Prizren, April 22, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was invited tonight to Prizren, to celebrate the National Day of the Turks of Kosovo.
As he expressed his thanks and gratitude for the continuous contribution of Turkish citizens to the Republic of Kosovo, he said that the Turkish community in Kosovo has played an important positive role in our modern history.
“With representatives of the Turkish community, we are together in the institutions of the Republic, contributing to a better Kosovo and higher well-being”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister mentioned the activities that the government has done for the Turkish community in many spheres, while highlighting that this week an additional package of 3 million euros was announced for the non-majority communities in Kosovo.
This package, he explained further, contains support measures for new jobs for existing and new businesses; for farmers and small producers in rural areas; and for civil society that contributes to the integration and affirmation of non-majority communities, the approval of which is expected to occur at the next meeting of the Government.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full speech:
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Ms. Emilija Rexhepi,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Mehmet Kemal Bozay
Honorable Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in the Republic of Kosovo, Sabri Tunç Angili,
Honorable Commander of the Turkish Contingent in KFOR, Colonel Recai Yilmaz,
Honorable Minister of Regional Development, Mr. Fikrim Damka,
Honorable Minister of Defense, Mr. Armend Mehaj,
Honorable Minister for Communities and Returns, Mr. Nenad Rashiq,
Honorable presidents of our two Parliamentary groups, Mrs. Mimosa Kusari Lila and Mr. Enis Kervan,
Honorable members of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Duda Balje, Fridon Lala, Erxhan Galushi, Bahrim Shabani and Visar Korenica,
Honorable Mayor of the Municipality of Prizren, Mr. Shaqir Totaj
Honorable Turkish citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honorable attendees, ladies and gentlemen,
Sisters and brothers,
In this celebration of the National Day of the Turks of Kosovo, I express my thanks and gratitude for the continuous contribution of our Turkish citizens to the Republic of Kosovo. The Turkish community in Kosovo has played an important positive role in our modern history. With representatives of the Turkish community, we are together in the institutions of the Republic, contributing to a better Kosovo and higher well-being. The Turkish community in Kosovo, as well as the Albanian community in Turkey, are a powerful bridge between our two countries.
Honorable attendees,
Solidarity between peoples is seen more in the most difficult days, and we saw this, in this year in the great tragedy with the earthquake in Turkey, which shocked all of us without distinction. During those difficult days in Turkey, we have also seen how the peoples around the world have reacted, including our citizens and institutions – from the private collections of aid, to the help of the Kosovo Security Force teams. Surely we all remember the moment when a two-year-old child was pulled from the rubble by our search and rescue team, which in addition to saving a life, gave us all hope.
Solidarity is also seen in daily actions, which contribute to a successful diverse society, such as the Republic of Kosovo. Last month I was at the Elena Gjika school in Pristina to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Turkish language education in Kosovo – an unbroken tradition since 1951. We are proud of this tradition of multilingualism in our country.
We are also proud that last year our government found solutions to provide quality Turkish language textbooks, and that our Education Strategy for 2022 – 2026 included continuous subsidies for the design, revision, translation and adaptation of textbooks and learning materials in the Turkish language, as well as in the languages of other non-majority communities.
Likewise, we plan to organize activities for learning the Albanian language for communities that have other languages – such as Turkish – as their mother tongue. We will provide printed and digital learning materials and professional support to enable schools to provide even this basic service.
The Turkish community is an integral part of our rich social and cultural mosaic. For Kosovo to be a state where multilingualism is promoted, we will also provide opportunities for students to learn the language of the environment – such as Turkish for the Albanians here in Prizren. Thus, as individuals and as a state, we will benefit from advantages in the international market, as well as solidarity at the Republic level, when people have the opportunity to communicate with each other.
After studying in our schools, we have seen that many Turkish citizens are contributing to the development of the country through entrepreneurship. As an example of how the community is preparing for the opportunities offered by information technology, I welcome the over-representation of Turkish youth in the Ministry of Economy’s KODE program, where young people gain digital skills.
At the same time, we are lucky to have Turkish farmers who contribute to the fertility of our country, but also for the export of agricultural products, and for this the best witness is the mayor of the municipality of Mamusha who is with us today in this very important event.
However, we know that the community needs government support, so I am glad that this week we have announced an additional package of 3 million euros for non-majority communities in Kosovo. This package contains support measures for new jobs for existing and new businesses; for farmers and small producers in rural areas; and for civil society that contributes to the integration and affirmation of non-majority communities. Its approval is expected at the next meeting of the Government.
Information on access to these funds will be provided through the new electronic newsletter that we launched a few months ago in Turkish (along with Albanian, Serbian and Roma), which summarizes information on opportunities such as training, jobs, grants and subsidies from the government – as well as other actors – that can be beneficial to communities.
In the context of these joint works, and in this beautiful event, where there is also support from the Office for Community Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister, I am happy to be here with you and among you. I also look forward to being together as we celebrate new community achievements and shared successes with continued solidarity. I wish you all the best for your holiday, Turkish National Day – bayraminiz kutlu olsun! [congratulations on your holiday]
At the same time, Happy Eid al-Fitr!
Teşekkür ederim.
Last modified: April 25, 2023