Prishtina, 21 November, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated this evening in the reception organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Kosovo, on the occasion of November 28, the 111th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Albania.
In front of those present, Prime Minister Kurti first congratulated all Albanians for the qualification of the Albanian national football team in EURO 2024.
Further, connecting three important dates for the Albanian people, Prime Minister Kurti said that “November 28 is the fundamental date of freedom and the flag, of union and independence, of the state and of victory. November 28 of Skënderbeu in Krujë in the middle of the XV century, November 28 of Ismail Qemali in Vlora at the beginning of the XX century, and November 28 of Adem Jashari in Prekaz at the end of the XX century, are the historical thread of the national weaving of us Albanians.
He said that precisely at the height of the criminal campaigns of the Serbian armies that went as far as Durrës and Elbasan, Albanian patriots of different currents and wings united around the idea of independence that was proclaimed on the afternoon of November 28, 1912 in the Assembly of Vlora, where Albania was declared independent. In a week, it will be 111 years since that day when the head of that national assembly, Ismail Qemal Vlora, became the first prime minister of independent Albania.
“As the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I wish you the 111th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Albania and the creation of the Albanian state, starting our congratulations from today until November 28, for the freedom of citizens and equality between the peoples of our Balkan region of our European continent, for peace within states and between states all over the world, for lasting security for all and comprehensive progress for everyone”, he added.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Last night, Albania was sealed in EURO 2024 in Germany, so tonight’s celebration of November 28, a week earlier, is actually at the right time. Congratulations to all and continued success!
Your Excellency, President of the Republic, Mrs. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu,
Your Excellency Mr. Petrit Malaj, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in Kosovo, and the honorable Mrs. Aneta Malaj,
Your Excellency Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu, former President of the Republic of Kosovo,
Dear Ms. Elisa Spiropali, Minister of State for Relations with Parliament,
Excellencies ambassadors, and you other diplomats of the missions in Kosovo,
Dear Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the Government, Members of the Assembly and leaders and officials in state institutions,
Ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers,
November 28 is the fundamental date of freedom and the flag, of union and independence, of the state and of victory. November 28 of Skenderbeu in Krujë in the middle of the 15th century, November 28 of Ismail Qemali in Vlora at the beginning of the 20th century, and November 28 of Adem Jashari in Prekaz at the end of the 20th century, are the historical thread of the national weaving of us Albanians.
As we celebrate, we also remember and commemorate. A lot of selflessness, sacrifice and effort have been made, a lot of blood, tears and sweat has been shed, so that we can celebrate, rejoice and progress.
A month ago, on October 22, we remembered the 111th anniversary of the entry of the Serbian army into Pristina and the invasion of Kosovo by Serbia during the First Balkan War, where over 25 thousand Albanian civilians were killed in Kosovo alone.
The Austrian Social-Democrat of Jewish origin, Leo Freundlich, has left us a very valuable book consisting of reports from European newspapers of the time, about the crimes committed against Albanians in those weeks. Published at the end of March 1913 and entitled “Albanian Golgotha”, in this book, he writes, I am quoting: “Serbs came to Albania not as liberators but as killers of Albanians. At the Conference of Ambassadors in London, it was suggested that Albania’s borders be defined according to national statistics or denominations, which a commission would gather on the spot. The Serbs rushed to prepare these statistics with machine guns, rifles and bayonets”, the quote ends.
Precisely at the peak of the criminal campaigns of the Serbian armies that went as far as Durrës and Elbasan, Albanian patriots of different currents and wings united around the idea of independence that was proclaimed on the afternoon of November 28, 1912 in the Assembly of Vlora, where Albania was declared independent. In a week, it will be 111 years since that day when the head of that national assembly, Ismail Qemal Vlora, became the first prime minister of independent Albania.
But where was Ismail Qemali 111 years ago, on November 21, 1912, that year he had shot on Thursday? The night before, on November 20, Ismail Qemali was in the waters of the Adriatic Sea, sailing with the steamship “Brunn”, which was going from Trieste in Italy to Alexandria in Egypt.
That very night, he, together with his three sons and patriotic activists who were accompanying him, crossed somewhere in Rodon Bay from that ship “Brunn” to the ship of Austrian Lloyd “Graf Wurmbrand”. On the morning of November 21, 1912, Ismail Qemali and his companions set foot on the pier of Durrës. From here, his famous journey towards Vlora starts, which has rightly been called the journey of independence. So, it can be said that as of today, we have entered the 111th anniversary of Ismail Qemali’s one-week journey from Durrës to Vlora, the destination of his birthplace but also the destination of the renaissance political project: the declaration of Albania’s independence.
Dear attendees,
History has a habit of repeating itself. The goal of nationalization of Albanians follows the same will as that of Qemal Vlora and Hasan Prishtina. With two city names that today are the names of our capitals where two acts of independence were proclaimed, in fact they also mark the two surnames of those renaissance people themselves. As then, so today, the dangers and their resources are present. Compared to November 28 of the last century, geopolitics has remained almost the same, but we are much more powerful. Let’s first congratulate on this 111th anniversary our strength on this high date of the Albanian nation.
Let’s work, earn and celebrate together, in every field and country, all the time without pay. We had an active Albanian ambassador in Kosovo, Mr. Qemal Minxhozin, I am sure that the new ambassador, his Excellency Mr. Petrit Malaj. As the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I wish you the 111th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Albania and the creation of the Albanian state, starting our congratulations from today until November 28, for the freedom of citizens and equality between the peoples of our Balkan region and of our European continent, for peace within states and between states throughout the world, for lasting security for all and comprehensive progress for each.
Tonight, first of all, congratulations for ranking in first place of the Albanian national football team, as a very big achievement. Our former ambitions limited to qualifying for the championship are a thing of the past, and are being replaced by ambitions to progress through the group stages to the highest possible levels.
Thank you and congratulations on November 28 with all that this historical date represents as a national holiday!
Last modified: November 22, 2023