Honourable Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca,
Honourable Prime Minister Kurti,
Honourable members of the government cabinet,
Distinguished Members of the Assembly of Kosovo,
Honourable Ambassadors and Diplomatic Representatives,
Distinguished families of martyrs, former presidents and former prime ministers and all of you present,
Dearly beloved citizens of our country:
In this very hall 14 years ago, Kosovo was declared a state, thus bringing to life the will of our citizens to live in a sovereign and independent country. The centuries-old aspiration of the people of Kosovo materialized with the independence of Kosovo, which opened a new chapter not only for us, but also for the globe, recording in the human history of that time the youngest state in the world.
The road to this act was not easy. The people of Kosovo have experienced a calvary under the genocidal Serbian regime. It took a lot of effort, sacrifice and challenge to establish freedom, and as much to establish the state.
It was the resistance of our people that laid the steps of our struggle for freedom and state. Under the leadership of the founding father, President Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo at the time made it known to the democratic world that its goal was the country's independence as a precondition for stability in the region.
Liberation from captivity was not our single-act national drama. Therefore, as the oppression upon us increased, so did our peaceful resistance turning into armed resistance.
The KLA girls and boys became the guardians of the homeland, placing the fulfilment of the ideal for the freedom of the country as the highest act for our Republic.
Every war has its own heroes. Commander Adem Jashari together with his family became a sacrifice for this freedom that we enjoy today. We will eternally honour his figure, along with the thousands of martyrs of our liberation war who gave impetus to the liberation struggle. Today we honour all those war invalids who did not hesitate to give everything for freedom. As we will always remember the civilian victims of our war. Everyone deserves respect and honour because this state is also built upon the blood of 1133 innocent children killed during the war, who turned into flowers of freedom.
Distinguished participants
We are here today, not only because of our commitment and sacrifice, but also because we had the help of our friends. The democratic world did not remain silent in the face of our suffering.
Today here among us are present ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of countries, which in the year of 1999 sided on the right side of history, protecting us from extinction aimed by the Milosevic regime. These amicable states sided with freedom as a human right. Therefore, our freedom is dedicated to the friendly countries that stood by us in our times of trouble as a nation.
It was NATO that sealed our freedom. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and many other free world countries contributed not only to our freedom but also to our peace and state building. We are also not alone on this day. These states are still on our side. So, thank you for then, but thank you from the bottom of our heart for today too!
We cannot traverse Kosovo's European path without the help of these friendly countries. As we once crowned freedom with their help, we also hope that with their help we will complete the process of integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, membership in the United Nations and other international organizations.
But honourable ladies and gentlemen, honourable MP’s, freedom requires maintenance. There are always destructive forces that affect it. Today, Kosovo, the region, and the whole globe is facing dangers caused by Russia's aggressive course. Its destabilizing tendencies, through the use of its traditional ally, Serbia, aim to cause destabilization in the Balkan region as well.
We strongly condemn such efforts, as we condemn the open threat and the tendency of Russia to invade Ukraine. This clash is not only a war between the two states but also an attempt to create a new world order. It is a fierce conflict between democracy and the freedom of nations on the one hand and autocracy on the other, which seeks to seize the right of people to live freely and in the way they chose to. To all those who ask why are we dealing with Ukraine to this date, I am responding with the statement of the US representative in OSCE who said: ” This crisis is much bigger than Ukraine. This is about the type of world we want to live in. One in which the tanks and missiles of a powerful neighbour can decide a country’s fate OR one in which citizens freely choose their own country’s future for themselves” Kosovo has decided on which side it stands.
Therefore, Kosovo stands strongly on the side of our allies and on the side of democracy. The value of democracy best seen on days like this one, February 17th, the anniversary of our independence.
Distinguished guests
Kosovo today is neither that of June 1999, nor that of February 17th, 2008. However, our freedom has not yet been fulfilled, because today we remember over 1600 people who forcefully disappeared, while clarification of their fate is being held hostage by Serbia. But one thing is certain, and that is that we will not rest for a moment so that their families find peace. Truth can be delayed, but not eternally avoided.
The dialogue process with Serbia should have an epilogue, as President Biden defined it in his good wishes for the 14th independence anniversary: that the dialogue should end with mutual recognition.
We will not allow in any way this process to cause headaches to our state. Consequently, we will not accept any options aimed at the defunctionalisation of our state. The territorial integrity of Kosovo, its sovereignty and our constitutional order are non-negotiable and sacred.
Our country has challenges, but now,14 years after the declaration of independence it is much more consolidated in many aspects.
But there is still work to be done. On this 14th anniversary, we are proud, but not complacent.
We will never be satisfied until we make our state what those who fell for it wanted it to be, one deserved by each citizen of our country.
We have the future in our hands. It is enough to hope, love and try to make Kosovo better than yesterday. This country is ours, so feeling the belonging to it, let us raise hope and tell the new generation that Kosovo is their home, where they build their perspective today, and more of it tomorrow.
Congratulations on Independence Day to all citizens of Kosovo!
Thank you!