Tirana, November 27, 2022
Speech of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti at the first joint meeting of the Assembly of Republic of Albania and Republic of Kosovo:
Dear speakers Lindita and Glauk,
Prime Minister Edi,
Ministers of our two governments,
Dear Excellency,
And above all, honorable deputies of Kosovo and Albania who have gathered today together in a hall, in this celebration of our nation,
Dear Albanians who see us today, anywhere in Balkans or in our diaspora, I sincerely wish you Flag Day and the 110th anniversary of Independence declaration.
Your ancestors have contributed blood, sweat and capital to that idea and project, called Albania, home of all Albanians, open to friends, guaranteeing the rights of minorities, contributing to peace, democracy and protection for all lovers.
So happy holiday for our national identity.
Happy November 28, the historical anniversary of Skenderbeu in Kruja, Ismail Qemali in Vlora, and Adem Jashari in Prekaz.
Ladies and gentleman,
The Declaration of Independence succinctly and substantively identifies Ismail Kemal Beu as a leader among equals, that is, as a republican leader. According to many researchers, it is believed that the statement was written by the first Minister of Education, the intellectual and activist Luigj Gurakuqi.
But, seven years later, as the Treaty of London and the further fragmentation of Albanian lands were on the agenda, a few days before the Flag Festival, Gurakuqi, who sought unification, wrote against any fragmentation:
“The celebration of 28 November should therefore be for all of us not only a day of joy and fun, but also a day of repentance in which we gather our minds and examine our consciousness. On this day, we must put our hands on our hearts and ask ourselves, do we always and everywhere fulfill the duty we had for the Motherland. Let’s show them shamelessly and recognize our faults, forget differences and friendships that separate us, give each other a brotherly hand and swear on the oath of our grandmothers that today and ever after we will really try to the good of Motherland, for the prosperity of the nation, for the honor of our flag”.
Gurakuqi himself was not content with Shkodra and Gegnina, he was also active and involved in Toskeri and Kosovo. Just as Çerçizi was not enough with Gjirokastra, Hasan with Pristina, Parashqevi and Sevasti Qiriazi with Manastir, Mehmet Pasha with Tetova, or Bajram Begu and Isa Begu with Kosovo. Provincial divisions, Bajraktarisms, were a backward obstacle then, they are a backward obstacle even today.
Therefore we should rejoice when we are involved as much as possible in each other’s public affairs, not to hinder but to contribute. Our public space, politics, culture, economy, are not fiefdoms blocked with corks, but common, the fortress where we put everything from one stone.
We need to be together more often, and not only in celebrations. And not only us politicians. We need to work together, share ideas with each other, accept different perspectives and criticisms of each other, that is, work together.
As democracy was coming to Eastern Europe, as Berlin wall fell and the pillar of European economy and democracy, Germany celebrated freedom precisely by uniting, a great Kosovar scientist and political scientist, Professor Ukshin Hoti, in an interview in 1992 said that Albanian politicians, by deepening the division and factionalism among themselves beyond democracy borders, were giving reasons to those who wish to see them divided as a people. In his major work, “Political Philosophy of the Albanian Issue”, he asks Albanian politicians to have as their main priority the international position of Kosovo and Albania, and not their own position.
I am sure that most, even all of you here, agree with the message of Luigi and that of Ukshin.
Sisters and brothers,
Tomorrow we will mark the 110th anniversary of Independence declaration of Albania in Vlora, while today we mark the 25th anniversary of public declaration of Kosovo Liberation Army in Llaushë, when at the funeral of the teacher Halit Geci killed by Serbian forces, Rexhep Selimi who was reading the statement, had the hero Muje Krasniqi and Daut Haradinaj on his two wings.
We do now for the future, but we honor the past that makes us today, and we walk together.
In Kosovo, we rejoice at every success of Albania, both those of previous governments and the successes of current ones. Albania has made great strides forward, today it is a NATO country, a member of the Security Council of the United Nations Organization, it has started negotiations as a candidate for membership in European Union and made significant steps forward in many areas.
We wish that the successes of Albania, our compatriots, will not be stopped, but will be increased for each day of the flag.
I am sure that just as we in Kosovo are happy about Albania, also Albania is happy about Kosovo and its successes. The same applies to the advancement and cooperation between Kosovo and Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro and Kosovo and North Macedonia.
We already have the common Primer, and we are working on the common encyclopedic dictionary, as Ministries of Education collaborate day by day for advancement in this key area for our national development. We have unified labor markets with Albania, and we are working towards the unification of customs and tax system. Together with the Government of Albania, we financed the feasibility of Durrës-Prishtina railway, which will connect Durrës, the port of Albania and Kosovo, with the dry port in Pristina of Albania and Kosovo. It will be right in the center of Balkans, near crossroads where north and south, east and west of our peninsula are connected.
Dear Excellencies, dear Albanians wherever you are,
The situation is never rosy, and if we stop trying, if we stop working, we are immediately in danger. So the risk is inaction, not action, neither work.
Our countries are faced with problems, the most acute of which is the departure of our good, hard-working youth. Today is a celebration, Flag Day, and I don’t want to talk about troubles and problems for a long time, but I want to send a message to all those who have taken the always painful path of exile – this day is also yours, and mostly yours. Immigrants are the greatest economic support for our countries and for their families, but also a source of democratization and culture that they receive in developed societies where they go to live and work. I know that you are not going there for fun, but because of worry. I know that we still haven’t done enough to restore your trust in institutions, justice, state, politics, so that you consider raising your children in your homeland as the best option. But I guarantee you that we will fight this battle to the end, and we will win it with your help. Albania becomes. Kosovo becomes. Territories where Albanians live in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Luginë will be built, also with the help of Albania and Kosovo. Work is our path, honor and faith are our qualities, and surely we will show the world that, just as we are producing singers, scientists, businessmen, athletes and writers with world success, that’s how we Albanians will be able to make state and democracy successful.
Once again, happy from the heart, prosperity and goodness for Albanians and all Albanian friends!
Thank you.
Last modified: November 30, 2022