Prishtina, 17 February 2025
In commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Kosovo, the troops of the Kosovo Security Force and units of the Kosovo Police paraded in George Bush Square in Prishtina, in front of citizens, national leaders, and institutional representatives of the country. This event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, former Presidents Fatmir Sejdiu and Atifete Jahjaga, the Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, as well as representatives of the Government, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, and diplomatic representatives from friendly countries.
In his speech before the attendees, Prime Minister Kurti stated that the creation of the state of Kosovo is one of the most powerful and exemplary stories of a people’s awareness of freedom and their perseverance for statehood.
“We are an indigenous people, which means that our history neither begins nor ends with any single generation, and each generation has a duty to work and contribute, without hesitation or reservation, with everything we know and can do, for the people we come from and whom we serve,” he said.
As we celebrate the 17th anniversary, Prime Minister Kurti declared that the Republic of Kosovo is the result of relentless efforts, from the uprisings led by Hasan Prishtina to Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, Kosovo’s newest hero. He recalled the civic and student protests, the workers’ strikes, and the resistance of political prisoners such as Adem Demaçi and Ukshin Hoti, the peaceful and persistent resistance of President Ibrahim Rugova, the sacrifice of martyrs like Azem Bejta, Shaban Polluzha, Zahir Pajaziti, and the Supreme Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Adem Jashari, thus highlighting the just struggle of the KLA, supported by the United States and NATO, which culminated in the liberation in June 1999 and the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008. He added that the Republic of Kosovo is also the result of the supreme act of the newest generation of its elected representatives, whose names are read beneath the signatures affixed to the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo on 17 February 2008, signed by 109 deputies of the Assembly of the Republic as well as the state leaders of that time: President Fatmir Sejdiu, Speaker of the Assembly Jakup Krasniqi, and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
“Today, as we celebrate the 17th anniversary of Independence, all the martyrs and fallen heroes are among us, because this shared home of ours – the Republic of Kosovo – has been built precisely with their blood. And the Republic of Kosovo is the home of our people, where we all take shelter and live today, without cultural and social differences, ethnic and religious, with shared participation and equality,” stated Prime Minister Kurti.
Reflecting on the past and the challenges faced by the KLA, the Prime Minister emphasized that there is no greater satisfaction than working for the armament and equipping of the Kosovo Security Force with modern weapons and equipment. As he stated, in the past four years, hundreds of millions of euros have been invested in the purchase of munitions and weapons systems, from Javelin missiles and Bayraktar drones to the establishment of the military industry with the ammunition factory and the production of drones “Made in Kosovo.” Meanwhile, members of the army are being trained in the best academies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, and Croatia, while Kosovo’s military troops are now participating in international missions side by side with the United States and other allied nations, demonstrating its military advancement.
“Blessed be the path of the Republic of Kosovo alongside the Republic of Albania, together with the United States of America and our European and other Western allied states. May our future and that of all our children be bright, in peace and progress,” concluded Prime Minister Kurti, extending his wishes on the occasion of Kosovo’s Republic Day and its 17th anniversary.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full speech:
Honorable Mrs. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honorable Presidents, Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu and Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga,
Honorable Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, and Deputy Ministers of the Government, Representatives of the Assembly of the Republic,
Honorable Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari,
Honorable invalids and veterans of the liberation war,
Honorable families of the martyrs,
Honorable ambassadors and international friends,
Honorable members of the Kosovo Security Force and police officers of the Kosovo Police,
Dear people of the Republic,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sisters and brothers,
Honorable attendees,
In our George Bush Square of the capital of the Republic, here in Prishtina, we have gathered on 17 February to mark the 17th anniversary of the declaration of our state, the Republic of Kosovo. In honor of Kosovo’s Independence Day, before us stand in formation, ready to march, hundreds of soldiers of the Kosovo Security Force – our army – and of the Kosovo Police, on this day of celebration for all of us. Behind us lies the long history of resistance, struggle, and commitment of the people of our country, leading to the creation and building of the state of Kosovo.
In the middle of this square, we stand – those elected by our people, your elected representatives, chosen democratically – together with you, the citizens of the republic, who are our electorate. Upon the foundation of this democratic relationship, between the electorate and the elected, the Republic of Kosovo has been built and continues to be upheld: from the elections of 17 November 2007, which brought forth the legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo that declared independence on 17 February 2008 as representatives of the people, to the first regular elections held just a week ago, on 9 February 2025, which will soon bring the new legislature to the Assembly of the Republic.
Honorable participants,
In the modern history of Europe, the creation of the state of Kosovo is one of the most powerful and exemplary stories of a people’s awareness of freedom and their perseverance for statehood. The Republic of Kosovo is indeed the newest state on the old continent, but it may well be the state with the longest history of striving for its creation.
Since the very beginning, scholars of nationalism and nationhood have observed the distinctiveness of the nation-building paths followed by Albanians, which set them apart from other peoples. The Albanian national and state-building movement, which we refer to as the National Renaissance, possessed all the knowledge, wisdom, patriotism, and courage to construct the ideas of state and nation upon pillars that are both unifying and enduring, such as the Albanian language, the shared historical past, the national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, and the aspiration to participate in the values of Western civilizations.
In modern Europe, the era of nation-states from the early 19th century to the present, the Albanian National Renaissance stands as the only political and social movement that, within a time span of 96 years, resulted in the creation of two states: Albania in 1912 and Kosovo in 2008. And all of this was not due to any hegemonic or chauvinistic program, as some neighboring peoples had, but rather thanks to emancipatory and progressive programs that emerged from the concrete universality of the people’s authenticity. Therefore, just as it was unnatural for Kosovo to remain outside Albania’s borders in 1912 and 1913, so was it natural for the state of Kosovo to be created in 2008 with the declaration of independence and its celebration today.
As we mark the 17th anniversary of the Republic of Kosovo, let us remember, mention, and honor all the men and women of all generations who fought, sacrificed, worked, and engaged for this day that we enjoy today. We are an indigenous people, which means that our history neither begins nor ends with any single generation, and each generation has a duty to work and contribute, without hesitation or reservation, with everything we know and can do, for the people we come from and whom we serve.
The Republic of Kosovo is the result of all those who fought and struggled for this country, from the uprisings of 1910, 1911, and 1912 led by Hasan Prishtina, to Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, Kosovo’s newest hero. The Republic of Kosovo is the result of civic protests, popular demonstrations, workers’ and miners’ strikes, and the tens of thousands of political prisoners who spent countless years in prisons, from Adem Demaci to Ukshin Hoti. The Republic of Kosovo is the result of all the martyrs who gave their lives fighting for the freedom of Kosovo, from Azem Bejta and Shaban Polluzha to Zahir Pajaziti and the Supreme Commander of the KLA, Adem Jashari. The Republic of Kosovo is the result of all the martyrs who were killed on the path of our people’s struggle for freedom, from the massacres of the First Balkan War to the massacres of Recak, Poklek and Meja. The Republic of Kosovo is the result of the peaceful and persistent resistance of President Ibrahim Rugova, who, although he did not live to see 17 February 2008, called for and hoped for that day until his last breath. The Republic of Kosovo is the result of the students of the University of Prishina, who transformed passivity and submission into rebellion and self-confidence, bringing the liberation war closer. The Republic of Kosovo is, above all, the result of the Kosovo Liberation Army and its just struggle for liberation and freedom, which was supported by the United States of America and NATO allied countries, culminating in the final liberation in June 1999.
The Republic of Kosovo is the result of the supreme act of the newest generation of its elected representatives, whose names are read beneath the signatures affixed to the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo on 17 February 2008, signed by 109 deputies of the Assembly of the Republic, as well as the state leaders of that time: President Fatmir Sejdiu, Speaker of the Assembly Jakup Krasniqi, and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
Therefore, today, as we celebrate the 17th anniversary of independence, all the martyrs and fallen heroes are among us, because this shared home of ours – the Republic of Kosovo – has been built precisely with their blood.
And the Republic of Kosovo is the home of our people, where we all take shelter and live today, without cultural and social differences, ethnic and religious, with shared participation and equality. The Republic of Kosovo belongs to Albanians but also to minorities: Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Ashkali, Roma, Egyptians, Gorani, and others; because in a liberal and legal democracy, the will of the majority is completed by the rights of all the minorities.
Dear soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers of the Kosovo Security Force and the Kosovo Police, all our eyes are on you today because in your strong bodies, in your dignified uniform, and in your modern weapons, we find the feelings of security and glory of our army and police. There is no other army in Europe that has suffered more for weapons and ammunition than the Kosovo Liberation Army. Therefore, there is no greater satisfaction than working for the armament and equipping of the Kosovo Security Force with modern weapons and equipment like those we see in your hands today. Even more so, since from the combat units to the leadership of the Kosovo Army today, we have veterans of the KLA, including the Commander of the KSF, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, and the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci.
Dear citizens,
In the past four years, Kosovo has invested hundreds of millions of euros in the purchase of munitions and weapons systems, from mortars and grenade launchers to Javelin anti-tank missiles and Bayraktar drones. We have acquired thousands of rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition, while also taking the first steps toward establishing the military industry with an ammunition factory and the production of drones “Made in Kosovo.” Members of the army are being trained in the best academies of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey and Croatia. If 25 years ago, American troops, together with their allies, landed in Kosovo for its liberation, today Kosovo’s military troops are landing alongside American troops and their allies in various joint missions around the world.
And beneath the rhythm of our soldiers’ and police officers’ footsteps today, we hear the footsteps of the Kosovo Liberation Army fighters, as well as the steps of our shared path with the United States of America and NATO countries—a path that began in 1999 and will continue until Kosovo’s membership in NATO and the European Union.
Honorable attendees,
The snow that fell early this morning and today’s sub-zero temperatures make it easier for us to recall 17 February 2008, a day with such cold weather. But as we hear the heartbeats of all the generations who contributed to that day, our hearts warm among us, strengthening together for this shared day of celebration.
Glory to the fallen martyrs for the freedom of Kosovo.
Blessed be the path of the Republic of Kosovo alongside the Republic of Albania, together with the United States of America and our European and other Western allied states. May our future and that of all our children be bright, in peace and progress.
Happy 17th anniversary of Independence, and congratulations on Kosovo’s Republic Day, forever and always.
May Kosovo and Albania always stand together.
Thank you, and happy celebrations to all!
Last modified: February 19, 2025