President Osmani’s interview from Brussels for Euronews, regarding Kosovo’s European perspective
President Osmani travels to Brussels, represents Kosovo at the EU-Western Balkans Leaders’ Summit
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has traveled to Brussels, where she will participate in the EU-Western Balkans Summit alongside leaders of EU member states and those from the Western Balkans. The Summit will discuss the partnership between the European Union and the Western Balkans, with a particular emphasis on the EU enlargement process and advancing the European perspective of the region. During the Summit, Madam President will meet with leaders of EU institutions and have the opportunity to discuss issues of interest to Kosovo with other participating leaders. The lifting of measures against Kosovo and moving forward on the path of integration will be a priority during the discussions. The Summit’s agenda also includes the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, strengthening economic integration with the EU single market, as well as issues related to economic development, investment and reforms. The leaders will also discuss cooperation in the field of security and defense, including the common foreign and security policy, countering hybrid and cyber threats, as well as managing migration and common regional and European challenges.
Madam President: My fourth visit within a month to the municipalities of Kosovo was in Mitrovica
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, visited the municipality of Mitrovica today. President Osmani wrote: My fourth visit within a month to the municipalities of Kosovo was in Mitrovica. With Mayor Faton Peci, whom I congratulated on his new tenure, we had a day filled with meaningful meetings and positive energy. In the “Our Joy” Kindergarten, we saw up close the conditions and the dedication to our children, followed by the meeting with the athletes of the Trepça sport clubs, girls and boys who proudly represent the city. We concluded the visit at the “Maestro Food” business, an inspiring example with the majority of employed women, proof of the power of work and dedication to economic development.
Madam President: Kosovo remains committed to the strengthening of relations with the Holy See and advancing our historic friendship
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said that the private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Holy See was an exceptional honor. President Osmani wrote: The private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Holy See was an exceptional honor. During the meeting, I once again conveyed my warmest congratulations on the commencement of his mission, as well as the hope that his pontificate will bring light, courage and support to people in need around the world. I also conveyed the warm invitation for a visit by him to the Republic of Kosovo, which would be welcomed with greatest benevolence by all our citizens. We discussed the role of Kosovo, our Dardanian land, as a country that has built peace and interfaith harmony on its historical experience of endurance and sacrifice. We also discussed deepening cooperation in areas that directly affect the well-being of our citizens, with the hope that the Holy See will soon take the long-awaited decision to formally recognize the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo remains committed to the strengthening of the relations with the Holy See and advancing our historic friendship, guided by the values that unite us. In the spirit of the Christmas holiday, we shared our common wishes for peace and harmony throughout the world.
President Osmani is bestowed the Bonifacio VIII Prize in Anagni
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, was bestowed the Bonifacio VIII Prize last night in Anagni, the city of the Popes, by the Bonifacio Academy, in recognition of her institutional commitment to peace, as well as her continuous contribution to strengthening intercultural and interreligious cooperation. This esteemed recognition reflects the spirit and mission of the Bonifacio Academy, a prestigious institution that bases its activities on justice, human dignity and peace. The Bonifacio VIII Prize has previously been awarded to prominent world personalities, including His Holiness Pope John Paul II. On this occasion, President Osmani emphasized that this prize further reinforces her commitment to these universal and eternal values, which guide the vision and institutional action of the Republic of Kosovo in building peace, dialogue and understanding between nations.
President Osmani: Mujë Krasniqi and his comrades chose honor over fear, homeland over life
On the 27th anniversary of the heroic fall of Mujë Krasniqi – Kapuçi, and his 41 fellow fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, we bow with the highest respect to the sacrifice that became the foundation of our freedom. They fell to rise in eternity, becoming the symbol of liberation. Mujë Krasniqi and his comrades chose honor over fear, homeland over life. We and the flag of the Republic of Kosovo, which today waves free, are indebted to tehri blood. Eternal glory to Mujë Krasniqi and the 41 martyrs of the KLA!
President Osmani: From St. Peter’s Square, following the private audience with His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, at the Holy See
Statement by President Vjosa Osmani and the First Gentleman, Prindon Sadriu, formally announcing Kosovo’s decision to join First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future Together global coalition
The Republic of Kosovo proudly shares President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s commitment to protecting and empowering children and youth. We are honored to formally announce Kosovo’s decision to join First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future Together global coalition. Through an official letter to the White House, Kosovo has confirmed its participation and its readiness to contribute meaningfully to this important international effort. In joining Fostering the Future Together, Kosovo brings both lived experience and forward-looking innovation. Our fast-growing private-sector technology companies, ICT sector, and leading think tanks stand ready to contribute to solutions that enhance digital safety, expand STEM and AI education, and reinforce strong families and communities in the digital era. As part of this commitment, the Republic of Kosovo announces its intention to establish the “Fostering the Future Together: The Melania Trump Center of Excellence” in Kosovo. The Center is envisioned as a global hub for shaping forward-looking policies, forging strong partnerships, and advancing practical solutions that strengthen child protection, digital safety, education, and family well-being. Its mission is not merely to promote ideas, but to help translate them into actionable programs, responsible technology use, and measurable, long-term impact for children. As a country that rose from the ashes of war and advanced toward freedom, peace, and democracy with the immense support and leadership of the United States, Kosovo understands the importance of protecting children and creating an environment where they can grow up and thrive in peace. Therefore, this initiative resonates deeply, reflecting a profound moral connection to First Lady Melania Trump’s efforts to protect children, uphold their dignity, invest in their education, and build a future grounded in safety, opportunity, and strong family values. Kosovo’s experience underscores our firm belief that investing in children and strong families is the most powerful investment in peace, security, and the future. With the youngest population in Europe and a dynamic technology sector, Kosovo stands ready to contribute expertise, innovation, and unwavering partnership to this global cause. The Republic of Kosovo is proud to stand with President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and all nations committed to ensuring that every child grows up safe, empowered, and free — because the future we build for our children is the future that will define us all.
President Osmani departed on an official visit to the Holy See, will be received in audience by Pope Leo XIV
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has departed on an official visit to the Holy See, where she will be holding a series of meetings. President Osmani, together with the First Gentleman, Mr. Prindon Sadriu, will be received in audience by Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace. Madam President will also hold a meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. During her visit to the Vatican, President Osmani will also visit St. Peter’s Basilica. At the Special Mission of the Republic of Kosovo to the Holy See, President Osmani will host an end-of-year reception with representatives of the Holy See, diplomatic representatives and other guests. During this visit, she will also carry out a number of activities aimed at expanding the relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Holy See.
President Vjosa Osmani’s address at the opening of the exhibition “Truth, Memory, Justice” organized by the Presidency of the Republic through the Regional Center of Excellence for Women, Peace and Security, and in cooperation with the Kosovo War Crimes Institute (IKKL)
Speaker of the Assembly, Prime Minister, Representatives of institutions, Ambassadors of amicable countries, We are here today together at the Exhibition “Truth, Memory, Justice”, not only as institutions but also together with many human rights activists, with many representatives of organizations, families who went through the darkest times of our history, together with many strong mothers who have become iconic symbols of our unceasing fight for justice, and together with the allies who stood by us in the most difficult days for our people. We are here to mark International Human Rights Day, a date that symbolizes universal dignity, freedom and equality. Because, when in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10th and gave legal and moral form to the principle that every human life has value and deserves protection, at that time, the slogan “Never again” was also heard every day. Unfortunately, it remained just a slogan, because the suffering that humanity saw during the Second World War was unfortunately repeated to some extent in our region in the 1990s. Even today, after 75 years, the world is still faced with injustice, violence, and violations of fundamental rights. And as always, as in any war, those who are most vulnerable are most affected: innocent civilians, women, the elderly and especially children. The people of Kosovo know very well what this means. The war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by the Milosevic regime caused pain that will never be extinguished: thousands of people killed, including many children, thousands of women and men raped, thousands of people forcibly disappeared, who are still missing from their families and are missing from all of Kosovo. Their pain knows no time. It is an open wound, a living wound, a wound that drains every day and which still demands justice. Let us pause for a moment at the stories that tell the indescribable pain and courage of our mothers. Among us is mother Ferdonije and many mothers from Gjakova, who always carried within their souls the pain of losing their children, their spouses, the loved ones of their families. Mother Ferdonije lost her sons and husband, then preserving their empty room, the table, but also the clothes left there as a memory of the lives that never returned. Their stories are not just stories of pain; they are evidence of the resilience, the unbreakable and endless love of mothers and the memory that never fades. Let us also dwell on the history of the women of Krusha. In Krusha e Vogël, mother Hyrisha Shehu still remembers the day her life was turned upside down. Amid the smoke, noise and explosions that engulfed the village, she had her youngest son, only 13 years old, on her lap, hugging him as if protecting him with all her heart. He had clung to her neck, whispering: “Mother, don’t let me go…” — words that still echo in the mother’s mind today. When Serbian forces surrounded the entire village population in a courtyard, she tried to cover the little boy with her body, but the harsh hands tore him from her lap, leaving him collapsed in the mud, with his arms extended towards him. That day took her two sons and her husband, leaving mother Hyrisha with a heart wounded forever, but with a strength that was never broken. Today, her story is not only about pain. The story of mothers, fathers, children, and all citizens of Kosovo is also resilience, it is memory, and it is a voice that reminds the whole world that the crimes of that time will never be forgotten, and it also reminds us of the undying love of an Albanian mother. As we know in many other places in Kosovo, the loved ones of about 1,600 forcibly disappeared are still waiting. Through memory, truth, and justice, crimes must not only be punished, not only must we honor those we have lost and the pain of their families every day, but above all, the future itself must be built on respect for them. 26 years after the war, justice is still missing. The perpetrators have not been brought to justice, and the families of the victims still wait. The families of the missing live every day with uncertainty and the pain and anxiety of waiting. Some of the surviving witnesses are dying, taking with them important parts of the truth. Therefore, our institutional obligation is greater than ever: documentation, preserving memory, and the continued search for justice are a national urgency. The work of the Kosovo war Crimes Institute is vital. Every document, every testimony, every photograph, every story is part of the mosaic of truth. Without truth there can be no justice, and without justice there can never be lasting peace for future generations. Today’s exhibition “Truth, Memory, Justice” is not simply a photo exhibition. These are just a few of the thousands and thousands of photographs that the Institute for War Crimes has collected. These photographs, therefore, are beyond appearance, they are a powerful statement that: we will not allow the truth to be distorted, that we will not allow memory to fade. Here we commemorate the children killed, the mothers and fathers who never returned, the families who lost everything, those who disappeared by force. For each of them, for the women who experienced the horror of wartime rape and every victim of war, each without distinction, for each of them we demand justice. The survivors who live today with physical wounds, but above all spiritual wounds, are the personification of resistance and human dignity, they are the voice of truth that can never be silenced. Kosovo will not give up. We will not allow the crimes to be forgotten. We will not allow the genocide to be denied. For every missing person, for every murdered child, for every victim of sexual violence — we will speak out loud here and in every country in the world. Justice will be sought without