Prishtina, 5 March, 2024
Dear Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Dear citizens,
We are in the month of March, in March which marks the month of resistance and our Liberation War of the KLA, March 5, 6 and 7 which mark the days of the glorious Epic of the KLA, the Jashari family, under the leadership of Head Commander Adem Jashari.
Then, when Serbia hit the Jashari family, it thought it was ending the Liberation War, but in fact it turned an entire people into an army. The resistance, sacrifice and fall of the Jashari family marks the turning point in our newest history of our liberation efforts.
The 26th anniversary of the Epic is being marked with tributes, honors, a solemn session of the Assembly, a line-up of the KSF in the “Adem Jashari” barracks, a memorial academy in Prishtina, the Night of Fires in Prekaz and with a concert in the square of the Municipality of Skenderaj, while tomorrow the first lesson in all schools in Kosovo will be dedicated to the KLA Epic.
During the month of March, i.e. the month we entered a few days ago, Kosovo also remembers hundreds of massacres committed on the civilian population, on children and the elderly, women and men, without distinction, undertaken in an organized manner by the Milosevic regime that led with the state of Serbia at that time.
Two days before March, we remembered and paid homage to the martyrs and martyrs of the first massacre of Serbia from the last war, that of February 28, 1998 in Likoshan and Çirez, and now in March we remember for the 25th year in a row the Massacre of Little Kruša and Krushe i Madhe (March 25, 26, 27), the massacre of the Berisha family in Suharekë (March 24), the kidnapping of 11 men and boys in Gjakova (March 27), the massacre of Izbica (March 28), the massacre of the Bogujevci families, Duriqi and Llugaliu in Podujevë (March 28), Beleg Massacre (March 29), and Pastasella Massacre (March 31). All this in the last week of March 1999. We bow with eternal respect to all those who sacrificed themselves.
The month of March also marks the beginning of the NATO bombings on the military and police targets of Serbia and thus the final liberation of our country. This year, this anniversary will be marked with a solemn session of the Assembly, a commemorative academy and a solemn concert by the Kosovo Philharmonic and Opera.
On the state agenda on March 11, we have the Memorial Academy in honor of the painter and martyr Kadri Kadriu in the northern part of Mitrovica, and the promotion of the book “Memory of Kosovo: Narratives of the survivors of the Krusha e Madhe massacre” in the National Library of Kosovo.
Part of the agenda is also the manifestation in honor of the anniversary of the student demonstration which became popular in 1981. The month of March is an instructive example of a long historical journey of a people who suffered a lot, resisted, stood, sacrificed and triumphed for freedom and democracy, for liberation and independence. It starts with resistance and heroism, continues with the suffering and sacrifice of our people and ends with the help of international allies and friends.
A great month, a glorious month.
March is March 7 Teacher’s Day. Teaching is one of the noblest vocations in life, because you are in charge of shaping and informing the individual who will shape and develop society and the country tomorrow. Our teachers today are aware of the very important role they have, and we are grateful to them. Also aware of this were the 292 teachers who were killed during the war in Kosovo, who, despite the dangers, continued to educate children in war conditions. Our work today to educate younger generations honors their sacrifice and honors their memory.
March is also March 8, it is International Women’s Day, the day of common effort and struggle for Equality in society. Our aim for equality and justice has no alternative. Gender equality is at the foundation of social equality.
Our country is built on the principles of diversity and inclusion. Progress is a collective effort, built on the basis of cooperation, empathy and solidarity. On the eve of International Women’s Day, with concrete actions, we reiterate the institutional commitment to push forward the gender equality agenda in the Republic of Kosovo.
We are together in the struggles and efforts to make Kosovo a better country and a society that is fair for everyone. The success stories of women and girls continue to inspire us, for new heights in the path of equality.
And this year, like last year, the month of March is the month of the beginning of Ramadan. The holy month of Ramadan, which Muslim believers look forward to, and which brings support and unity to those who are most in need. To all those who are counting down to March 11, may your fasting be easy.
Thank you.
Last modified: March 7, 2024