Honourable President Begaj,
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly Ms. Haxhiu,
Honourable Prime Minister Kurti and members of the government cabinet,
Dear Uncle Rifat,
Honorable members of the Assembly of Kosovo,
Honorable diplomatic representatives of amicable countries,
Former presidents and former prime ministers,
Honorable Rugova family, Jashari family, families of martyrs,
Representatives of security institutions,
Religious leaders of our country,
Honorable guests from the IOWA Guard, from England and from various countries,
Dear citizens of our Republic,
18 years ago, Kosovo rose from suffering to dignity and from resistance to statehood, thus proving that freedom gained through sacrifice is eternal.
18 years ago, Kosovo was declared a free, independent and sovereign state, ending a long and painful journey, but also opening a new chapter in our national history.
Kosovo’s independence was won with effort, blood, sacrifice and centuries of patience. It was built by those who were persecuted, imprisoned, exiled, fought, but never surrendered.
Today, with the deepest respect, we bow to the memory of all those men and women who fell for this day, so that Kosovo could be a Republic.
At the foundation of our state lies the vision of the historic President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, the architect of the independence of our Republic. With wisdom, patience, vision and an unwavering faith in the freedom and dignity of our people, he led Kosovo through the most difficult times, giving our cause legitimacy and international support as well as domestic hope.
Our history was further shaped during the period of the struggle for freedom. It bears the name of the Legendary Commander Adem Jashari, his heroic family and all the men and women of the Kosovo Liberation Army. The KLA is the greatest ideal that Albanians have built over the centuries. It is the heart of our national resistance and the response of an oppressed people to a genocidal regime. This war was always just, always pure and always necessary. Any attempt to tarnish it, to relativize it or to equate the victim with the aggressor is not only unjust, but also historically untrue and completely unacceptable.
The leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who are today in The Hague together with thousands of other fighters and with the unwavering support of the people of Kosovo, stood up for freedom, for dignity and for the inalienable right to live freely in their homeland. Therefore, any attempt to equate our liberation war with the crimes of the genocidal regime of Serbia not only undermines justice, but also seriously damages the foundations of long-term peace in our region.
The KLA war was our strongest pillar of resistance and hope. This historical truth is the foundation of our state and cannot be undone by any attempt to rewrite or distort history. Today, more than ever, we have a duty to stand together. No difference of ours, past or present, should be an obstacle to our unity in defense of our liberation war, because in this way we protect the purity of freedom, independence and the very existence of our state. Because, above every difference, there is our common responsibility to defend this state, which is the result of centuries of sacrifice. By defending the truth, we defend our own statehood and we will do so for as long as we live, because our liberation war was the bloody oath of a people who wanted to live free in their own land.
Each of them gave their stamp in body, soul and memory to the state that we enjoy today. Therefore, today, our duty is to ensure that this freedom is worthy of the sacrifice of each martyr and fallen, who gave their lives for freedom.
Kosovo became a state to defend the truth and to never allow history to be rewritten to the detriment of those who sacrificed everything. And the people of Kosovo sacrificed everything, even their children in their cradles, so that we can enjoy freedom today. Therefore, we will never accept in Kosovo or anywhere in the world, any narrative that equates the aggressor with the victim, the occupier with the occupied, and crime with resistance for freedom.
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Kosovo’s path to freedom has been a long, arduous journey, filled with challenges, but also with strong alliances and sincere friendships. On this anniversary, with deep gratitude, I would like to thank all our allies, allies that we built with the wisdom and vision of the historic President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and the men and women who stood by him in building these alliances, which we will defend at all costs.
We thank the United States of America, our strategic ally! We thank every European country and elsewhere, all our international partners, who stood by Kosovo when freedom seemed distant and impossible. Without their political, diplomatic and military support, our dream of freedom would still be distant.
Today, after 18 years of statehood, we have achieved a lot, but we still have a long way to go. Our shared responsibility is to continue to transform the ideal for which the martyrs sacrificed themselves into a strong state, with sovereignty in every inch of it, in functional and impartial justice, in economic development for every citizen of our country, in integration into the Euro-Atlantic family, where we have a place and above all in hope, hope for our young people. 18 years of statehood are even more responsibilities.
Let us preserve Kosovo as a trust. Let us build the future with courage. Let us always keep the love for our homeland alive. Let us preserve freedom as the most precious value and build the state as a common home for all generations that will come after us.
Glory to the martyrs of the nation and the fallen for freedom!
Congratulations on the 18th anniversary of Independence!
Long live the Republic of Kosovo!
Thank you!
