It is an exceptional honour for me to honour with eternal memory the exceptional man of Kosovo, whose heritage is a treasure of ours today; the state, democracy and our development.
Honourable Rugova family, Mrs. Fane,
Honourable Prime Minister Mustafa,
Honourable Ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic missions in Kosovo,
Honourable friends, co-workers, and relatives of the President Dr. Ibrahim Rugova,
Honourable citizens of the Republic of Kosovo
It is an exceptional honour for me to honour with eternal memory the exceptional man of Kosovo, whose heritage is a treasure of ours today; the state, democracy and our development.
It is exceptionally difficult to express with word the emblem of the Independence of Kosovo, the architect of its house; the man who gifted love and dedication to this land.
It is even more difficult to judge the man which has written the history of his own country. Every engagement and challenge of ours, was a battle of his; each success and achievement of ours- a newly gained strength for him and each victory a a new joint step.
On this tenth anniversary together we remember the man which has led us towards our new history- history of peace, of democracy and of a state of his citizens, deserving to become an inseparable part of the developed world.
President Ibrahim Rugova is a symbol of the unity of the people of Kosovo, by leading a mature peaceful policy aiming to protect- during the hardest time of our painful history- the human beings of Kosovo.
Similar to the greatest liberators of the world, of the century he lived in- President Rugova led a policy of peaceful resistance, by becoming the voice of the oppressed, and the spiritual strength of a nation fighting for its freedom and a rather different tomorrow.
History did not go easy on him and his family- a mirror image of any Kosovar- but this very history will make him a leader of a national movement as much peaceful as powerful at an important moment for his country.
The history of his century will be written by himself, despite the fact that with his people and with the others he was just an ordinary man who shares the joy and pain, doubts and fear, its ups as well as its downs.
President Rugova will lead for nearly two decades through a war both hard and destructive, of the history of hegemony and hatred, towards peace and understanding with everyone, convinced by a mature thought and idea that state and democracy are built jointly with friends.
He gave life to the eternal friendship with the USA, which stood right by Kosovo at every single moment, and laid the foundations of the new state, and at the same time said that Kosovo will build important ties with each state, within EU and anywhere else.
At this tenth anniversary when we are honouring the figure of President Rugova, we remembers with sadness how ironic life itself can be, which did not allow him the short bit of time to enjoy the Independence Day- for which he had lived and worked- and that death took him away at the time when Kosovo needed him the most; to protect the unity of the people and to strengthen the maturity of the leadership towards the final act of statehood, at the doorstep of which they stood at the time.
President Rugova demonstrated to us the will power to lay the foundations of the statehood of Kosovo, a democratic state of all its equal citizens, at a time when dreams did not become realities; he regained the trust and pride of citizens of Kosovo; he gave strength to building of the institutions of the country by asking for establishment of a state of law, with law and order, and the respect of thereof.
The peace built together with him, after a long and destructive war, with the sacrifice of many generations who loved their Fatherland, is not a gist, but a great blessing for us.
Peace cannot be challenged be challenged because endeavours to build it were far greater that the strength which can destroy it. And the battle for peace today is the battle for tomorrow’s Kosovo, a unified state, better, more developed and advanced. Richer. State of its entire people, irrespective, who love the state and work for its future. A state of law. Above all a place which has lent the hand of understanding and cooperation to everyone in the region, which is asking for justice for the sake of reconciliation.
The battle of today for us is the battle of democracy, where rules are its foundation; where diversity is a value of society; where ideas are translated into actions and where understanding replaces the hatred. We are on an irreversible path to state making which differs from the Balkan stereotypes- of following a long and tiring transition, which challenges the laws and prolongs the culture of impunity.
Questions raised in front of us today- of the conclusion of the state building process through empowerment of democratic institutions, which serve its citizens; through conclusion of reforms in society, which empower it and make it an inseparable part of each move for the state; though building of understanding and cultivation of the culture of political dialogue, which empowers democracy; through internal dialogue of all communities regardless, which aids value to society- remind us of the strength of President Rugova to solve them, however hard might have issues been.
His vision of Kosovo as an inseparable part of the advanced world, equal member of all other countries in the UN, NATO and all other international organisations, is not just an aspiration of ours, but an incessant endeavour to make it a reality.
Honourable Rugova family,
Honourable participants
In memory of the figure of the man who ensured for himself an undeniable place in history with his trust in people, we feel pride that he led Kosovo towards freedom and peace, and who joined it with the world. WE feel pride that he taught us how to love your motherland, which he held together when it was most needed and how to join forces in order to build tomorrow.
God bless the remembrance of him!
God bless Kosovo!