Very respected Jashari family,
Dear Uncle Rifat,
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Konjufca
Honourable Prime Minister Kurti
Honourable Minister of Defense, Mr. Mehaj
Honourable Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Lieutenant General Jashari
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly of North Macedonia, Mr. Xhaferi,
Honourable representatives of central and local institutions of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honourable ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions in our country,
Honourable commanders and officers of the Kosovo Security Force,
Dear families of war martyrs and invalids,
Dear participants,
March 1998 marks a major turning point in the centuries-old history of the people of Kosovo's struggle for freedom.
On this day, the spirit of freedom that started in Prekaz, in the Jashari family, was carried everywhere through the Kosovo Liberation Army.
On this day, which is just one of a few, but will remain in our history for centuries, the Jashari family in Prekaz found itself under the siege of the forces of the Serbian genocidal regime.
This family had experienced such sieges on December 30th 1991, January 22 1998 and finally on March 5, 6 and 7 of 1998.
In all three sieges, the resistance of the Jashari family, led by Shaban, Hamza and the legendary commander Adem Jashari, was not simply an attempt to protect the threshold of their home.
Together, they defended the threshold of Kosovo, our common home to which they sacrificed themselves. In the three days of the Epic, they became heroes, and as such, as heroes of the nation, they will remain for as long as Kosovo exists.
They stood in defense of dignity, freedom and the right to a state, so on this day, we bow before their heroic deed
On March 5, 6 and 7th 1998, the resistance of the Jashari family was a call for the mobilization of the whole nation to end slavery, to restore dignity in the country and to send the message that freedom is priceless.
Refusing to submit, the Legendary Commander, Adem Jashari along with many family members and fellow villagers fell heroically, in defense of the homeland.
This epic sacrifice of the Jashari family with fellow villagers and comrades became the foundation stone of our freedom and state.
This family is the portrait of our freedom, which was difficult to achieve, for which it took a lot of effort, for which 3 thousand KLA martyrs fell, 13 thousand civilians, nearly 20 thousand women and men were raped and there are still over 1600 persons who are forcibly disappeared.
But there is still no justice for any of them.
Therefore, justice must be done both to make sense of our freedom and to draw lessons from history. We are not seeking anything more than justice, because we owe it to ourselves for a better future.
Distinguished guests,
Dear Officers,
The resistance and sublime sacrifice of the Jashari family were and are the ideals to protect freedom and the right to live in a sovereign state. The Jashari family did this under the courage, not only of the family member but also of the commander of our army, the legendary Adem Jashari. Thank you Commander! Thank you, Jashari family! Thank you to our Liberation Army, who sealed our destiny as a people and as a state.
Today we are here at this Memorial Day, in the barracks that proudly bears the name of the legendary commander, therefore both our pride and our responsibility have come together.
In addition to the inspiration that this name gives to every soldier of the Republic of Kosovo, it also charges them with responsibility for the homeland at a time when peace is becoming increasingly challenging.
As we once did, the world today is striving to defend freedom as a universal right.
Today, the burden of security falls on our soldiers for our people and our state. I strongly believe that you are our guardians and the guardians of every corner of the territory of Kosovo. Our liberation war together with our allies made our freedom, and you honourable soldiers, will maintain our freedom.
Threats to freedom are already a reality that we are still experiencing. Hegemony is still being seen on our continent, in Europe. We still know their sufferings today and we know more and more those who aim for hegemony.
This situation necessitates the need for unity and vigilance because just as there is no eternal war, there is also no eternal peace!
We must never give up our effort to keep the state viable and to protect it everywhere and anytime. As the supreme commander of our army, I am convinced that you, the brave soldiers, will do this and that you are ready for any situation.
Although our army is in the phase of transformation, you have already provided enough evidence that along with international partners you can serve in any mission, to be not only a guarantor of peace in our country but also its importer, wherever the need arises.
Today, as never before, we must increase our commitment to our military.
Therefore, the establishment of the Security Fund by the Government is proof that we want to strengthen our army in all aspects and with the contribution of everyone.
This is our army built with many sacrifices, so we should all feel a belonging to it, not only from the services it offers but also by supporting it concretely, because the more we support our army, the more secure is our future.
Therefore, I strongly believe that we will achieve this with the dedication, courage and bravery of the girls and boys of the Force, which is growing every day more and more alongside our capacity.
Our army in this process is further developing as a professional military force and interacting with NATO forces.
Therefore, I say again as we have said in these 14 years, NATO membership remains a strategic objective of our state, hence the membership in the North Atlantic Alliance is now more necessary than ever and is a precondition for peace in the region.
Therefore, honourable soldiers of the Force, honourable participants, highly respected Jashari family, freedom fighters, our allies, heroes who fell for our freedom together with civilian victims who made the freedom possible, it is now upon us to maintain it, to strengthen the state and secure it by making it part of NATO, making it part of the European Union, and of the United Nations!
God bless our Forces!