Prishtina, 8 April, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and last night was invited to the event organized by the NGO “Romani Baht” in cooperation with the Roma Progressive Party, led by Deputy Erxhan Galushi, in celebration of April 8, World Roma Day.
Unable to participate in this event, Prime Minister Kurti sent a greeting letter to those present, which was read by his adviser, Nurie Shala.
Below you will find the complete letter of greeting and congratulations:
Dear members of the Roma Progressive Party,
Dear Chairman Erxhan Galushi,
Dear attendees, ladies and gentlemen,
In the absence of being present at your celebration today, allow me to sincerely wish you International Roma Day.
Our government is committed to ensuring that all citizens of Kosovo are treated without discrimination. That is why we have worked and are constantly committed together for equal individual and collective rights of representatives of all communities. With this aim, we have jointly drafted the Strategy for the Advancement of the Rights of the Roma and Ashkali Community 2022-2026, as well as launched the National Platform for Reporting Cases of Discrimination against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
We established the Inter-Institutional Team for encouraging and promoting employment for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, while 100 young people, with priority for those from non-majority communities, were given the opportunity for a 6-month paid internship in government institutions. We have also started the implementation of the Guaranteed Employment Scheme for Young People, Superpuna, so I encourage all young women and men from the Roma community to apply on this platform.
In the last two years, our government has supported all communities through implemented measures and allocated grants. We have supported children, students, expectant mothers, pensioners and various social categories.
To create equal opportunities in education, we have allocated 500 scholarships worth 300,000 euros to high school students from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. Higher education is provided free of charge to all students. But to support education, we have allocated 100 additional scholarships to students from these communities at public universities. Thus, they will be able to focus on their professional and academic development, without having the burden of the financial side.
Also, we have allocated 200 thousand euros for learning centers for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children, while 104 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians have benefited from professional training, a significant increase from only 34 as many as there were in the previous year. On Wednesday I had the special pleasure of participating in the opening of the mini-library with titles in the Romani language. I hope and wish that this and other libraries will be enriched even more and the Roma language and culture will be advanced as much as possible.
We are thankful and grateful for the contribution and commitment of the Roma community in building our country. I hope for further deepening of cooperation, for the realization of common goals, for more equality and more well-being.
Once again: Happy Roma Day!
Bahtalo Romano Dive!
Last modified: April 12, 2023