The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo Dr. Jakup Krasniqi attended the ceremony of naming International Pristina Airport after the Legendary Commander Adem Jashari. The ceremony was also attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, representatives of Jashari family, Rifat Jashari and many other political figures of our country.
Below you may read the entire contents of the speech that the Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo Dr. Jakup Krasniqi has held at the ceremony:
Honorable Jashari family,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, on 28 November 2010, on the glorious Albanian feast, which has bequeathed our nation, besides the century-long glory, the honor, the dignity and the perspective awaited by so may generations, we are inaugurating and giving the Pristina Airport the name of ADEM JASHARI. Adem Jashari, the Legendary Commander of the KLA, born on 28 November 1955 – which is a pleasant coincidence – was born 43 years after the Flag Day, and, on the 44th year of his life, has made the greatest turning point in our most recent history, by bringing to us, first, the spirit of freedom and the freedom-loving courage, and, then, the era of freedom and independence of Kosovo.
From now on, this name will accompany all the travelers who will detach from earth to fly across the free skies of Kosovo and all those who will land in Adem Jashari Airport, same as Charles de Gaulle accompanies those who land in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris or Kemal Atatürk Airport in Istanbul.
Ladies and gentlemen, on March and February 1999, without undergoing the formalities of the then occupied Airport of Pristina and confident in victorious spirit of the Legendary Commander Adem Jashari, we departed from here for the International Conference on Kosovo in Rambouillet, and, in June that year, also with the assistance of the International Community, the NATO, the USA and the EU, Kosovo was liberated. But nothing came short of war and our blood and sacrifices.
Ten years ago, Kosovo was ravaged by war. Today, we can hardly notice the aftermath, apart from monuments and bitter memories of those difficult years.
So, let today’s naming of our airport after Adem Jashari refresh the memory of the future generations of glorious days in our history.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Yesterday, Adem Jashari, the legendary Jasharis, all our people, have given a lot for our freedom and independence, for our growth, for our freedom of movement across earth, sky and sea, and this has been the case for more than ten years now.
Today, we are obliged to respect, with commitment, all those who have given their own life for our freedom and perspective. Perhaps, over years, we were a little bigoted. Perhaps we were overwhelmed by our everyday troubles and quest for personal glory, but the glory goes to those who don not quest for it, like in the case of our heroes and martyrs, whom we never commemorate as on days like these, as on our Great November. Today, we are unveiling the Plate bearing the name of ADEM JASHARI, a name that the Airport of Pristina will bear from now on.
Dear citizens,
I consider myself privileged and lucky to have had the opportunity to address you, all the people of Kosovo and all Albanians, wherever they are, on this Great Day for our nation:
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NOVEMBER!
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NAMING OF PRISTINA AIRPORT AFTER ADEM JASHARI!
CONGRATULATIONS ON ADEM JASHARI AIRPORT!