border was the fulfilment of the centuries-old promise for freedom, statehood and to be close to each other.
“He left behind the example of a man who moves from conviction to action, from word to organization, and from idea to strategy. In him, the experience of the older generation and the determination of the coming generation came together. On the 27th anniversary of his fall, we proudly say that he was a commander, a strategist destined to be a hero,” she affirmed.
In the end, the Acting President, Albulena Haxhiu, said that Sali Çekaj lived and fell to unite those of us who were divided by violence, turning the border into a memory, and his name into a permanent obligation for freedom!
