The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani participated at the marking of the anniversary of the Battle of Koshare entitled “Ditët e shqipes”, held under Madam President's patronage.
Highly appreciating the contribution of all KLA members to the freedom of the country, President Osmani stressed that April 9th is a special day in Kosovo's new history.
“This was one of the most glorious battles fought by the Kosovo Liberation Army, more precisely by the Third Operational Group, which consisted of the 131st and 134th Brigades and the Diversion-Observer Battalion which later merged into the 138th Brigade,” said President Osmani. According to her, this battle coincides with the day of the Constitution of Kosovo, which symbolizes the goal for which the heroes Salih Çekaj, Agim Ramadani and many other martyrs were sacrificed in the glorious Koshare, thus joining the eternity.
“The Battle of Koshare also showed that inequality in armaments is not the defining key to wars. The fighting spirit, the determination to see the country free and the willingness to sacrifice everything for it are more powerful than any military arsenal. Therefore, today, we commemorate this battle as one of the proudest moments of our recent history. She testified that freedom has no price and that the price of freedom is high. “But it also showed that the determination to achieve it and the spirit of a people are invincible,” said President Osmani.
President Osmani also stated in her speech that Koshare raised hopes for freedom and complemented the symbolism of the eventual removal of iron barriers in twentieth-century Europe.
“Koshare was the seal of the missing freedom throughout the Albanian lands. The sacrifice of Albanian sons and daughters from all lands testified to the nonconformity and readiness of the Albanians to fight the injustices that had been done to them for over a century. The breaking of the border between Kosovo and Albania on April 9th, 1999, marked not only a moral victory for the KLA, but it paved the way for the supply of weapons and logistical support to many war zones inside Kosovo. It also raised the hope of thousands of deportees that the iron line had been broken and a return to the land of the ancients was not only possible, but also inevitable,” said President Osmani.
She said that coordination with NATO experts in specifying the location of Serbian forces in the territory of Kosovo was the first joint step in realizing the dream of freedom.
“President Rugova's Euro-Atlantic vision and the sacrifice of the sons and daughters of the KLA are being enlivened in the free Kosovo, whose institutions are working hard to strongly consolidate the country in the community of Western values. This strategic determination of ours and this vision of ours would have been impossible without the sacrifice of thousands of sons and daughters, therefore the memory of them will be eternal. It will be renewed not only on anniversaries like these, but throughout our traversing. We thank them, the sacrifice of Agim Ramadani, Sali Çekaj, Xhemajl Fetahu and hundreds of other martyrs who fell for the freedom of Kosovo. “They stand on the foundations of our freedom and statehood,” concluded President Osmani.