Prishtina, 28 July 2026
Dear compatriots,
Welcome to your homeland, and welcome to the Open Balcony of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo.
Just before we gathered here today, we received the news that excavations had commenced in the mountainous area of the village of Kalludër, in the Municipality of Zubin Potok, where a mass grave dating from the last war in Kosovo is suspected to exist.
According to the well-founded suspicions of our institutions, this location is linked to the case of the enforced disappearance of the group known as the “Group of Intellectuals” from Mitrovica, namely 23 Albanians who were abducted by Serbian armed forces on 19 April 1999 and who remain missing to this day.
Nevertheless, this new finding still needs to be verified and confirmed by the competent institutions.
This development, which comes only one day after the arrest in Zubin Potok of two suspects for war crimes, not only adds to the pain and sorrow we all share, but also brings hope for clarifying the fate of our missing persons. At the same time, it marks a new chapter, as excavations are being carried out in an area that had never previously been explored.
The war has ended, but clearly the struggle has not—the struggle for truth and justice—while the consequences of the war remain so profoundly present.
Dear members of our diaspora,
The diaspora and our compatriots, whom we also regard as generations of our people living away from their homeland, have historically provided us with immense support for our prosperity, as well as diplomacy at all times and, when necessary, arms, fighters and martyrs in the struggle for freedom. The diaspora is our vital national and state interest.
Today, the more successfully we build our state, the more valued and successful the participation of our compatriots in this process will be. Your compassion for your homeland should be transformed into a sense of pride. Your intelligence, diligence, creativity and determination, through our state-building efforts, should find the place they deserve. The economy, culture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, energy and technology are fields that can today be particularly attractive to a diaspora whose population exceeds that of those living in their ancestral homeland.
We will do everything possible to establish cultural centres and mother-tongue learning centres.
Partnerships with Western universities will provide opportunities for our young people in the diaspora to fully pursue their professions and careers.
We are now also inviting young members of our diaspora—and the wider diaspora—educated in political science and international relations, law, economics and technology, to become part of our diplomatic institutions.
For us, dear members of the diaspora, you are not merely a community of individuals living beyond our state borders. You are the natural social continuation of our national life and an extension of Kosovo and the Albanian nation beyond its borders, in those countries where our language, customs and national identity are preserved.
Our approach to the diaspora is founded on the principles of solidarity and public service. We seek to ensure that every Albanian living abroad feels heard and connected to their homeland, not only through memory but also through tangible opportunities. The state has an obligation to serve all its citizens, both at home and abroad, with equal responsibility and care.
Through the Citizen Diplomacy Programme, young professionals from the diaspora contribute to our institutions by bringing knowledge, experience and a renewed spirit of cooperation. The “Enjoy Kosovo” Programme offers young people the opportunity to discover Kosovo firsthand as a country rich in culture, history and natural beauty. The “Made in Kosova” Programme provides our compatriots with information and practical avenues for investing, co-investing and opening new markets for products from Kosovo. Through the Diaspora Investment Window, we have created opportunities for businesses established by our compatriots to access guaranteed loans, transforming their emotional connection with the homeland into a driving force for the country’s development.
Our relationship with the diaspora should not be built solely on sentiment, but must also be founded on justice, equality and trust. For this reason, our approach has emphasised transparency and the equal treatment of every compatriot. The right to vote is guaranteed and protected as a fundamental right that connects every citizen with the political future of their country. The possibility of voting in person at embassies and consulates, as well as voting by mail, are measures that facilitate participation. We have also abolished administrative fees for acquiring or reacquiring citizenship, and through the new Citizenship Law we have simplified and accelerated the relevant procedures, ensuring that the legal bond with the homeland does not become a bureaucratic obstacle but rather serves as a natural bridge of belonging.
The impact of our diaspora has been immense in the past, remains irreplaceable today, and will become even more significant in the future. The world is changing at a rapid pace, bringing both new challenges and new opportunities for our compatriots wherever they live. For this reason, the engagement of the diaspora will not remain on the margins of state policy but will be incorporated into all public policies as a central pillar of our national and development agenda, including participation in decision-making.
The relationship between the homeland and the diaspora should not be one of one-sided appeals, but rather one of mutual commitment. When the diaspora and the homeland move forward together, the nation becomes stronger, more dignified and more secure for everyone.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Kosovo, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sports of Albania, has been continuously engaged in developing and advancing the teaching of the Albanian language throughout the diaspora.
The unified Albanian primer, through which children in Kosovo and Albania learn the alphabet, is now also being used in the educational process in diaspora communities. In addition, joint curricula and new textbooks for teaching the Albanian language and Albanian culture have been developed, structured across three levels.
These initiatives aim to strengthen and expand Albanian-language education abroad by establishing a sustainable network of Albanian schools throughout the diaspora, supported by trained teachers and professionals from Albania, Kosovo and the diaspora itself.
The objective is to ensure that younger generations in the diaspora have the opportunity to learn and acquire the Albanian language to a high standard, preserving their ability to communicate with their homeland and passing it on with pride.
Through this process, children of the diaspora will gain a deeper understanding of the traditions, values, history and cultural heritage of the Albanian people, while honoring and preserving their national roots.
As you may have noticed, our Minister of Education, Hajrulla Çeku, is not with us this evening. That is why I have spoken at such length about the work of his ministry. Hajrulla is currently in Brezovica attending the 19th Nationwide Seminar for Teachers of the Albanian Language and Albanian Culture in the Diaspora, jointly organized by the Ministries of Education of Kosovo and Albania. The seminar, which began this evening, will last for three days.
This seminar is further evidence that investment in Albanian-language education is not confined to our two states but extends wherever Albanians live abroad, where children learn their mother tongue thanks to the dedication and commitment of teachers who work tirelessly to preserve and keep it alive.
In addition to the initiatives we have already undertaken, during our next mandate we will further expand our efforts and programmes to strengthen the participation of the diaspora in our country.
Manufacturing will be at the center of our agenda over the next four years, and for that reason investment from the diaspora is our new call. Unlike thirty years ago, we are no longer asking you to make sacrifices in order to contribute; we are inviting you to invest in order to prosper.
In Prizren, at the Innovation and Training Park, we will establish Kosovo’s first Research and Development Centre in the field of energy, in cooperation with our German partners, academia and professionals from our diaspora.
Through membership in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), in addition to facilitating money transfers, approximately €60 million will be saved annually by reducing the cost of transfers to Kosovo.
We will fully digitalize consular services. For the majority of administrative services, it will no longer be necessary for you to appear in person at embassies or consulates.
We thank you wholeheartedly for your role and contribution, and for the unwavering and unconditional support you have given us throughout every stage of our development—both as a political movement and, especially, as the Government of the Republic. The greatest lesson we have learned from you is that the diaspora has provided the most valuable guidance for the road ahead. Let us replace compassion for ourselves as individuals or families with compassion for our shared homeland, so that together we may advance more rapidly and ensure that our generation, and those that follow, endure as little hardship as possible.
We never forget that although you live outside your homeland, you remain within the nation. Therefore, we count on you, and you may count on us just as firmly.
I wish you all a pleasant evening. May you make new acquaintances, renew old friendships, and—why not—over the next four years accomplish many great and worthwhile achievements that today we cannot yet even imagine, just as over the past four years we have accomplished many great things that would have seemed unimaginable five years ago.
Thank you very much, and thank you for joining us this evening at the Open Balcony, which has now become a cherished tradition with our compatriots.