Pristina, February 17, 2023
Honorable Deputy Prime Ministers Bislimi, Gërvalla-Schwarz and Rexhepi,
Honorable ministers and ministers of our fifteen years of independence,
Honorable employees of the Prime Minister,
Honorable Media,
Honorable citizens,
Good morning and welcome to this meeting of the Government, which is special, because it marks the opening of this festive day. Symbolically, we have chosen to open this day not with a ceremony, but with a meeting, because we want to convey the message that work and holidays for our Republic should always go together. Our independence was achieved through struggle and sacrifice, but our independence will only grow through work. Not through shortcuts that are promised by frivolous people, but only through work and sacrifice, which characterizes the good people of Kosovo, the women and men who work every day for themselves, for their families, for our society, for our economy. They work here, but often also work abroad, where the conditions are better and they are rewarded for their work. And on this celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of Independence, we must remind ourselves and each other that our main task is that, when the twentieth anniversary comes, the reasons for our young women and men to choose Kosovo for a complete professional future and a good life will have increased and multiplied.
Dear citizens, who are following us through the means of public communication, this is your holiday. Kosovo is an example of democracy in this problematic region like the Balkans, only thanks to you. You are the ones who have not allowed and will not allow the abuse of power to go unpunished in Kosovo. Therefore, you are the one who deserves the congratulations and at the same time the most heartfelt thanks for the 15th anniversary of this democracy. If in other countries the institutions provide a model, and the citizens try to follow that model, in our Kosovo the citizens provide the model, and we the institutions are the ones who must make an effort to follow them.
Our independence is the result of the centuries-old history of Kosovo, as a country where communities of different religions and languages have always lived side by side with the Albanian majority and in cooperation with it.
We know well what coexistence is, we even have a long history of successful coexistence – which has been damaged only by those who wish to dominate, rule, superimpose the will of the majority for independence. Today, on this fifteenth anniversary of independence, it is the place to boast about something that Kosovo does very well – and we are talking about the rights we give to ethnic minorities. Nowhere in Europe do minorities enjoy rights at every level, as here. It is up to us to take care that this balance is not disturbed, with experimental formulas which wherever they have been tried have not brought good results.
Dear members of the Government Cabinet,
On this Independence Day, it is not my place to be harsh with you. There are plenty of other days of the year, when we will be able to develop our daily activity that includes both work and encouragement, both criticism and self-criticism, of course also holding responsibility, because being a member of a government means above all, taking on responsibilities. The merits, as I said before, first of all belong to our citizens, workers, students, businessmen, people of various trades, culture, sports, who with their daily contribution make Kosovo what it is, a country in continuous improvement.
In our responsibilities, two aspects should be distinguished. First, we should always keep in mind our heritage, the bequests of the generations who have given their blood and sweat for the freedom of Kosovo even though they have not been able to enjoy it. Every day of ours, honorable ministers, deputy prime ministers, should start with the commemoration of this legacy. This legacy is not to be neglected, because we did not come here from scratch, Kosovo is not a product of chance, but of its own history. Centuries of pain, so that today we have this joy.
Second, we must always keep in mind the youth, the children and even those who have not been born yet, to whom we must definitely leave a better Kosovo than the one we found. We must leave the environment cleaner and greener than the one we found, the richest and fairest economy, the most functional justice, the most modern infrastructure, the most equipped health and the strongest education. A Kosovo where law, not man, rules, a Kosovo with order for citizens and punishment for criminals. These were our ambitions at the beginning, but these must be our ambitions every day.
I don’t want to make it too long today, because we have a long day ahead of us, full of ceremonies and celebrations, definitely also speeches. I would like to conclude this speech of mine with three quotes from three personalities of our history:
Shote Galica used to say “A life without knowledge is like a war without weapons”. Your task is not to leave Kosovo without one or the other.
Tringe Smajli used to say “Don’t point your guns at each other, but only at the common enemy”. Keep in mind this daily, so that we do not confuse our internal and democratic debate with polarizations and hostile divisions with each other.
Finally, don’t forget that Mother Teresa said “Peace begins with a smile”. Let us be the ones who smile, and who keep the door of conversation open. Kosovo is a peace project, a contributor to peace, and a guarantee for peace. At this time when the war touched our continent, Kosovo, which today celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of independence, has shown that without any personal interest, it supports countries that want peace and freedom against the invaders. This should also make each and every one of us proud.
Once again, dear colleagues: Happy Independence Day of Kosovo! We thank all those who have contributed to the liberation of the country and the declaration of independence.
Republic for fifteen years, Republic Forever!
Thank you.
Last modified: February 22, 2023