DR. VJOSA OSMANI SADRIU
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
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The speech of President Jahjaga at the Electoral Assembly of the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates

With your choice to exercise the legal profession you have taken an obligation to be in service of the citizens of Kosovo and to guarantee the respect of the human rights within the legal system of our state.

Honored representatives of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honored participants of the Electoral Assembly of the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates,
Honored Advocates of Kosovo,

With your selection to exercise the legal profession you have taken an obligation to be in service of the citizens of Kosovo and to guarantee respect for human rights within the legal system of our state.

You are vowed to practice your profession “with dignity, conscience, independently and honestly, respecting the legal and constitutional order of the country”.

With this oath you have taken commitment which is not only limited to the professional definition of your competencies, but also to build a state of law in Kosovo.

We must see the Progress Report, which we just received from the European Commission, as a real document which with its findings helps us focus on the areas in which we have stalled.

The insufficient reform of the judicial system not only weakens the achievement of our strategic goals of Euro-Atlantic integration, but also restrains the democratic development of our society.

Therefore, the rule of law and order should be the main priority of all the institutions of Kosovo. The creation of a efficient and transparent system of justice in service of the citizens is the most important element of achieving this goal. Its construction should be the core of our efforts to build a state of equal opportunities, where law and its enforcement prevail.

Strengthening the state of law begins with the respect that you as lawyers show for the law and the protection it offers, and continues with your maximum efforts to ensure the citizens access to justice.

But, in particular, you strengthen the state of law with your reasoned insistence on building a justice system devoid of political influence, uncorrupted and responsive to every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or political preferences.

I highlight this need for the strengthening of our justice system because at this historical turning point which determines the direction for the future of our country, the citizens need to feel the force of law and its impartiality in their daily life.

The citizens want fair treatment, they not only want to have but also to realize their constitutional rights, and they deserve their precise application. As representatives of the institutions, but also as professionals who have chosen to serve the citizens, we must commit to raise the confidence in our justice system.

A large part of this commitment is of course in the hands of the judges and prosecutors. But even you, honored lawyers, with your daily work, are the linking bridge which helps to create a tradition of rule of law and order in Kosovo.

You do this by showing professional and moral responsibility in the exercise of your duties. You demonstrate this by implementing the Law on Advocacy and respecting the Statute and Code of Professional Ethics of the Chamber of Advocates of Kosovo.

By choosing this standard for the application of your knowledge and professional assistance you are determined for the rule of law and order. Pursuing this ethical path of equal and impartial representation of the citizens at the courts you are devoted to the principle that no one should not and can not be above the law.

With your work and dedication you will encourage thousands of pairs of various disputes and troubles throughout the country to find support in law and institutions, because they exist to protect them.

I request from you to demonstrate them that the legal road, although often slow, is the only one to which our society is defined.

Thank you!

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