Prishtina, 31 May 2009
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, symbolically demolished the last dividing wall of the tunnel in order to meet the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, on the other side. Prime Minister Thaçi was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi, Minister of Transport and Post-Telecommunications Fatmir Limaj, Foreign Minister Skënder Hyseni, Minister of Economy and Finance Ahmet Shala, and other government members and deputies of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo.
After passing through the tunnel, Prime Ministers Thaçi and Berisha gave a joint press conference before of hundreds of local people and those who had come from Kosovo.
The following is the speech by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, at the inauguration ceremony for the opening of the tunnel on the Durres–Kukes–Morine highway.
Honorable Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha,
Honorable Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mrs. Topalli,
Honorable Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Deputies of our two governments and parliaments,
Honorable Ambassador Walker,
Honorable Prime Minister Berisha, here today in Kalimash, I bring you congratulatory messages from the Government of Kosovo, the institutions and all of the people of Kosovo, for this masterpiece.
Today is a great day for all Albanians, wherever they live. Today is also a great day for me personally because there is a strong link between this journey and Kosovo’s freedom. Countless and incalculable times, my brothers-in-arms and I walked along this path, for countless hours, in the rain, snow and ice, for the freedom of our country. Today, Kosovo and Albania, Tirana and Prishtina, are closer to each other than ever before and they will get even closer. Tirana and Prishtina are closer to each other than ever before and we will be so forever.
Without a doubt, a central element of this spiritual, physical and material closeness is Kosovo’s freedom and independence – the state of Kosovo itself. Kosovo’s independence gives this road its full dimension in this coming together and gives meaning to this highway. This road is Kosovo’s access to the sea.
Honorable Prime Minister,
We have been divided for centuries, but we were never very far from one another. We always worked and sacrificed in order to become closer, and now, the day has come when Kosovo is independent, and Albania is in NATO and today, we are building highways. And I know, as you do, that never again will the youth of Kosovo or Albania have to walk through the mud, in secrecy and in fear, to make a journey of freedom and development for our countries. History and injustice divided us. The mountains, rocky mountains and walls have divided us. Today, all these obstacles have been replaced with work, with ideals, with a vision, and have been transformed into many bridges and communication tunnels.
So, honorable Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha,
I congratulate you on behalf of Kosovo and its people, for this colossal effort, for this masterpiece, and I congratulate you personally, your government and the Albanian people. Besides wishes and dreams for national and Euro-Atlantic integration, this road will bring ideas, products and economic growth to our two countries. This road will set in motion the wide-ranging development of our two countries.
Honorable Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha,
As Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I pledge that very soon this road will continue further to Vermica, Prizren, and to the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina.
Together we crushed empires and occupiers, and together we will also crush the mountains between us. This is the highway of hope, of trust, of work and development for Albanians. This is our history. This is the road of national and Euro-Atlantic integration, the road of the new century. This is the road of peace, stability and development
Thank you, congratulations and success to you and all Albanians.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha: There are no mountains, no obstacles; there is nothing that can divide our nation
The following is the speech by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, at the inauguration ceremony for the opening of the tunnel on the Durres–Kukes–Morine highway.
Mr. Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi,
Mrs. Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Jozefina Topalli,
Honorable Ministers, deputies, government officials of Albania and Kosovo,
Beloved friends, Mrs. Eisenhower, grand-daughter of the General who liberated Europe and President of the USA, an icon of honor and dedication to his nation, Dwight D. Eisenhower, valued friend of the Albanian people,
Beloved Ambassador Walker, our national hero,
My beloved friends Sharik Tara, Mrs. Tara, and Sinan Tara,
Honorable senior representatives of Bechtel-Enka,
People across all of Albania!
First, I want to warmly welcome you all and share with you – the great joy of today’s transformation of the dream of all Albanians into reality. Today we experienced the realization of one of the most beautiful Albanian dreams, we experienced the demolition, not of a wall, but of a mountain, we experienced the demolition not of a wall, but of the impossible.
Today we inaugurate together with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and with you, Ministers, Madam Speaker, beloved friends; the tunnel of Kalimash, a masterpiece of construction in Europe and beyond.
This tunnel, above all, is a tunnel uniting the nation. Today we decided that there are no mountains, no obstacles; there is nothing that can divide our nation.
Today, this is the inauguration of a tunnel that unites not only Albanians, but with the services it offers for transport and movement; also unites Albanians with other nations in the region, with Macedonians, Serbs, Bulgarians and all others. Today, we inaugurate this tunnel so that the shores and ports of Albania can serve not just Albanians in Albania and Kosovo, but all nations in the region. Truthfully, this tunnel could have many names.
My friend, Sharik Tara said to me last night at dinner that this tunnel is the tunnel of friendship. Dear Sharik, 20 years ago you came to this country. Your roots brought you here and also a great love, not just for Albanians, to whom you are linked by your roots and many other ties; but also for our neighbors and nations around us. It is a great satisfaction for me, my friend; that you together with Bechtel, one of the leading world companies in the field of building; have transformed a dream into a reality for Albanians, and not just Albanians. The tunnel was a costly creation, but I want to emphasize that for a nation and a people which have lost time, time is of the greatest value; so this tunnel will cost us much less than the time of the passengers driving through it, in just one year.
The tunnel was difficult and costly, but the price was a hundred times less than its great moral value, the unity it will bring between peoples and the services it will offer them, giving Kosovo access to the sea, and not only Kosovo, but its neighbors as well.
I want to conclude my speech with special mention of appreciation and gratitude. First, great thanks and appreciation go to all the workers, engineers and technicians of Bechtel-Enka, who have produced this project, this tunnel, in record time; bringing here to this mountain and gorge, the best contemporary technology, high discipline and great expertise. We are extremely appreciative. You are a part of our history and of our struggle for development and modernity.
I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Ministers Basha and Olldashi, who pursued this project with extraordinary dedication, implementing the demands of the Prime Minister and the government; so that today this project is a reality.
I want to thank all the administrative workers, who by fulfilling their duties have made this Albanian masterpiece possible. Today, Kim Mehmeti sent me a message saying that this is an Albanian miracle. I agree with Kim Mehmeti.
I want to thank parliament for their great support given for this project, and to thank my friends across the world, who encouraged me in achieving this great project. I want to thank you, William Walker, and Mrs. Eisenhower for being here with us today.
I conclude my speech with a promise, that after this tunnel and this corridor, my government will leave no stone unturned in order for Albanians to have Albania in the palm of their hand.
Congratulations once again!
Last modified: July 31, 2022