Prekaz, Prishtina, 12 June 2026
On the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Kosovo’s Liberation Day, as part of the state commemorative agenda, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Justice, Donika Gërvalla, and the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, paid tribute at the gravesites in the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz.
Following the visit to Prekaz, Acting Prime Minister Kurti paid tribute in Prishtina at the grave of President Ibrahim Rugova, the grave of activist Adem Demaçi, the Martyrs’ Cemetery, the statue of the hero Zahir Pajaziti, and the memorial plaque dedicated to fallen NATO soldiers.
Statement by Acting Prime Minister Kurti Following the Commemorations at the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz:
As every year, on 12 June we come here, as leaders of the institutions, to Prekaz, the capital of the contemporary uprising of the Albanian people, which is also the site of the Epic of the Kosovo Liberation Army. On 5, 6 and 7 March 1998, three generations of the Jashari family stood their ground, fought and sacrificed themselves for the freedom of our people, for unity, for statehood and for independence.
The epic battle of the Jashari family, of Shaban Jashari and his two sons, Hamza and Adem, together with their wives Zahide and Zarife, Feride and Adile, and all the others who did not surrender for a single moment, today lies at the very core of our people’s history—not only as Kosovo and as a democratic Republic, but also as the Albanian nation, in the sense of Albanians wherever they may be and in the sense of a continuity extending beyond the present. In other words, from the distant past to the future when, as the Albanian national anthem says, “we shall live on”.
Therefore, by returning and coming back here, by remembering and commemorating the sacrifice of the Jashari family, we remain most faithful to liberation and emancipation, independence and unity, development and progress.
Glory to the Jashari family and to all the martyrs of the nation!
Happy Liberation Day of Kosovo, 12 June!
Statement by Acting Prime Minister Kurti Following the Commemorations at the Statue of Hero Zahir Pajaziti:
The guerrilla actions carried out before the war, such as those led by Commander Zahir Pajaziti, and historic events such as the Epic of the Kosovo Liberation Army, made the path to liberation irreversible. Every 12 June, we remember all the generations who struggled, suffered and sacrificed throughout the nearly 87 years of Kosovo’s occupation by Serbia, which came to an end with the glorious liberation war and NATO’s intervention in Kosovo.
Commander Zahir Pajaziti, together with Hakif Zejnullahu, Edmond Hoxha and many other comrades, knew that the freedom of the people, the liberation of the country, unity and statehood, democracy and the Republic, could not be achieved without recognizing that the internal factor is both decisive and the initiator. Therefore, they organized themselves from an early stage so that Kosovo could be liberated and our enemy, the aggressive and hegemonic Serbia, could be driven out.
Today, the Republic of Kosovo has a strong army, a capable police force, and will soon also have a gendarmerie, so that we can safeguard peace, guarantee institutional stability, contribute to regional and broader security and stability, continue our path towards integration into NATO and the European Union, and ensure that the rule of law and citizens’ rights prevail everywhere, at all times, and for everyone.
Happy 12 June, the Liberation Day of Kosovo, and glory to all the martyrs and fallen heroes of the nation!
