Munich, 12 October, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, today held a meeting with compatriots living in Munich, Germany.
In this meeting where they discussed the current developments in Kosovo, the role of the diaspora, which is highly valued by the government and our people, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that we are proud of the strong ties that exist with our diaspora.
He added that we are also proud of the role of Germany and eternally grateful, emphasizing the important role that Germany has played in the liberation of Kosovo.
Speaking about emigration and its role, the prime minister said that it is a factor that not only helped Kosovo especially during the 90s, during the war, before the war and after the war, but without which liberation and further development would not be possible.
Pointing out that every progress in Kosovo in every element has the merit of the diaspora, Prime Minister Kurti said that if three decades ago we invited you to contribute by sacrificing, now we invite you to earn by investing.
“The generation of young men and women who are being educated here must see that there are two possibilities to live and create. This generation can be the one that acquires German knowledge in its homeland and invites German knowledge to its homeland. We, with the institutions, somehow return the debt to you, and you show the society of the German state a new place of production, which produces both goods and knowledge. We are for a strong Republic and an open society. As such, we can grow and raise our country and go calmly in any external dialogue from which we only win and benefit for our people”, said Prime Minister Kurti.
In this meeting, Prime Minister Kurti informed his compatriots in Germany of the achievements in the last three years, stressing that overall unemployment in Kosovo in the last three years has dropped from 25.8% to 10.7%, jobs have increased from 350 thousand in the spring of 2021 to 425 thousand in the fall of 2024.
Another achievement is the economy of the country, for which the prime minister said that compared to the time when we came to government, the Gross Domestic Product has increased by 33 percent, while the state budget by 35 percent. Also, he mentioned the government’s work in fighting crime and corruption, improving the health system, and many other areas that directly affect the well-being of our citizens.
And at the end of his speech, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that the diaspora voting process has been facilitated, inviting each and every one of them to exercise their right to vote for Kosovo.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear compatriots,
Dear representatives of the Albanian diaspora here in Germany,
Dear guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sisters and brothers,
Today is a special day for me as I am in Munich, meeting my compatriots after a long time, which makes me especially happy and joyful.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your time and coming today to this gathering, you have brought us together, some of you have shared your time off and some of you from work and in this way we have gathered for an open and free conversation on our country, Kosovo, on the current developments there and your role, which is highly valued by the government and our people.
It is a pleasure to be here today, especially with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, who lived for a long time here in Germany before returning to Kosovo and Donika, is proof that the kind of concern we are not even neither there nor here, we can turn it into hope both there and here.
With 120,000 Albanians working and living in Bavaria, we are proud of the strong ties that exist between our diaspora and your homeland. We are also proud of the role of Germany and eternally grateful, I would like to emphasize the important role that Germany has played in the liberation of Kosovo and this assistance was not only diplomatic and economic, but also military.
One of the historical moments that remains in our memory is when the German general Helmut Harff, during a visit to Prizren, gave an ultimatum to the Serbian soldiers to release Kosovo. This happened at a critical moment, where the decisions taken were of historical importance, vital for the security of our country and our people. The role of General Harff and the German troops, soldiers and officers was existential in the most difficult period and we remember with respect the support we received from Germany and our European partners and of course the United States of America during a difficult period for the people ours, when we emerged victorious for the 20th century and for the 21st century.
But while we are grateful for the international and especially German support, the liberation of Kosovo would not be possible without you, dear compatriots.
The word “shac” I learned from you – which means “treasure” – is sometimes used in Kosovo to describe you, emigrants from Germany. I would like to emphasize that I consider our expatriates to be a real ‘treasure’ of professional knowledge, political support and financial assistance for our country, for your homeland. Even we there in Kosovo, who do not know German, but we are learning it little by little, have started to say “shac” to each other, but we only say “shac” to those who love their homeland strongly and make an extraordinary contribution to their homeland. Therefore, “shac”, this German word has also become a title in Kosovo. So, in Kosovo “shac” is a title you have to deserve.
Dear compatriots,
Our good emigration is a factor that not only helped Kosovo, especially during the 90s, in the war, before the war and after the war, but without which the liberation and post-war development would not have been possible.
The Diaspora has contributed immensely with financial support, weapons, and soldiers to the Kosovo Liberation Army. And we especially appreciate the Albanian who comes from Germany where he was comfortable, comes to Albania, gets his uniform, puts on his boots, tightens his rifle and enters Kosovo for liberation. The contribution of our emigrants have been vital for the liberation of Kosovo, helping to organize and strengthen the KLA at a time when our country faced not only unprecedented but also unimaginable challenges. During those difficult years, when the dignity and freedom of our people were at risk, the Kosovo Liberation Army represented the endurance and effort of the Kosovo Albanians who turned peaceful resistance into an armed uprising. The financial support from the diaspora has helped not only in providing resources for weapons and the necessary logistics, but also in creating a sense of unity and awareness of solidarity among Albanians, inside and outside the country.
This commitment of the emigrants was not just financial help, but it symbolized the deep support for the right cause of freedom and democracy and strengthened the belief that Albanians can face their challenges and help each other. Our exile, thanks to its complex history, knows a secret very well. Let’s say this secret openly because the time of state building has come. This love and this devotion, which exists in such a form only here with you, this devotion that you live and we experience wherever you are, and that fills me personally with pride, is a great knowledge.
The secret is simple: the Albanian has learned once and for all that in the present the homeland is served, and the homeland serves in the future. Homeland is always our life in the future. Whoever loses this opportunity, whoever loses the homeland, has no future. You have won this opportunity, you have won the motherland, you have made the motherland victorious, the future is yours.
Dear compatriots,
Every progress you see in Kosovo in every element has your credit. You have contributed to shaping the future of our good people. For every success you notice, you can praise yourself because you are an essential part of that success.
These contributions have had a significant impact on the development of our country after the war, helping to rebuild infrastructure, build institutions, democratize society and improve living conditions for our citizens.
Today, we gratefully acknowledge this strong legacy, recognizing that every German mark and every European euro sent back then helped build a better future for Kosovo that we enjoy and advance today.
Now is the time for Kosovo, in this case the Government of Kosovo, yours and ours, to do something for the emigrants – to pay back that debt, even though in reality it cannot be paid back. Although it is already being implemented, as a government, we will work closely with each Bundesland in Germany to promote the teaching of the Albanian language in primary and secondary schools. Whoever knows the Albanian language well, learns it faster and speaks German more correctly. As an expatriate, you play a crucial role in strengthening our identity. I would like to emphasize how important it is that you here have the opportunity to learn the beautiful Albanian language. Our national dialogue will take place in the Albanian language, our national future will speak in Albanian. Language skills are the key to integration and the best way to strengthen our ties, which is why we plan and budget for language learning. Learning the Albanian language is a condition and an opportunity, it is the guarantee that integration without assimilation is not only desirable, but also possible.
The generation of young men and women who are being educated here must see that there are two possibilities to live and create. This generation can be the one that acquires German knowledge in its homeland and invites German knowledge to its homeland. We, with the institutions, somehow return the debt to you, and you show the society of the German state a new place of production, which produces both goods and knowledge. We are for a strong Republic and an open society. As such, we can grow and raise our country and go calmly to any external dialogue from which we only gain and benefit for our people.
Now the Albanians who at that time worked as “Gasterbeiter” in Germany, at BMW and MAN, today together with their children, are returning to Kosovo and we are being taught concepts such as “Ausbildung” to contribute to the development of education and skills in our country. This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen our ties and invest in the future of Kosovo. Here I also saw among you the leader of the BESA Foundation, who, through his network, helps implement “Ausbildung” in Kosovo.
“Ausbildung” I, as prime minister, did not learn either from my own experience or from the books I read, but I learned it from you. And today we are talking in 14 municipalities, 23 schools, 12 profiles with about 1600 female students learning and practicing “Ausbildung”.
It is essential to enable the emigrant to return to Kosovo and for this to create favorable conditions for work and development there.
Therefore, during our mandate, we have managed to double both exports and foreign investments together. In foreign investments, a large part is precisely from our emigrants. Therefore, if three decades ago we invited you to contribute by sacrificing, now we invite you to earn by investing.
The key areas where we have increased investment and spending are defense and security, health and education, and agriculture and technology. The government has foreseen the following preliminary investment projects, over 50 infrastructure projects in this decade with a value of over 5 billion euros, which include transport with 2.5 billion, energy with 1.5 billion and the environment with 1 billion. We can do this and we will do it because we have to do it together, if only together.
Overall unemployment in Kosovo in the last three years has dropped from 25.8% to 10.7%. Jobs have increased from 350,000 in the spring of 2021 to 425,000 in the fall of 2024. So 75,000 more jobs, or over 21 percent employment growth. It is now true that not only jobs have been created, but existing jobs have also been formalized, which is not only good for workers who now have regular contracts, but also for us as a country because it helps us generate more revenues for the budget, we can stimulate the local economy, as well as better plan the pension system and health insurance. While employment has increased by 21 percent, last night the newest report of the Kosovo Statistics Agency found that four years ago, if we compare, the average salary in general has increased by 22 percent, especially in the private sector where it is increased by 34 percent.
The economy of the country, compared to the time when we came to government, the Gross Domestic Product has increased by 33 percent, while the state budget by 35 percent. In this case, we have not increased the budget with debt, on the contrary, Kosovo’s public debt has fallen to 15 percent.
Now the low public budget of our state has contributed to us having a strong negotiating position with international financial institutions and we have taken on debt, we have taken various loans with much lower interest rates than the developed countries of Western Europe, precisely because we did it at the right time and in a wise way precisely because we had a strong negotiating position through the low public debt of our state.
We will further strengthen our army. We have doubled the defense budget, tripled the armament budget and quadrupled the training abroad for our soldiers and officers. No minister, no deputy prime minister, not even me as prime minister, when we travel abroad, we do not travel with a double-digit number of people. We travel with 2, 3, 4 people, including two of the close defense. Politicians and public officials no longer have the biggest travel expenses in Kosovo, but soldiers and officers. Soldiers and officers mostly travel abroad for training, capacity building and skills development side by side with soldiers and officers of NATO countries where we aspire to join as soon as possible.
The fight against crime and corruption requires a strong political will, so we are committed to this issue. You cannot be an Albanian patriot and damage the public interest or the state budget. Today, patriotism is contributing to the state and maintaining the state budget. Besides, with our example, we have proved that we want and it is possible to govern without corruption. We have also started a vetting process and we must do this for the justice system in Kosovo, for the judiciary and the Prosecutor’s Office. What is left behind in Kosovo is the fact that the rating, the credibility of the judiciary and the prosecution is not even half of the rating and the credibility of the government. We need judges and prosecutors who are active and wise, with professional and personal integrity. That’s why we need vetting and that’s why we insist on vetting.
The obstacles that we have continuously had is the fact that even for the vetting process in the judiciary and the prosecutor you have to go through the judiciary and for months and years many very important cases have remained blocked and in the end truncated by the Constitutional Court. So the handicap that we have had as the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is that the reforms that we want, including those of the judiciary, must unfortunately also go through the judiciary. We expressed our patience, but at the same time we worked with everything we could and knew to stop corruption wherever we encounter it and to prevent it wherever it can reappear.
Dear attendees,
Many of my compatriots have told me how they are thinking of returning to Kosovo and how it hurt you when they found out the results of the population census, where Kosovo has 1.6 million inhabitants. Now the fact that we have 1.6 million inhabitants shows that we are probably more than 1 million in the diaspora in the last two generations alone, the current generation and their parents. Over 1 million inhabitants are from Kosovo abroad, citizens of the Republic, but not in their homeland. But, in parallel with this information, the desire has increased, the willingness of compatriots to perhaps return for a year and try it in Kosovo, spend their pension there, open a business branch or even return permanently to their hometown, to the homeland theirs.
What I have come across as a remark is the state of the health system, because of course we cannot compare with Germany in this aspect. Therefore, I want to inform you that we have made significant improvements in health. The budget for health, compared to the time when we came to government, has increased by 50%, from 233 million to over 345 million.
We have increased funding for the new list of essential medicines, adding over 70 new medicines to treat many diseases. Meanwhile, the budget for the list of essential medicines has increased from 24 million as it was, to 60 million or 150% more than it is now. We have three new magnetic resonances in the hospitals of Peja, Prizren and in the Pediatric Clinic at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. For 20 years there have been only two resonances. Now for three years there are three new magnetic resonances.
The new Orthopedics Clinic has been completed with the most modern conditions, including 4 operating rooms, while the Oncology, Gynecology and Cardiosurgery Clinics have been completely renovated. We have allocated 6.5 million euros more for drugs for rare diseases, because diagnostics have also become more sophisticated. The diagnosis of rare diseases in Kosovo has been very slow, now it has developed, that is why we allocated 6.5 million euros for drugs for rare diseases, bringing a 30% increase in the fund for their treatment and significantly improving care to patients. The salaries of health specialists have increased by 50%, reaching up to 2 thousand euros with allowances and guardianship, becoming the highest salaries in the region. At the same time, we also approved the Law on Health Insurance.
I know that there are many words about how doctors in Kosovo are paid little, but the salary of a specialist in Kosovo is higher than my salary.
Dear compatriots,
Finally, but not in terms of importance as it is said, I must mention what we have pledged and it is time, and this is the facilitated vote of our exile. Now we have added two new ways to the previous voting by mail at the CEC: the right of every citizen and compatriot to vote, voting directly at the Embassy or Consulate, as well as sending it by mail from the city or town where you live here in Germany to the Embassy or Consulate of our Republic in Germany.
But, as you know, you have to register first and it is not good to leave this for the end, but from now, because the days go by quickly and the deadlines are approaching. December 26 is the last day for registration, so notify your family and relatives, friends, colleagues and associates to do so so that all of you, each and every one of you, can use your right for Kosovo your
Thank you very much!
Last modified: October 14, 2024