Prishtina, 25 November 2025
Honourable President of the Republic, Ms. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu,
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Dimal Basha,
Your Excellency Mr. Petrit Malaj, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in Kosovo, and dear Mrs. Aneta Malaj,
Honourable Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu and Ms. Atifete Jahjaga, former Presidents of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honored families of the martyrs and fallen of the nation, invalids and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
Your Excellencies, ambassadors and other diplomats of missions in Kosovo,
Honourable ministers and deputy ministers of the Government, members of the Assembly, and leaders and officials of state institutions,
Honored professors and intellectuals,
Honored guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sisters and brothers,
A few days ago, when the invitation from the Embassy of Albania for the celebrations of 28 November arrived in my office, a host of memories and festive emotions came back to me, as they do every November, when so many key events in Albanian history converge on the date of 28 November.
An invitation sent by the Embassy of Albania always somewhat reminds me of those telegrams transmitted by telegraph in the distant early years of the 20th century, when Albanian patriots were coordinating among themselves in the actions that culminated in the declaration of Albania’s independence on 28 November 1912 at the Assembly of Vlora. I refer to the telegrams containing messages and instructions that Ismail Qemali sent from Vienna to his associates in Durrës and Vlora, informing them that the Albanian cause had been secured and that all delegates had to be notified to gather in the Assembly of Vlora. These telegrams have been engraved mostly in our auditory memory through the voices of the actors in the 1982 film Nëntori i Dytë (The Second November), produced by “Shqipëria e Re” (“New Albania”) Film Studio.
Thus, when I received the invitation for this evening’s celebration, I could not help but read it in the very voice of Ambassador Petrit Malaj, who in the film Nëntori i Dytë (The Second November) plays the role of one of Isa Boletini’s nephews. This unforgettable film from our childhood opens with a scene where Hasan Prishtina discusses with Idriz Seferi the organization of the anti-Ottoman uprisings and ends with the well-known scene where Isa Boletini kisses the national flag held by Ismail Qemali. In the history of Albanian cinema, it is difficult to find another feature film like Nëntori i Dytë (The Second November), watched with such conviction as if it were a documentary and whose scenes have been so naturally absorbed into the iconography of 28 November celebrations.
Thus, even this evening seems to carry something of the theatricality of that film’s scenes and the tone of its dialogues, especially when we hear actor Petrit Malaj congratulating us on 28 November from the honored position of Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the Republic of Kosovo.
With such feelings of festivity and joy I came here among you today, two days after being in Manastir on the occasion of the 117th anniversary of the Congress of Manastir and the discussions and decisions taken there regarding the Albanian alphabet. These dates, both 22 November 1908 and 28 November 1912, are historic dates permanently marked in the chronology of our nation-building and state-building.
Cooperation between Kosovo and Albania has now taken the form of a deep commitment—one not measured only by documents or statistics, but by how the lives of citizens improve.
Fifty-eight agreements signed only in the past four years, out of a total of 184, and hundreds of thousands of citizens who experience this closeness every day, are indicators that the shared vision is not merely words. It is trade growing by hundreds of millions of euros, energy circulating without barriers, the 2030 Mediterranean Games, students with equal opportunities, 26 new border crossing points, and the giant Prishtina–Durrës railway project. It is the opening of customs offices, the removal of the apostille stamp, the recognition of pensions and insurance schemes, the unification of diplomas, and movement without border controls. In education and culture, it is the unified primer, the Albanian encyclopedia, and nationwide cultural projects. And in security, tourism, agriculture, and justice, unified procedures and technical cooperation are making the two states more functional and closer than ever.
Today, as we mark the 113th anniversary of Albania’s Independence, every effort to strengthen our two states, the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo, continues to carry the blessing of those men and women who gave everything from their knowledge and experience, from their courage and their lives, for Kosovo and Albania, and for the implementation of the ideas of Albanianism as conceived by our national Renaissance figures. Moreover, this 113th anniversary of the Albanian state is being celebrated against the backdrop of the 81st anniversary of Albania’s liberation from Nazi-fascism and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Let us recall that Albania was the first and only country in Europe to be liberated by its own forces, aligning itself firmly behind the Allies. This political alignment of the Albanians must be preserved as such, together with our commitment to maintaining our allies.
May Albania and Kosovo be blessed forever, and may we always live and celebrate them together!
Happy 28 November celebrations, and congratulations to all Albanians!
