Prishtina, 14 September 2010
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, answered questions and queries related to the current political and economic development in the country by students and professors following a lecture at the American University of Kosova (AUK).
Following there are highlights from the answers by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi.
Prime Minister Thaçi answered the questions by students related to the participation of the Kosovo delegation in the UN General Assembly’s session in New York:
The participation of the highest state delegation of the Republic of Kosovo in the works of the UN General Assembly happened for the first time in the history of Kosovo and this is a success marking a new historical chapter for the Republic of Kosovo.
The Kosovo delegation was fully representative, because the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other diplomatic representatives from our embassy in Washington and our consulate in New York were part of it.
We are now a state and we will be strong as a team and will keep succeeding.
Student Mimoza Selmani had the following question for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi: After the conclusion of the political and legal process surrounding the independence of Kosovo, are you going to focus more on sustainable economic development of the country?
– We will continue with our agenda to further consolidate and strengthen the state.
We will continue with the process of new recognitions of the Republic of Kosovo; we will continue with our commitment to promote economic development, to create new jobs, to improve the social welfare of the citizens and in this respect this is a decisive year which has seen the adoption of the most important decisions that will have a positive impact on the economic development of Kosovo, and especially in transforming its economy.
It was this year that we decided to launch the construction of the Vërmicë-Prishtina motorway in the direction of Merdare, which is the most colossal work in the infrastructural history of Kosovo.
It is a project costing over €700 million but which is necessary for the Republic of Kosovo, for the people of the country and for its economic growth and also for creation of new job opportunities.
This project alone is employing 4,000 citizens of the Republic of Kosovo and everyone will benefit from this highway; the state, the people, businesses and the economy. At the same time, it is meant to approximate Kosovo with the sea and this is happening. Prishtina will be 3 hour and 15 minutes far from the sea.
This year we have concluded the Prishtina International Airport concession process brining in international powerful investors and I want to highlight that we as Government of Kosovo have created a favorable, secure and creative environment for all the international investors.
We have investments from the US and the EU member countries and they are secure and we are showing that these investments have been a success story.
We will also continue with the process of the privatization of the PTK so that the private sector advances and takes over the responsibilities it is supposed to have, and gets depoliticized and also to get rid of the Government’s influence in public enterprises as a necessary precondition for good management and for fighting and preventing of bad phenomena that have taken place in public enterprises in the past.
However, the issue of energy remains one of the biggest challenges for the Republic of Kosovo and its economy.
In this respect, we are at the final stage of the project for building of the “Kosova e Re” power plant of 600 megawatts capacity.
We have four amongst the most powerful world consortiums interested in investing in Kosovo.
I want to believe that everything will be concluded successfully with full transparency and for this we have assured and guaranteed all the international investors and Kosovo will definitely start resolving once and for all the energy problems, not only to secure a 24-hour steady supply but also to create a solid basis for the economy and businesses leading to creation of more job opportunities.
KEK privatization process will also continue and it is on the final stage along the work on the hydro power plant of Zhur a project of 300 megawatt capacity. Here too we have powerful investors interested and I want to believe that these projects will be finalized this year, or the latest by spring next year.
I want to assure you, the people of Kosovo and the international partners that the entire process will be successfully concluded with full transparency.
You must have heard about the rumors that the assets of Kosovo are being sold out.
Dear students, with the highest consideration I want to tell you that the economic reform is not selling out of assets; on the contrary it means quality, affirmation, and free market economy replacing the mentality of the socialist planned or centralized economy.
We live in a free world, in a free market world, and I will succeed in leading this process which I am convinced will bring good results for Kosovo.
About the energy problems, can you tell us until when KEK is going to have this monopoly?
Another question to which Prime Minister Thaçi said:
– This is exactly the conceptual difference between those who are nostalgic in recalling the past and those who intend to bring in competition, myself included, as I am leading the competition approach and not monopoly, free market economy and not centralization.
One of the professors at the American University wanted to know how Prime Minister Thaçi sees the role of this university in developing Kosovo society:
– Kosovo is the youngest state in the world and it is also a country of huge opportunities and it is the youth of Kosovo to use and explore them.
One of my key priorities, together with the Ministry of Education, has been to invest in education, because we are convinced that by investing in education we invest in a safe and developed future for the Republic of Kosovo, a future which you will lead as leadership not only of the politics, but also of the civil society, media, economy, business, private sector and all the areas in the real state and civil sense.
While I was addressing Columbia University in New York last week, I was also thinking about the American University in Prishtina, that we too are going through the transition stage of bringing world prestigious universities to Kosovo.
The American University is today a model for other universities in Kosovo, and also in the region.
Therefore, investments in education will not stop; on the contrary they will keep increasing.
I am deeply convinced that by investing in education, we invest in economic development and in generation of job opportunities.
We will be maximally engaged in computerization of all the schools in order to achieve the level of the information technology in the contemporary world.
Students also wanted to know more about the steps taken by the Government in advancing the public and private higher education and the Prime Minister gave the following answer:
– I mentioned earlier that one of the challenges the Government I lead is facing has been and remains investing in education and reforms in education. This reform is directly and above all linked to the improving of quality and opening of new universities.
I have full trust that this process is being successfully managed by Minister Hoxhaj.
Initially, Kosovo had an objective to reach the level of the countries in the region, today I want to highlight that we have achieved that level and we are moving towards the accomplishment of the Western education standards.
I have no doubts that we will reach that level with the energy, commitment and also investments we are dedicating the process, because we are launching for the first time in nine years in Kosovo reforms which are of utmost importance.
Without these reforms, there can be no successes in terms of improving of the education quality in the Republic of Kosovo or anywhere else. Therefore, we will increasingly focus on improving the quality and opening of new universities.
You know that we have taken a decision to open the second public university in the Republic of Kosovo – the Prizren University. I think that this is a new success because it strengthens competition and creates opportunities for even higher qualities.
The Government of Kosovo will make other decisions to open other universities. We are discussing the opening of another Western university in Mitrovica in order to create good opportunities for the Kosovo youngsters, from all the communities and from the region, to attain good and qualitative education of contemporary standards.
Of course that along the focus on quality improving and on opening of new universities we have also taken care of improving the institutional care for teachers and professors. We have increased salaries for university professors by one hundred percent. Now we expect quality. And I believe that we will reach the quality level we want.
At the same time, having in mind that the new generations come from elementary and secondary schools, we have also increased the salaries of teachers in elementary and secondary schools up to 47%. This happened for the first time after the war. And here too we expect an increase in quality, which I have no doubts we will achieve. Therefore we are going to work in several directions.
During his address at the AUK, Prime Minister Thaçi also answered questions related to the accusations and the approach of the opposition about the developments in the country:
You know that I too have been in opposition and I truly understand how it feels to be in opposition, which is both an advantage and disadvantage, especially when you do not have a vision for the future, but just criticize and accuse.
We live in a free, democratic, modern, contemporary and civil world. Therefore I would like to say that the opposition has been lucky that I am the Prime Ministers and that I understand their efforts, sometimes frustrated or aggressive and tense. However, I would appreciate them much more if they could bring ideas, proposals and suggestions which would supplement my agenda.
When there are conceptual differences then there are conceptual confrontations.
I was in opposition when the Unity Team was established and I immediately joined the group working for the state and leaving narrow party interests aside.
Now we are at a different stage, that of institutions elected in a legitimate way.
Kosovo had never been led by an elected leader after the war until I offered my candidacy and got elected as candidate for Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Suggestions, regardless of where they come from, I consider as partnership efforts to build the state and democratic order and I believe that I will continue with my good governance, rule of law and fight against corruption, organized crime and other negative phenomena and with the consolidation and strengthening of the state, and with ensuring new recognitions of our Republic.
Today, each of you could imagine where Kosovo was 11 years ago. And, where we have arrived today. We have a free Kosovo today, recognized by 70 states, I consider Qatar as a done deal as they have confirmed their recognition of Kosovo to me.
Kosovo is also part of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund, it will soon be part of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Kosovo is on the right path to attain membership in NATO and the European Union and the UN.
Therefore, these achievements are unimaginable even for the biggest optimists and let alone for the pessimists, who when Kosovo triumphed at the ICJ said that Serbia lost but Kosovo did not win!
So, Kosovo’s achievements cannot in any way be underestimated.
We will work as a plural society of diverse ideas and will confront ideas always in an intention to form the best vision for the country.
Now I feel very well while leading the realization of the vision of the Republic of Kosovo for state building, development and integration.
Last modified: July 31, 2022