Thank you very much,
Honourable Mayor of Pristina, Mr. Rama,
Honourable US Ambassador, Mr. Hovenier
Honourable Ambassador of Albania,
Early activists of the national cause,
Honourable participants,
Thirty-four years ago, when the delegation of American senators visited Pristina, this same square was filled with thousands of protesters, whose voices resounded “Freedom… freedom” and “USA…USA”, in search of freedom and against the flagrant violation of human rights by the then Milosevic regime.
Milosevic’s brutal regime tried to violently suppress the protest, but it never managed to suppress the spirit of our people for freedom and democracy and independence.
August 29, 1990 marked the beginning of our journey towards freedom and independence. And as Senator Bob Dole said after that protest: Freedom is coming, democracy is coming!
Led by Senator Dole, the delegation consisting of John Warner, Jake Garn, Don Nickles, Al D’Amato, Steve Symms and Connie Mack, in Prishtina, saw, documented and as you heard yourself were horrified by the brutality of the Milosevic regime. Today this square is peaceful, the people of Kosovo are free, Kosovo is an independent and democratic state and the United States is here with us.
From the halls of the American Congress to the White House, from the streets of Washington where our diaspora walked, cheered and supported us, to the hearts of the American people, our call for justice and freedom was heard then, and our truth was internationalized.
More than three decades later, this square preserves the historical memory. A commemorative plaque placed in front of the “Grand” hotel has immortalized this date, a bust of Senator Bob Dole and then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright a few meters away and a statue of the icon of the people of Kosovo, President Bill Clinton are a story wrapped up in 34 years. And of course, this story would neither have started nor would have succeeded without the icon, the architect and founding father of our state and our independence, whose photo is nearby here, the historical president, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova.
Thank you to everyone for the extraordinary contribution to the people and state of Kosovo, thank you to the USA that continues to stand by our Republic and our people today!
In one corner of “Zahir Pajaziti” square, there is the most authentic evidence of the protest of 1990, when American senators were in Pristina. The statue of protester Faik Rexhepi, whom we saw in the video, who is still alive and is a testimony of that time, but also a testimony of the indomitable spirit of the people of Kosovo for freedom. Without America and without the liberation war of Kosovo and the indomitable spirit of the people of Kosovo for freedom, independence and democracy, neither then nor today, Kosovo would not be free and independent.
Faced with a dark chapter, our hope, as always, came from across the Atlantic. The delegation of American senators came with a clear mission, to understand the truth and to internationalize it.
This delegation, strongly supported by our devoted activists, such as Jim Jema, Joe DioGuardi, the Albanian-American League and many, many activists of our diaspora in the USA, made our voice heard, made our cause for freedom and independence receive the support of all the people who were making decisions in the USA at that time.
On this anniversary, the people of Kosovo are free and Kosovo is an independent state, as it has been since 2008, so we honour the memory of that historic visit, but also of the enduring friendship between Kosovo and the United States.
The United States and the principles it fight for and the principles on which it helped us, were and remain our guide and our hope.
In the United States, we see the embodiment of the values we hold dear: freedom and democracy, values that inspire us to continue our work, to overcome challenges, and for Kosovo to be an independent state in permanent friendship with our friends, as our historic President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, sought and worked for his entire life.
May God bless Kosovo!
May God bless our allies!
May God bless our friendship with the United States!
Thank you!
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