18 years since the Independence of Kosovo, an institution of freedom and sovereignty

2026-02-17 15:47:00, Opinione Albin Kurti

18 years since the Independence of Kosovo, an institution of freedom and

18 years ago, today's date was added to our national calendar, alongside March 2 of the Lezha Assembly, March 5, 6 and 7 of the heroic Battle of the Jashari family, March 11 of the student demonstrations, June 10 of the Prizren League, June 12 of the liberation of Kosovo, July 2 of the constitutional declaration, September 7 of the Kaçanik Constitution, November 22 of the Alphabet Congress, and November 28 - Flag Day. This is because on February 17, with the declaration of independence of our republic, another high level of our representation in the Balkans and in Europe was reached.

Today is a day of remembrance for all those men, women and children who sacrificed much and everything for the Republic of Kosovo. The activists and fighters who worked to bring the republic to life, at least since 1968, may not all have had the same imagination and vision of what the republic would be like, but they shared the same desire for freedom.

The republic is, first and foremost, an institution of freedom, an expression of sovereignty, a means of development. Therefore, when it comes to the republic and sovereignty, we cannot let go, because we cannot compromise with freedom and development. We remember the unrealized imaginations and visions of the activists and fighters who desired the republic, because without their sacrifice we would not have our state, and they inspire and guide us to strengthen it even more.

We remember today, the peaceful resistance of the 1990s, and we remember today the Kosovo Liberation Army. We bow with respect to the martyrs and strive to preserve and exalt our republic, also in their name. As we remember the date of the proclamation of the republic, we are concerned that the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Republic of Kosovo are being unjustly accused, because they dared to take up arms for freedom, against a century of oppression and against a genocidal regime. The accusations of the special prosecutor's office in The Hague for crimes against humanity do not stand. They do not take into account the historical and political context of our liberation war, to which we owe our freedom today. Crimes against humanity against the Albanian civilian population were committed by Milosevic's Serbia. The threat of their repetition today is Vu?i?'s Serbia. The equation between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is unsustainable and unacceptable for us.

The Republic does not give up when it comes to the issue of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and popular democracy. Democracy is both the source and expression of the sovereignty of Kosovo, where in addition to Albanians, our constitution recognizes Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, Gorani. All are part of the people of Kosovo and participate in democratic elections, in official institutions and in common life, respecting the law and the rights of each other.

The last democratic elections, after a several-month stalemate in the Assembly, once again showed the value of democracy, of free and fair elections. The Republic is not forced from the outside, by imposition and violence, but is built internally with our joint work.
The new government will continue its commitment to economic development, to strengthening security and to deepening education and culture. Economy means production and social welfare, security means protection and public order, education and culture means intelligence and human capital. To put it in a formula: we will protect intelligent production. In this way, we will consolidate economic growth and be more competitive in the region and beyond, and this will necessarily be accompanied by increased social welfare and increased defense capacities of the Kosovo Security Force. After the liberalization of visas with the Schengen Area, now our state's passport is stronger than ever before. We are ranking higher and higher in international rankings, in terms of security, democracy, rights and freedoms, rule of law, welfare, climate for foreign direct investment, etc.

When the Ahtisaari Plan was adopted, based on which Kosovo's independence was declared, the world had a different view and the restrictions placed on our right to self-determination were thought to be compensated for by both Serbia's European transformation and our country's inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic collective system. However, today we see that insecurity in the world has increased and that the Western bloc needs internal coherence to maintain the security system in Europe and to lead the world towards the values ??of freedom, democracy, solidarity, equality and especially human rights.

Changes in the international environment are inevitable and sometimes unpredictable. On the other hand, our northern neighbor Serbia only wants euros from Europe but is oriented towards the Kremlin. Therefore, we need to further strengthen Kosovo's statehood, democracy and alliances with Western countries and with those neighboring countries that have the same values ??and interests as us. Fortunately, at the Munich Security Conference a few days ago, where I participated as a representative of Kosovo, the United States of America and European countries confirmed that Euro-Atlantic values ??remain the same, the same values ??that we have written in our constitution.

We are determined to continue our path of integration into NATO and the European Union, as well as membership in the Council of Europe. We are ready to make our contribution to strengthening and reforming collective security in our region and in Europe, as we have done before. For this, we will continue to rely on the United States of America, Germany, Great Britain, Turkey, France and Italy, Canada and Japan, as well as cultivating relations and cooperation with other countries.

We will also cooperate with European countries that have not yet recognized the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state, and we will strive to provide Kosovo with new recognition around the world, so that we can join international organizations, as befits us as a sovereign and democratic state.

In the Western Balkans region, cooperation with the Republic of Albania, as well as with the Republic of North Macedonia, and with the Republic of Montenegro, countries where parts of the Albanian nation live, remains key. The defense alliance with Albania and Croatia is one more element in regional security and democratic peace, in the face of destabilizing factors.

On this day of independence, our citizens enjoy greater protection, democracy and prosperity. Kosovo is not just a new state on the map of Europe, but it is a reliable partner of democratic countries. Our path remains the same, because it has been determined by the history of the Albanian nation, the recent history of peaceful movements, the liberation war, the democratization processes in Europe and the will of the people of Kosovo for freedom and well-being. The sacrifice of our people for freedom has been perfect. Our work for the republic must be equally perfect.

*Full speech at the solemn session of the Assembly on the 18th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kosovo