Prishtina, March 6, 2025
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the Memorial Academy dedicated to March 5, 6 and 7, which was held as part of the activities to mark the 27th anniversary of the Kosovo Liberation Army Epic.
In his speech, Prime Minister Kurti said that the heroic fall of Adem Jashari and the sacrifice of 58 family members, from 7-year-old Blerina to 74-year-old uncle Shaban, was like an electrifying shock that went through all the cells of the body of the Albanian people.
Despite the terrorizing effect aimed at by Serbia, the result was the massive and immediate mobilization of Albanians in the ranks of the Liberation Army, which until then was not sufficiently known, but since then the name of Adem Jashari and that of the Kosovo Liberation Army, became known to everyone and synonymous with each other, for everyone within the country and also in the international arena. Adem Jashari, the Commander-in-Chief of the KLA and the KLA of the legendary commander Adem Jashari such, inseparable from each other, will remain forever! Therefore, tonight, as every year, we remember the Epic of the KLA together with the sacrifice in war of the men, women and children of the Jashari family. Through the commemoration of the martyrs of this family, we remember and honor the fallen for freedom throughout Kosovo, we remember and honor all the fighters, but also the civilian victims of the genocide of Serbia”, said the Prime Minister.
He further said that we have a duty to remember, we cannot forget the liberation war in general, nor the civilian victims, and especially we cannot forget the KLA Epic, precisely in order not to return to the past.
“By not forgetting, we have a secure and bright future. And especially now we must take an example from our liberation war, because the horizon of the future is being darkened by the black clouds of the war that is taking place in Ukraine. Unfortunately, wars do not belong only to the past and they have returned in this century to the European continent”, he said.
In his speech, the Prime Minister emphasized that our effort for security and peace will continue with investments in security and order throughout the territory of Kosovo; with our unwavering alliance with democratic states – the USA, European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Canada, etc., with cooperation especially with the Republic of Albania and other countries in the Western Balkans that work for peace in our region and are democratic countries. He also stated that Kosovo remains committed, not only to benefit, but also to provide its contribution to the strengthening of Euro-Atlantic institutions and for peace in Europe.
“We bow with respect to the Epic of the KLA and honor the fallen and all those who, in uniform or without uniform, have contributed to our freedom and to the Republic of Kosovo! Glory to the Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari, glory to the Jashari family and all the martyrs and the fallen of the Albanian nation!”, concluded Prime Minister Kurti.
Full speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Dear Baca Rifat,
Honorable Jashari family,
Honorable Mrs. Marigona Jashari,
Honorable Mr. Glauk Konjufca, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honorable families of martyrs, veterans and invalids of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
Honorable members of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, ministers and deputy ministers of the Government,
Honorable Deputy Prime Ministers of Kosovo and North Macedonia, Donika Gërvalla and Arben Fetai,
Honorable Minister of Health from North Macedonia, Arben Taravari,
Honorable Mayor of the Municipality of Skenderaj, Fadil Nura,
Honorable Ambassador Malaj,
Honorable guests from Albania, Montenegro, Preshevo Valley, North Macedonia,
Honorable officers, generals and soldiers of the Kosovo Security Force,
Honorable former political prisoners, activists of the national cause,
Honorable representatives and leaders of the institutions of our state,
Academicians, professors, students,
Honorable historian, Mr. Durim Abdullahu,
Honorable guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the life of every people, there are events that divide time in two. The period that follows the event cannot be the same as the time that preceded it. Because the course of development has changed or the historical tendency of the people has accelerated. For Albanians in Kosovo and beyond the borders of Kosovo, one such event was the epic struggle of the Jashari family in early March and spring 1998. Before it we have the time of mainly peaceful resistance, and after it we have the armed resistance of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which in turn caused NATO intervention to end the genocide of Serbia, and to bring in the administration and international troops and then the declaration of independence of our Republic in 2008.
The heroic fall of Adem Jashari and the sacrifice of 58 family members of both genders, from 7-year-old Blerina to 74-year-old Uncle Shaban, was like an electrifying shock that went through all the cells of the body of the Albanian people. Despite the terrorizing effect that Serbia intended, the result was the massive and immediate mobilization of Albanians in the ranks of the Liberation Army that until then was not sufficiently known, but since then the name of Adem Jashari and that of the Kosovo Liberation Army, became known to everyone and synonymous with each other, for everyone within the country and also in the international arena. Adem Jashari, the Commander-in-Chief of the KLA and the KLA of the legendary commander Adem Jashari: such, inseparable from each other, will remain forever! Therefore, tonight, as every year, we remember the Epic of the KLA together with the sacrifice in war of the men, women and children of the Jashari family. Through the commemoration of the martyrs of this family, we remember and honor those who fell for freedom throughout Kosovo, we remember and honor all the fighters, but also the civilian victims of the Serbian genocide.
Sometimes we are told not to look back, but only forward, towards the common future, like that expression “bygone, forgotten”, used by those who want to reconcile. However, how can there be reconciliation without an admission of guilt, how can there be forgiveness on the part of the victim, when the aggressor not only does not ask for forgiveness, but vows to repeat the crime at the first opportunity given to them. Serbia has not recovered from the let’s call it “Kosovo complex” that led it to cause several genocides in the 20th century and at the end of the 19th century, not only in our land, but also in other countries of the Balkans. Serbia is the most armed state in our region, the closest ally of Russia, which calls Kosovo because it wants it part of its state territory, which maintains forward offensive bases of the army and gendarmerie near the border with our country Kosovo, which undertakes terrorist attacks, kinetic warfare, various sabotages while we have generally closed or expelled the illegal parallel structures in the territory of Kosovo. We have a duty to remember, we cannot forget either the liberation war in general, or the civilian victims, and especially we cannot forget the Epic of the KLA, precisely in order not to return to the past. By not forgetting, we have a secure and bright future. And especially now we must take an example from our liberation war, because the horizon of the future is being darkened by the black clouds of the war that is taking place in Ukraine. Unfortunately, wars do not belong only to the past, in this century, they have returned to the European continent.
At a time when the countries of our continent are investing more in military equipment and training, we in Kosovo, who experienced and survived war in the recent past and who face the risk of open military aggression not far from our borders, are working to equip the KSF with modern weapons and train it according to contemporary military art. In the last four years, we have met the NATO standard, quota and requirement for dedicating at least 2% of the gross domestic product to defense; we have invested 319 million euros in modern weapons, such as “Bayraktar” combat drones from Turkey, “Javelin” anti-tank systems from the United States of America; we have increased the recruitment and training of military personnel, both domestically and abroad. The KSF has participated in 12 international exercises and its units have been validated for conventional operations and peacekeeping operations, and so on.
Above all, the KSF and other security and order forces in Kosovo have high morale and spiritual motivation to carry out their duties, because they draw inexhaustible inspiration from the example of the KLA’s just and selfless liberation war. Our preparation for a secure future, for democracy and for peace, began before independence, it began with the refusal of submission, with the peaceful movement for a republic, with the escalation of our resistance, our uprising in the liberation war. Our effort for security and peace will continue with investments in security and order throughout the territory of Kosovo; with our unwavering alliance with democratic states – the USA, European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Canada, etc., with cooperation especially with the Republic of Albania and other states in the Western Balkans that work for peace in our region and are democratic countries.
And as a democratic country with ever-increasing development, where human rights and freedoms are respected without distinction, Kosovo remains committed, not only to benefit, but also to provide its contribution to the strengthening of Euro-Atlantic institutions and to peace in Europe. The Republic of Kosovo today is not a state that simply consumes security from our allies, partners and friends, but also contributes with them, for them, for all of us together. Kosovo aspires to become a member of both NATO and the European Union, because in this way it is better served to preserve and strengthen in our region the values of freedom, human dignity, peace and well-being for all.
We bow with respect before the Epic of the KLA and honor the fallen and all those who, in uniform or without uniform, have contributed to our freedom and to the Republic of Kosovo! Glory to Commander-in-Chief Adem Jashari, glory to the Jashari family and all the martyrs and the fallen of the Albanian nation!
