Before I say a few words about my country, let me express my sincere condolences for the loss of two soldiers of the Republic of Albania during the international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Honorable ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honorable representatives of Kosovo’s institutions,
Dear friends,
I welcome you by wishing to you and your families happiness and good health, success in your careers as well as wellbeing in your countries. I wish that the relations between my country and your countries continue to develop and progress contiunously.
Our ideals and your ideals are to live in freedom, in dignity, in peace and in prosperity, respecting and fostering good relations with one another.
Before I say a few words about my country, let me express my sincere condolences for the loss of two soldiers of the Republic of Albania during the international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Ambassador Lauka, please accept the condolences of the citizens and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.
Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Republic of Kosovo is a sovereign and an independent state, a factor of peace and stability, built upon the civic principle and with the respect for the rights and freedoms of all its citizens regardless of their background. This is the expression of the free will of Kosovo’s people, but also the expression of your support, of our international friends _ the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the countries of the European Union, Germany, Turkey and the rest of the countries around the world that have recognized Kosovo’s independence, with a special thanks for the countries where I had very successful visits and participated in international conferences and summits.
Although four years have passed since the declaration of independence and thirteen years since the freedom in my country, we still feel a need, an obligation and respect to talk about this because the Republic of Kosovo has not yet been recognized by all the member countries of the European Union and we are still not a member of the United Nations. Although no one here sees any alternative to Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty, to Kosovo being a member state of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations and all other international organizations.
This is the best and the most just solution. We are determined to a civic country within the existing borders because as such it has a history, a tradition. Partition or division along ethnic lines of peoples and states brought us a lot of pain and suffering in the past.
Dear friends,
The Republic of Kosovo is conducting bilateral relations with a series of countries and is providing a good example for neighborly relations with countries around it becoming a factor of peace, stability and understanding.
We are engaged in a dialogue with Serbia in Brussels, which is being mediated and facilitated by the European Union, which in a way is also the guarantor of the implementation of the agreements that were reached.The dialogue is in the interest of the citizens and of Kosovo and Serbia as two neighboring countries that need to normalize the relations and which need to help one another on their path toward the European integration.
I perceive the dialogue as the sole opportunity to sit Serbia down at the discussion table and to convince her to respect the reality, to behave as a neighboring country while respecting the international obligations and standards.
Dialogue is always conducted between two equal sides and this is how we have engaged in this process in Brussels and this is how we will wrap up this engagement through agreements that are European, based on the best European practices that ease the free movement of people and goods and normalize the relations between our two countries. This is why we are committed to full reciprocity so that no one in this process feels a winner or a loser.
We see the European Union as a family of free nations, which live in dignity and respect for freedoms and individual and collective rights. This framework is appealing to all the peoples of the Western Balkans because it will help us move beyond the historic animosities and theories of dominance.
Alongside economic development and the establishment of the rule of law this is sufficient enough and Kosovo is capable and stands ready to take on all the obligations and responsibilities as a constructive factor and to contribute to international humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. We deem it important to give our contribution as part of the European and international institutional architecture.
Dear friends,
My wishes and the wishes of the citizens of this country are simple. We wish to live in peace, in equality and dignity, with full rights and freedoms, in prosperity and wellbeing, to work hard and access to schooling and education, with healthcare and socially just policies, with an economic development that uses the human and other resources that we posses and tied to international capital. We want to live in peace and harmony with the rest.
We can achieve all of this jointly, through our common will and engagement and with your help and support.
You have noticed that Kosovo’s youth is the same as the young people in European and international metropolitan cities. It harbors the same values and it communicates freely, building a philosophy and a common political and human outlook.
I raise a toast to the young generations and to the future of our countries.
Thank you!
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