Skopje, 26 August 2026
Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended a ceremony in Skopje marking the 116th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa, Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister stressed that “we have gathered in Skopje to commemorate one of the most renowned Albanian figures of the 20th century.”
“She was born in Skopje. Her family roots connected her to Prizren and Gjakova. In Letnica, she felt the calling. In Ireland, she began preparing for her missionary path. In India, she transformed that calling into a lifetime of service,” the Prime Minister said.
Stressing that she did not serve only one nation, one faith or one country, Prime Minister Kurti noted that Mother Teresa’s universality was not a denial of her origins, but an expansion of them.
“In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And when she accepted this award, she spoke of peace not as a distant notion, but as something that begins with the individual, with caring for others and with the dignity of every person. But what made Mother Teresa universal was not only the Nobel Prize, nor international recognition alone. She became universal by reaching out to the individual human being. The world saw millions; she saw one person. The world spoke of poverty; she reached out to the poor. And through this closeness to the human being, she built a legacy that transcended the boundaries of race, religion, nationality and country,” he added.
Full remarks by Acting Prime Minister Kurti:
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly of North Macedonia, Mr Afrim Gashi,
Honourable First Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and Minister in charge of European Affairs, Mr Bekim Sali,
Honourable Mayors of the Municipalities of Çair and Tetovë, Izet Mexhiti and Bilall Kasami,
Honourable Professor Skender Asani, author of the work,
Honourable Don Lush Gjergji, reviewer,
Honourable Member of the Assembly of North Macedonia, Mr Bekim Çoku,
Honourable Rector of the University of Tetova, Professor Kushtrim Ahmeti,
Honourable Rector of Mother Teresa University, Bekim Fetai,
Honourable Reisul Ulema, Shaqir Fetai,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, 26 August, on the birthday of Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, we have gathered in Skopje to commemorate one of the most renowned Albanian figures of the 20th century. A woman who would set out from this city on a journey that would take her far beyond her birthplace and make her known throughout the world for her humanitarianism and devotion to humanity.
116 years ago, here in Skopje, then the capital of the Vilayet of Kosovo under the Ottoman Empire, in the final years of the Empire’s existence, a daughter was born into an Albanian family, to Nikollë Bojaxhiu from Prizren and Drane Barnaj from Novosella of Gjakova, who the world would later know as Mother Teresa.
And at another important point along this journey, in Letnica, in the Municipality of Viti, not far from here, she would experience one of the moments that would shape her life.
At the feet of Our Lady of Letnica, Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu felt the divine calling to devote herself entirely to God. In her recollections, she describes this as a moment when she heard a voice calling her to devote herself to service.
She was born in Skopje. Her family roots connected her to Prizren and Gjakova. In Letnica, she felt the calling. In Ireland, she began preparing for her missionary path. In India, she transformed that calling into a lifetime of service.
There, devoting herself to the poorest of the poor, she built a legacy that would transcend the boundaries of country, religion and nation.
She did not live her life to become famous. But by devoting herself to those who had the least, she became one of the most renowned figures of her time.
Thus, the Albanian girl from Skopje became Mother Teresa of Calcutta and, later, a figure known throughout the world.
In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And when she accepted this award, she spoke of peace not as a distant notion, but as something that begins with the individual, with caring for others and with the dignity of every person.
But what made Mother Teresa universal was not only the Nobel Prize, nor international recognition alone.
She became universal by reaching out to the individual human being.
The world saw millions; she saw one person. The world spoke of poverty; she reached out to the poor. And through this closeness to the human being, she built a legacy that transcended the boundaries of race, religion, nationality and country.
Several years later, when then United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar introduced Mother Teresa at the United Nations General Assembly, he called her “the most powerful woman in the world.”
It was an extraordinary description for a woman who had no army, did not lead a state and held no office.
But she had another kind of power. The power of service. The power of kindness. The power that comes from a life entirely devoted to another human being.
She did not serve only one nation, one faith or one country. She cared for people regardless of who they were, where they came from or the circumstances in which they lived.
Mother Teresa’s universality was not a denial of her origins. It was an expansion of them.
She remained Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, the Albanian woman from Skopje.
And this is perhaps one of the most beautiful things her life teaches us: roots are not boundaries. Roots are starting points.
Therefore, when we speak of Mother Teresa as Albanian, we are not trying to confine a universal figure within a particular identity. We are remembering that even the universal has clear roots: a birthplace, a family, a language and a history.
And in her case, these roots connect us directly with this city and with Kosovo.
Skopje is the city where she was born. Letnica is the place where, according to her recollections, she felt the calling to devotion. India is the country where she devoted her life to serving the poorest of the poor. And the world is where her work took on a universal dimension.
Just a few days ago, in Letnica, thousands of pilgrims gathered once again at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Great Jubilee. In that place where a young Albanian woman once felt the calling to devote herself to serving others, people continue to gather, pray and seek peace to this day.
This continuity is significant.
For Mother Teresa’s legacy lies not only in the monuments, books or memories we have of her. It also lies in the way we treat others, especially those most in need of care, dignity and a helping hand; in the way we build our society and, in the values, we pass on to future generations.
Mother Teresa left us a great example: that a single life, when wholly devoted to a human ideal, can touch millions upon millions of people.
Today, 116 years after her birth in this city, the name of Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu continues to remind us that a place can be the beginning of a global story, that an identity can be a root rather than a boundary, and that service to humanity can be one of the highest forms of peace.
Therefore, today, in Skopje, we commemorate not only the place where Mother Teresa was born; we commemorate the point from which an Albanian girl set out into the world and, while never forgetting her roots, came to belong to all of humanity.
Thank you for the invitation, your participation and your attention!