Prishtina, 29 October, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the reception organized by the Turkish embassy in Kosovo, on the occasion of marking the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey.
While congratulating the Turkish people on this important and special day, the prime minister also paid tribute to the victims of last week’s terrorist attack at the headquarters of the Turkish Aviation and Space Industries, TUSAŞ, in Ankara. “Today we honor these five martyrs, and the Republic for which they fell while serving it.” said the prime minister.
Following his speech, he underlined the continuous bilateral cooperation during the last four years, highlighting them in the field of economy, defense and security.
“During my last visit to your country in June, I had the pleasure of visiting the well-known company Baykar Technologies, with Heluk and Selçuk Bayraktar, known worldwide for the production of Bayraktar TB2 drones, which are now an essential part of the defense arsenal of Kosovo. Compared to the period 2018-2020, Kosovo has increased its investments in weapons purchases in the years 2021-2023 from 4 million to 239 million euros. The Republic of Turkey is a very valuable and powerful member of NATO. We want to join the Euro-Atlantic alliance not only to benefit, but also to contribute – Kosovo has already exceeded the budget allocation of 2% of the PBV for its defense, meeting the NATO criteria set at the Summit of her in Wales ten years ago.” said the prime minister.
He added that within the framework of this year’s visit to Turkey, the main goal was also the opening of the first Kosovo-Turkey Business Forum, held in Istanbul on June 3, while the annual trade exchange with Turkey is increasing, exceeding almost one billion euros.
“As I emphasized in Istanbul, there has never been a better time than now for Turkish companies to benefit from the investment potential in Kosovo. This is especially true in three specific areas. The first is agriculture and food processing; the second is manufacturing, electrical equipment, metal, plastic and wood; and the third is external business services enabled by the IT sector, software development, digital accounting and digital marketing.”. He underlined that in the new report of this August by fDi Intelligence, Kosovo has been evaluated as an investment destination, ranking it in the second place among the new and developing economies of Europe, and the fifth in the whole world, for the attraction of higher level of foreign direct investments in relation to GDP.
“Here in Kosovo, where economic growth and democratic progress, social advancement and institutional stability all continue to go hand in hand, we are very happy to serve as confirmation for Professor Acemoglu’s thesis.” concluded Prime Minister Kurti, reemphasizing the tradition and history of Albanian-Turkish relations.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Your excellency ambassador Sabri Tunc Angili, ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye in the Republic of Kosova,
Dear excellences Atifete Jahjaga and Fatmir Sejdiu, former presidents of the Republic of Kosova,
Honorable ministers of the Government, members of the Parliament, and mayors of municipalities of our country,
Honorable commander of our Army general lieutenant, Bashkim Jashari,
Dear soldiers, officers of our Police and of KFOR, of Kosova Security Force in particular,
Distinguished guest,
Ladies and gentleman,
It is, as always, a great honor for me to appear before you on this historic day, 101 years after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk officially proclaimed the Republic of Türkiye to the world. His role and authority echoes well beyond Türkiye and his lifetime. Whoever, and wherever, studies or researches on the notion of the republic as such, will certainly go through a chapter which bears the name of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. But, as we know, this year’s Republic Day comes at an especially difficult time. The impulse to celebrate is tempered by a sense of mourning and loss.
Just last week, five innocent people were murdered, and nearly two dozen injured, in a terrorist attack in Ankara. It was no accident that the precise target of the terrorists was Turkish Aerospace Industries, TUSAŞ, one of the most important producers of Türkiye’s national defense. The attack was intended as a strike not only against innocent civilians, but against Türkiye itself, and its safety and security. There is, then, no better occasion than today, to honor the victims of this assault. Tonight we celebrate these five martyrs, and the Republic they died while serving.
I am proud that under our Government, Kosova and Türkiye have steadily increased bilateral cooperation over the past four years. Nowhere is the increased cooperation more evident than in Türkiye’s contributions to the Kosova army’s military capabilities. Indeed, the Turkish defense industry has been essential not only to Türkiye’s security, but to ours as well. During my last visit to your country in June, I had the pleasure of touring the renowned company, Baykar Technologies, with Heluk and Selçuk Bayraktar, known worldwide for the production of the Bayraktar TB2 drones, which are now an essential part of Kosova’s defense arsenal. Compared to the 2018–2020 period, Kosova increased its investment in arms purchases in 2021–2023 from 4 million to 239 million euros. The Republic of Türkiye is a very valuable and powerful NATO member. We want to join the Euro-Atlantic alliance not only to benefit, but also to contribute – Kosova has already surpassed the 2% of GDP budget allocation for its defense, fulfilling the NATO criteria set at its Summit in Wales ten years ago.
The main purpose of my visit earlier this year was to open the first Kosova–Türkiye Business Forum, held in Istanbul on June 3rd. Annual trade exchange with Turkey is growing about to surpass one billion euros.
And as I noted then in Istanbul, there has never been a better time than now for Turkish companies to take advantage of Kosova’s investment potential. This is especially the case in three specific areas. The first is agriculture and food processing; the second is manufacturing, electrical equipment, metal, plastics, and wood; and the third is IT-enabled business process outsorcing services, software development, digital accounting, and digital marketing. A new report this August by fDi Intelligence, sponsored by the Financial Times, has confirmed Kosova’s unique promise as an investment destination, ranking it 2nd in Emerging Europe — and 5th in the entire world — for attracting the highest level of FDI relative to GDP.
This, of course, will come as no surprise for those who are familiar with the work of our distinguished Turkish-American economist and now Nobel laureate, Daron Acemoglu. As Professor Acemoglu has written, I quote him “the evidence is clear that democracy is good for economic growth, for delivering public services, and for reducing inequality in education, health, and opportunities”, end of quotation. Here in Kosova, where economic growth and democratic progress and social advancing and institutional stability all continue to go hand-in-hand — upwards and onwards — we are very happy to serve as confirmation for Professor Acemoglu’s thesis.
In one sense, the increase in cooperation between our two states over the past few years is not a phenomenon, but the continuation of a venerable tradition. The Albanian and the Turkish peoples have deep historical roots. These roots, stretching back for centuries, have long been intertwined. From the prolific poet Sami Frashëri, Shemsedin Bej Frashëri, to the great patriot of the League of Prizren, Abedin bey Dino, some of our most important historical figures had a connection to Türkiye. I’m sure you’ll agree that we have returned the favor with Frashëri’s son, Ali Sami Yen, the founder of the Galatasaray Sports Club, and Dino’s grandson of the same name, Abidin Dino, the formidable Turkish painter of Albanian origin. Such meaningful and mutually beneficial exchanges continue to the present day, in the vibrant social, economic, and cultural life of our two countries. And speaking of Galatasaray, of course, we wish all the best to Fenerbahçe, Besiktas and Trabzonspor club.
And so, tonight, let us salute the Republic of Türkiye on this 101st anniversary of its founding. And let us proudly celebrate our shared historical achievements, our constantly increasing cooperation, and our bright future together, as partners, as allies, and above all, as friends. Cumhuriyet Bayramınız Kutlu Olsun!
Ju faleminderit! Teşekkürler!
Last modified: October 31, 2024