The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga visited today the village Big Krusha of Rahovec, where she attended the commemorative manifestation on the anniversary of the massacre committed by the Serb forces in this village, thirteen years ago.
President Jahjaga placed wreaths in memory of the victims from this village.
Also, President Jahjaga visited the women entrepreneurs of this village and congratulated them for their work on providing better living conditions for their families.
Below we give the speech of the President at the commemorative gathering:
Coming into the village Krusha fills you with pain and sadness, recalling the terrible massacre that occurred here during our war for liberation and which was conducted in the most inhumane and with the greatest savagery by the Serb army and police.
Krusha proves us how valuable our country is, how holy our freedom is, and with what sacrifice it was reached.
At the altar of freedom fell the best sons and daughters of our people. Here at the foundation of our state, at its core, are the parents, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, as the most expensive value of ours which fill us with pain, but also with pride for the sacrifice which we did as a nation, for a better European future as free, equitable and dignified, like other nations – who once and for all defeat the hegemony and violence which embraced us over the centuries.
Honored residents of Krusha, honorable citizens of the Republic of Kosovo
Freedom and independence were not donated to us by anyone. It was won by the people, by the glorious war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, by all the secular efforts of activists and intellectuals who did not spare nothing to come up for the homeland, to help our national cause, which is entirely human.
We do not want anything else but freedom, independence and democracy. This was also the ideal of the prominent intellectual, the distinguished Professor Hoti, whom we owe the political philosophy of resistance, freedom and state building.
The freedom and the independence of the country was won with our international friends, primarily with the help of the United States of America, with which our country and people have linked eternal friendship, and with the European Union countries and the North-Atlantic Alliance -NATO, who were committed to removed the occupant once and for all from these lands.
I say here that no crime will remain unpunished, no criminal will escape the hand of justice. This is the principle upon which the European civilization and the modern world is based. We will bring to justice all the criminals to give account for all the crimes committed.
Only in this way justice is placed, only in this way our hearts and souls will calm down, only in this way we are confident we can build peaceful and neighborly relations throughout the region.
The policy which brought so much suffering and pain to peoples and countries, which brought so much destruction, must be tried and punished so that no one can ever put it in mind and will not have possibility to build chauvinist ideologies, not to hate other people, to do ethnic cleansing and genocide of the territory and upon the innocent population.
Honored citizens,
The NATO air attacks were completely human, fair, preventative, which brought the proper effect. We, on the 13 th anniversary, feel admiration for all those men and women soldiers and military officers of NATO and the KFOR mission today here in Kosovo.
Honored and respected people of Krusha,
Here before you, I, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, feel more than ever committed and obliged to work till the last drop of my abilities and skills for the benefit of the people and my country, for the prosperity of all the citizens without distinction, for the peace and the stability in the region.
I wish that the Republic of Kosovo, with the honest, sincere and professional commitment of each of us, working and helping all of us where we are to develop and advance our country, which has clear future in which new generations are educated, work and live feeling proud of their country.
Honored citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,
The example of Krusha is an inspiration to me.
The commitment of the people of Krusha, especially the women of Krusha and the young people of this village, who were left without the pillars of the families, who were left without their loved ones, but who never at any time lost faith, did not lose the will, did not lose the courage, did not lose their spirit, but organized and mobilized themselves and managed not only to survive but also to develop, prosper and to turn to normal life while remembering the big tragedy they faced.
We are aware that we as a society and as a country have not been able to do all that is required from us.
We must learn from the example of Krusha that the consequences of the war and transition must be passed by having faith in each other, honoring and respecting each other, reaching out to each other and always having in mind the vision of better our future.
The Republic of Kosovo, is a sovereign and independent state, which honors the sacrifice, which honors all those who contributed for the freedom and independence of the fatherland, that respects all the people of good will who with their work and commitment help in the development of the country, who help the progress and prosperity of the people.
On this path, we, as never before in history are not alone, we have the support of the United States and the European Union countries. We have a clear path of Euro-Atlantic integrations.
The trust and the will of Krusha give us strength.
Thank you and reverence for your sacrifice.
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