Pristina, 18 December 2024
Honorable Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Honorable employees of the Prime Minister’s Office and members of the media,
Honorable citizens,
In two weeks, the decision we made at the 237th Government meeting will come into effect, allowing citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to travel to the Republic of Kosovo using an ID card.
This decision will strengthen the ties between the citizens of Kosovo and Bosnia, increase opportunities for cooperation between them, and encourage exchanges among students, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, and professionals of both countries.
I am especially pleased that this facilitation will benefit Albanians in Bosnia who have family and relatives in Kosovo, as well as Bosniaks in Kosovo who will now be able to warmly welcome their family and relatives from Bosnia. Approximately 12,000 Albanians live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while about 27,000 Bosnians live in Kosovo. As of 1 January 2025, Kosovo will be their meeting point, and we will warmly welcome them.
For our compatriots across the globe, there are only eight days left until the deadline to register for voting from abroad, specifically until 26 December. So, only until 26 December – don’t leave it for the last day.
I am addressing our diaspora from this government meeting because their vote has been decisive in shaping this government, as their contribution has been critical to the prosperity and well-being of our country over the years.
Under our government, for the first time, our diaspora will have the opportunity to vote in embassies and consulates in the countries where they reside. This has been made possible because we changed the law, as we had promised.
Voting by mail within the country and in embassies and consulates is a significant victory for our hardworking and patriotic diaspora and for our democratic and independent state, as well as one of the key achievements of our government in service of the diaspora.
The right to vote is a constitutionally guaranteed right. Until now, our diaspora has been unfairly burdened with bureaucratic difficulties and financial costs that have at times prevented them from voting or discouraged their participation in elections. In these upcoming elections, voting has never been easier, simpler, or less costly. There will be a total of 22 postal boxes in 22 different countries, while in-person voting will be organized at 35 diplomatic and consular offices in 22 countries. It has never been easier, simpler, or more convenient.
Registering on the CEC’s website takes no more than five minutes. The same amount of time is required for voting by mail. Therefore, to all of you planning to vote from abroad, I invite you once again to register as soon as possible at diaspora.kqz-ks.org. Because without registration, there is no voting. Registration is a prerequisite for voting, but it is also a guarantee of your right to vote and your ability to vote, dear compatriots.
When you become participants in the political processes of the country, accountability and responsibility towards you increase. Attention to the needs and requests of compatriots grows, along with the quality of services for you, opportunities for inclusion in decision-making, and possibilities to return and invest in your country of origin.
This has been proven throughout our governance:
– with the digitalization of consular services and their expansion to 5 new locations.
– with the reduction of fees for consular services;
– with the Civic Diplomacy program for young professionals from the diaspora engaged in our state institutions;
– with the “Made in Kosova” program to promote products from Kosovo;
– with the “Week of Culture Abroad” program to promote our culture on the international stage;
– with the ‘Enjoy Kosovo’ program to welcome our compatriots when they visit Kosovo;
– with the “Ulpiana International Forum” to learn and exchange experiences on diaspora diplomacy;
– with the “Diaspora Investment Window” to support businesses of compatriots wanting to invest in Kosovo;
– and many other activities and initiatives through which we have maintained communication and strengthened the diaspora’s ties with our country.
Honorable members of the government cabinet, dear citizens,
It has now been more than a quarter of a century since the end of the war in Kosovo, yet many wounds remain fresh and open, and the pain and sorrow from the killings, massacres, and crimes committed by Serbia’s police and military forces – ordered and carried out by the Serbian state against Albanians in Kosovo as part of their genocidal project to annihilate our people – are still heavy.
In this quarter-century of freedom, an entire generation has been born and grown up after the war. The younger generations must have the opportunity to learn about our past, our desire to live in freedom, and our unwavering love for Kosovo, even in the most difficult times and under the most dangerous conditions.
All evidence and testimonies of the crimes committed during the war by the Serbian state in Kosovo, collected by international organizations and courts, academic or independent researchers, along with evidence and testimonies not yet collected, are now being gathered and continuously brought to the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo for the preservation and maintenance of our collective memory by systematizing and categorizing them.
We look back in time so that we can move forward more securely and swiftly towards a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous European future.
Yesterday, we were at the presentation of the one-year work report of the Institute for War Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo, which over the past year has collected approximately 190 meters of physical archival material and around 15 terabytes of digital material (videos, audio, and photos) documenting the crimes committed during the war in our country.
Following the establishment of the working group for drafting the concept of the Museum of Genocide and the Struggle for Freedom, today, at the Government meeting, we have decided on the establishment of this museum institution. Our country will have a dignified museum where the crimes of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia against our people will be displayed.
This museum represents the institutionalization of our collective memory and serves as evidence of Serbia’s genocidal crimes, as well as proof that the Republic of Kosovo has both triumphed and does not forget. Minister Hajrulla Ceku, alongside Minister Artane Rizvanolli, will inform you more about this important decision after the meeting during the regular media conference.
Meanwhile, today’s agenda includes the request of the Ministry of Health to initiate procedures for the construction of the Hospital Facility in Ferizaj, with a value of 27.9 million euros. So, without further delay, let us begin the 238th meeting of our government.
Thank you.
Last modified: December 23, 2024