Prishtina, 12 June 2025
Accompanied by the Ceremonial Guard of the Kosovo Security Force and with full state honors, former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, was laid to rest today at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Velania. Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the funeral ceremony.
“We are gathered here today to bid a final farewell to Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, the distinguished surgeon, but above all, the first and last Prime Minister of the first Republic of Kosovo, which functioned as a Republic of resistance. Dr. Bukoshi was marked by unyielding courage and boundless patriotism. It was through the combination of these two virtues that he accepted, on 12 October 1991, the duty entrusted to him by the historic president, Ibrahim Rugova, to serve as Prime Minister of Kosovo.
For a decade, he led the Government of the Republic in exile, during which time he worked and contributed immensely to the internationalization of the Kosovo issue, and especially to exposing the truth about Serbia’s presence in Kosovo—as an occupying, aggressive, and anti-Albanian chauvinist state,” said Prime Minister Kurti before family members, colleagues, associates, and admirers of the late Dr. Bukoshi.
Recalling the role and contribution of the former Prime Minister, Kurti noted that Dr. Bukoshi bore a difficult task, as he served both as a bridge and dividing line between peaceful and armed resistance. He expressed hope that many historians would be inspired to explore and shed light on the hardships and dangers faced by Dr. Bukoshi and his government-in-exile.
“He was an extraordinary prime minister, shaped both by extraordinary times and by his own exceptional character. He was the prime minister of a republic suppressed by a neighboring state, but also of a people who refused to be subdued. He was the prime minister of a state without an army, but with thousands of volunteers ready for a liberation war. He was the prime minister of a state without territorial control, but with uncontested political authority. He was the prime minister of a state recognized only by one other—by the Republic of Albania—but which became known around the world for its steadfast resistance,” Prime Minister Kurti continued.
Glory to the life and legacy of former Prime Minister Dr. Bujar Bukoshi!
Full Speech by Prime Minister Kurti:
Honorable family of Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo—especially his esteemed wife, Dr. Zana, and daughters Ora, Shota, and Nita,
Dear friends and admirers, colleagues and associates of Dr. Bujar,
Distinguished attendees,
We are gathered here today to bid a final farewell to Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, the distinguished surgeon, but above all, the first and last Prime Minister of the first Republic of Kosovo, which functioned as a Republic of resistance.
Dr. Bujar was marked by unyielding courage and boundless patriotism. It was through the combination of these two virtues that he accepted, on 12 October 1991, the duty entrusted to him by the historic president, Ibrahim Rugova, to serve as Prime Minister of Kosovo.
For a decade, he led the Government of the Republic in exile, during which he worked and contributed immensely to the internationalization of the Kosovo issue, and especially to exposing the truth about Serbia’s presence in Kosovo—as an occupying, aggressive, and anti-Albanian chauvinist state.
The violations of human rights, civil rights, and national rights of Albanians in Kosovo began to echo across European media and global chancelleries, thanks in large part to former Prime Minister Bukoshi and his associates in the government-in-exile.
Yet, Dr. Bujar was also active in Kosovo, despite not being physically present.
Education in Albanian, which was at the forefront of the resistance; social assistance; and healthcare were maintained through the network of Councils and Sub-Councils of financing, which operated daily across every municipality in Kosovo.
He was an extraordinary prime minister, shaped both by extraordinary times and by his own exceptional character. He was the prime minister of a republic suppressed by a neighboring state, but also of a people who refused to be subdued. He was the prime minister of a state without an army, but with thousands of volunteers ready for a liberation war. He was the prime minister of a state without territorial control, but with uncontested political authority. He was the prime minister of a state recognized only by one other—by the Republic of Albania—but which became known around the world for its steadfast resistance.
Dr. Bujar left a lasting impression on the people of Kosovo not only through his professional service as a doctor, but also through his devotion as a leader of the executive in exile.
He began his education in Suhareka and Prizren, continued it in Belgrade, and completed it in Koblenz and Berlin.
He gave up an extraordinary academic and professional career to serve the people of Kosovo and institutionalize our resistance—first peaceful, then armed.
He bore a difficult task, as he served both as a bridge and dividing line between peaceful and armed resistance.
That is why I hope many historians will have a deep scholarly curiosity to uncover the hardships and dangers that former Prime Minister Bukoshi and his government-in-exile endured.
I personally met Dr. Bukoshi for the first time in my life when I was 10 years old. It was the distant year of 1985, when my parents organized a gathering for the doctors who had successfully performed my father’s gallbladder surgery at the Prishtina hospital. I will never forget the admiration my parents had for Dr. Bujar and Dr. Zana. At the same time, I had an additional admiration—childish, perhaps even national. I liked the names of these two doctors, whom my parents admired as distinguished Albanian professionals: Bujar and Zana. I wished my parents had such Albanian names too, but I was only 10 years old at the time.
I also met Dr. Bujar, the former Prime Minister of the Republic, on 21 January 1998 in Brussels. I was there with the president of the Student Union, Bujar Dugolli, and former Prime Minister Bukoshi had driven from Bonn to Brussels in his own car to support us during that student spring, which had begun on 1 October 1997.
Bujar Bukoshi contributed because he worked—and it is precisely because so many people contributed, worked, and sacrificed, especially during the liberation war as martyrs and heroes, that today we have the freedom and the state that we enjoy and that we must continue to build and develop together.
Glory to the life and legacy of former Prime Minister Dr. Bujar Bukoshi!
Glory to all political leaders who contributed to our beloved homeland, our Republic!
