President Osmani paid tribute on the Prishtina Martyrs’ Day: The KLA martyrs are the eternal memory and motive for the Republic of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, accompanied by the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca and the Mayor of Pristina Përparim Rama, paid tribute at the martyrs’ cemetery complex on the Martyrs’ Day of the municipality of Pristina. The Republic of Kosovo, according to President Osmani, is the ideal of many generations and the contribution of the KLA martyrs, who fulfilled our dream of freedom and state. “Today we bow before the acts of all the KLA martyrs from the municipality of Pristina, who defended our dignity, made us proud with their heroism by giving their lives for our freedom, for our state. They will be eternal guides for generations and our memory of the path we have walked through to freedom. The KLA martyrs are the permanent memory and motive for the Republic of Kosovo,” stated President Osmani.
President Osmani took part in the iftar meal laid by Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca in honour of the leaders of the Islamic Community of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani took part in the iftar meal laid by the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca in honour of the leaders of the Islamic Community of Kosovo. “Together with the leaders of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, I participated in the iftar meal laid by the Speaker of the Assembly Mr. Konjufca. We gathered together, as the spirit of this month warrants it, and the essence of which is the strengthening of family and social ties. May solidarity, understanding, love and mercy always be present within our families” stated President Osmani.
The President on the anniversary of the massacres in Poklek and in Çikatovë e Vjetër: What we are asking for again today on this anniversary, is justice for all the victims
The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, accompanied by the First Gentleman Prindon Sadriu, the Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, paid tribute at the memorial complex in Poklek. President Osmani said that today is one of the saddest days of commemoration of the victims of the last war in Kosovo. “Here in Poklek, a real Holocaust took place. As you already know, 54 members of the Muqolli, Elshani and other families, mostly women and children, in fact, the vast majority of them children, were first executed, then burned twice in order to eliminate the traces of this heinous crime carried out by the Serbian forces in Kosovo” stated President Osmani. Madam President added that this is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that the Serbian regime aimed to exterminate our people, that no Albanian remains in the land of Kosovo.
The President commemorates the Sllovia massacre
On April 15 and 16 1999, in the village of Sllovia in Lipjan, the forces of the Serbian genocidal regime killed and massacred 45 innocent Albanian civilians and injured many others. Our fight was one of freedom and against extermination, while Serbia was the aggressor who committed crimes throughout Kosovo. This massacre, like all others all around Kosovo, is a painful reminder of our struggle for freedom and evidence of the brutality of the Serbian criminal regime. This is our truth which we will defend alongside the constant effort to bring the perpetrators of the crimes to justice.
President Osmani received the acting Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazoviq
The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani received today the acting Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazoviq. The relations between the two states have been assessed as excellent and both interlocutors expressed readiness for their further expansion. In this context, President Osmani welcomed the air services agreement signed yesterday between Kosovo and Montenegro, President Osmani emphasized that Kosovo and Montenegro share the same views on the importance of the Euro-Atlantic integration of the states of the region as a guarantee for peace and prosperity. According to President Osmani, Montenegro is an amicable partner country of Kosovo and expressed her confidence that it will continue to support Kosovo even further in the effort to strengthen its international subjectivity, including membership in international organizations, for which it has received the support of the Prime Minister Abazoviq. The latest developments in the country and the region and the dialogue with Serbia were also discussed at the meeting. President Osmani emphasized that the Brussels Agreement treats Kosovo and Serbia as equal parties in the context of interstate relations, although she emphasized that Serbia is continuing with obstructions regarding the implementation of the agreement. Despite this, President Osmani pointed out that Kosovo will continue to coordinate with international allies on the implementation of the Agreement and that it is committed to lasting peace, security and stability. Both sides stated that the Albanian community in Montenegro and the Montenegrin community in Kosovo are powerful connecting bridges between the two countries. President Osmani and Prime Minister Abazoviq also discussed the expansion of cooperation in the field of economic exchange, trade, tourism, education and other areas of mutual interest.
President Osmani concluded her visit to Calabria, Italy
The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has concluded her visit to Calabria, Italy, carried out at the invitation of the Arbëresh community of this region. During the visits she made to the Arbëresh municipalities of Ungër, Frasnitë, Çift, Shën Sofi e Epirit, Maki, Shën Miter, Vakarici and Mbuzat, the President was shown extraordinary Arbëresh hospitality and generosity. She expressed her gratitude to them for keeping the Albanian language, culture and traditions alive. “Arbëresh culture is an important pillar of our culture,” said the President. At the meetings with the mayors of these municipalities, President Osmani talked about the drafting of joint projects for the further cultivation of this culture. During her stay in Calabria, in a special ceremony at the municipality of Frasnita, President Osmani was bestowed the “Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu” award by the mayor of this municipality, Mr. Angelo Catapano. And in Frasnitë, the President inaugurated the “Kosova” square, which has been so named by the Community of Frasnitë, as a sign of respect for the commitment of the people of Kosovo to freedom and civilizing values. During the visit, President Osmani also gave a speech at the University of Calabria. President Osmani also met with the president of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto, with whom she talked about the further expansion of cooperation between the Republic of Kosovo and the Calabria Region, as well as with the president of the Province of Cosenza, Mrs. Rosaria Succurro, with whom she discussed the economic, political and cultural relations between the various municipalities of Kosovo and the Province of Cosenza. This was the first-ever visit of Madam President to the villages inhabited by Arbëresh in the Italian Republic.
The Working Group on Gender Equality held a workshop today with a focus on identifying the necessary legal changes in conformity with the Law on Gender Equality
The Working Group on Gender Equality, established within the Council for Democracy and Human Rights, held today a one-day workshop in which an analysis was presented on the harmonization of relevant laws with the Law on Gender Equality, aiming the empowering women and their activation in public life. Group members had the opportunity to be informed and comment on the content of this analysis, which will serve as a basis for work in the coming months. Necessary legal changes were identified in various sectors of women’s participation in public life, including politics, health and education. Furthermore, after the finalization of this analysis, the Working Group will propose concrete steps and cooperate with the responsible institutions. The Group on Gender Equality operates within the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo and guarantees inter-institutional coordination and comprehensive representation with the aim of the smooth running of this important process for the advancement of gender equality in institutions, economic sectors and important public and political processes. This workshop was supported by the Gender Equality Agency/Prime Minister’s Office.
The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, met today in Rome with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The latest developments in Kosovo and the region, bilateral relations, as well as the importance of cooperation in nurturing and preserving the culture and identity of Arbëresh in Italy were discussed at the meeting. President Osmani and Deputy Prime Minister Tajani discussed the importance of the agreement and of the annex agreed between Kosovo and Serbia recently in Brussels and Ohër, as well as the importance of continuing the contribution to peace and stability in the region. President Osmani emphasized that the Republic of Kosovo has demonstrated once again its constructiveness in the process and also its commitment to implement what was agreed upon, being a serious party and fully committed to dialogue. Madam President also added that the expectations of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo are that the commitments of our partners will be fulfilled, with special emphasis on the integration of Kosovo into the Euro-Atlantic structures. The President raised the issue of voting in the Council of Europe, emphasizing the urgency of such a decision as well as the importance of membership in this organization for all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, regardless of ethnicity, religion or any other affiliation. President Osmani and Deputy Prime Minister Tajani agreed on the further expansion of relations between the two countries, expanding the level of cooperation agreements in various fields, including the recognition of Kosovo drivers’ licenses, the promotion of economic cooperation through the business forum that will be organized soon between Kosovo and Italy, the expansion of cultural and educational cooperation. President Osmani also discussed with Mr. Tajani the continuous commitment of Kosovo’s institutions to the further advancement of democracy and the rule of law, in which case she mentioned the positive evaluations of credible international reports. The president informed Deputy Prime Minister Tajani of her visit to Calabria and the Arbëresh community. She spoke about the importance of further promoting and cultivating the preservation of the culture and identity of the Arbëresh in Italy, as well as about joint projects that can be pushed forward with this aim between the institutions of Kosovo and those of Italy.
The address delivered by President Osmani’s adviser Mrs. Donika Kadaj Bujupi at the march held today on the occasion of April 14th – the Day of Survivors of Sexual Violence during the last war in Kosovo
Honourable participants, Honourable Minister Haxhiu, Honourable Ambassadors, MP’s, Representatives of various international organizations, Civil society representatives, Honourable media representatives, Distinguished Ms. Vasfije, Ms. Shyhrete, To all those ladies who are not physically with us today, but who are following us, I congratulate them for their courage and wish them that today this day is finally institutionalized. Dear colleagues from the Presidency, Allow me to initially convey the heartfelt congratulations of President Osmani, who unfortunately is not physically present today as she is on a visit to Calabria. Honourable participants, The rape of more than 20,000 people in Kosovo, the systematic rape of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the mass rapes that are happening today in Ukraine, prove that humanity continues to face sexual violence, one of the most inhumane crimes turned into a weapon of war against civilians, men and women, often even children. These crimes, which continue to occur even in this century, make it necessary to first commit to recognizing the victims as such, to praise them for their courage and to support all of them for their strength, because recognition and justice are prerequisites for peace. Violence survivors must be at the center of our society’s healing process. By remembering the victims, recognizing and supporting survivors, and holding criminals accountable, we ensure that the past is not repeated and the future is safer for each one of us. The approval of President Osmani’s proposal to declare April 14th as the Day of Survivors of Sexual Violence during the last war in Kosovo demonstrates her commitment and continued willingness to be close to the survivors so that their voices can be heard, their stories to be known and justice for them to be done. Let this day be in the service of our collective memory, let us listen to their stories stripped of stigmatization because they proved that despite the inhuman efforts, no one managed to break them. The survivors of violence are our collective memory, they are the evidence of time, they are our truth which we defend today and we will defend anytime anywhere! Today Vasfije, Shyhrete, but also all those men and women, are our voice. As President Osmani said in her proposal for the setting of this date, marking April 14 will be a permanent seal of a painful and tragic chapter in our history, it will be the joining of our voices to condemn sexual violence as a weapon of war in Kosovo and everywhere around the world. Thank you!
President Osmani commemorates the 24th anniversary of the massacre in the Kovaçët neighborhood of Mitrovica
24 years ago, the Kovaçët neighborhood of Mitrovica suffered a terrible day, when Serbian paramilitary forces massacred 31 residents of this neighborhood. They were killed only because they were Albanians, they were massacred in their neighborhood, and they will be eternally remembered. As the memory of them will never fade, the effort to bring the perpetrators to justice shall never cease as well. May the memory of the 31 massacred in the Kovaçët neighborhood be eternal!