Prishtina, 12 June 2025
Under the auspices of the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, a commemorative meeting was held today in honor and remembrance of the life and work of Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, former Prime Minister of Kosovo.
This gathering, held at the new Amphitheater of the National University Library in Prishtina, began with a minute of silence to honor former Prime Minister Bukoshi, recognized as one of the key figures in political life.
As the years go by, we gain new perspectives on past political and historical developments, including those of the 1990s, when Bukoshi was among the main protagonists. In the uninterrupted flow of time, historians will research and study the engagement and work of Bujar Bukoshi when writing the modern political history of Kosovo. In this history, his name will naturally be among the most mentioned and distinguished, for his work that must be accurately placed in the context of its time and interpreted within the circumstances of that era. All the more so, because Bujar Bukoshi’s name is immortalized by his own hand in the founding document of our state—the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo, dated 17 February 2008, said Prime Minister Kurti in his commemorative speech.
May Dr. Bujar Bukoshi be remembered for generations to come, just as he will undoubtedly be recognized in the history of Kosovo.
We recall that from 10:00 to 13:00, tributes for Dr. Bujar Bukoshi will take place in the Hall of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo.
Prime Minister Kurti will attend the funeral ceremony of former Prime Minister Dr. Bujar Bukoshi at the Martyrs’ Complex in the Velania neighborhood of Prishtina, starting at 14:00.
Full Speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Dear Bukoshi family,
Dear Mrs. Zana Bukoshi, dear Ora, Shota, and Nita Bukoshi—wife and daughters of the late former Prime Minister Bujar Bukoshi,
Dear Dardan and Taulant, grandsons of Dr. Bukoshi,
Dear friends and colleagues from all times and circumstances of Dr. Bujar’s life,
Honorable President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Mr. Mehmet Kraja,
Dear fellow ministers, deputy ministers, and members of parliament,
Honorable former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Isa Mustafa,
Ladies and gentlemen, professors and students, esteemed attendees who have joined us today in shared remembrance and tribute to Dr. Bujar Bukoshi,
Allow me, along with my highest regards, to address you in my capacity as Prime Minister of Kosovo at this commemorative meeting for Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, former Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Today marks 26 years since the liberation of Kosovo from Serbia as an occupying state, since June 12, 1999. Although a quarter-century has now passed since the time of the war, even today, anyone who seeks to understand Kosovo—as a state, as a society, and as a political reality—must first understand Kosovo of the 1990s.
And once we begin to examine the history of Kosovo in that decade, one of the key names in political life that arises is that of Bujar Bukoshi, who passed away two days ago, on June 10, 2025, at the age of 78. In the chronicles and daily news of that time, Bujar Bukoshi’s name was nearly ubiquitous. Since 1991, Bujar Bukoshi served as Prime Minister of the Government-in-Exile of the Republic of Kosovo.
At a time when Serbia had stripped Kosovo of its autonomy in 1989 and installed a brutal apartheid regime—when Serbia, through its oppressive policies, insisted that Kosovo was merely a part of Serbia and nothing more—the citizens firmly believed in Kosovo as a separate state, with a President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and a Prime Minister, Dr. Bujar Bukoshi. Although the Republic of Kosovo, declared in 1990, was recognized only by the Republic of Albania, it produced powerful, undeniable, and extraordinary political realities—just as extraordinary as the time itself.
The Republic of Kosovo, declared in 1990 as the first Republic of Kosovo and a republic of resistance, had Bujar Bukoshi as its Prime Minister throughout its existence, up until after the liberation. At a time when it was rejected by many others, Bujar Bukoshi accepted the role of Prime Minister of Kosovo from President Ibrahim Rugova on October 12, 1991. Thus, Bujar Bukoshi was both the first and the last Prime Minister of the first Republic of Kosovo.
But who was this man, this politician and professional in his public role? Bujar Bukoshi was born on May 13, 1947, in Suhareka, where he completed his primary education. After finishing high school in Prizren in 1964, he studied medicine at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1971. He received professional specialization scholarships in Germany, at the Urology Clinic of Kemperhof Hospital in Koblenz and the Urology Clinic of Steglitz Hospital in West Berlin. Bujar Bukoshi earned his doctorate from the Free University of Berlin in 1986, just three years before the Berlin Wall fell—a time that found him among the founders of the Democratic League of Kosovo. Professor Bujar Bukoshi lectured at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Prishtina and, at various times, worked as a doctor in Suhareka, Drenas, and Prishtina, becoming well-known as a urological surgeon.
After assuming the role of Prime Minister of Kosovo, Bujar Bukoshi initially migrated to Slovenia, where he stayed for about six months in Bled, before relocating to Germany. From Ulm and Bonn, Prime Minister Bujar Bukoshi, along with his associates, worked tirelessly to inform European and American chancelleries about the political oppression and severe human and national rights violations perpetrated by the Serbian regime against Albanians in Kosovo. He met countless state leaders and politicians of various ranks, as well as political delegations and commissions from across the political spectrum, all to advance the issue of Kosovo on the international stage. His communication with diplomats and media, especially German journalists, was a model of public engagement by a Prime Minister in exile, representing a country under violent rule and on the brink of war.
In the 1990s, the forefront of resistance to chauvinistic Serbia was Albanian-language education—schools and universities, students and teachers, families hosting home-schools. The Government-in-Exile, led by Dr. Bukoshi, organized the necessary funding and support for our education system under foreign occupation. The financial councils operated daily in every municipality of Kosovo.
Dr. Bujar Bukoshi supported peaceful resistance but at times was also critical of it, just as he supported the armed uprising, while also occasionally critiquing it. He was courageous in all situations, bold in policymaking, realistic in his positions, and a strong believer in action. In the autumn of 1997, former Prime Minister Bujar Bukoshi supported the student protests of the University of Prishtina—an institution of the republic and a cradle of resistance, then led by Rector Ejup Statovci, and later by Rector Zenel Kelmendi.
As the years pass, we gain new perspectives on the political and historical developments of the past—including the 1990s, when Bukoshi was one of the main protagonists.
In the continuous course of time, historians will research and study the engagement and contributions of Bujar Bukoshi when writing the modern political history of Kosovo. His name will naturally be among the most mentioned and distinguished for his work, which must be placed accurately in the context of the time and interpreted within the circumstances of that period. Even more so because Bujar Bukoshi’s name is immortalized by his own hand in our state’s founding document—the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo, dated February 17, 2008. In this regard, I hope that one day, not too far from now, a historian or scholar will present to the public a biography about the life and activism of the politician doctor and surgeon prime minister, Bujar Bukoshi.
Dear Bukoshi family, please accept my most sincere condolences for Dr. Bujar Bukoshi.
Dear friends and colleagues of Bukoshi, condolences for this loss among you.
May Dr. Bujar Bukoshi be remembered across generations, just as he will undoubtedly be recognized in the history of Kosovo.
Thank you!
