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DR. VJOSA OSMANI SADRIU
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
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President Jahjaga’s speech at the Memorial Academy held on the 17th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre

President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga, visited today the village of Reçak, in the municipality of Shtime, on the 17th anniversary of the Reçak Massacre.

She laid flower wreaths at the Reçak Memorial Complex and paid homage to the victims.

President Jahjaga also attended the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of the statue of the Ambassador William Walker, which will be built in the vicinity of the Reçak Memorial Complex.

In the aftermath, President Jahjaga took part at the Memorial Academy, held at the House of Culture in Shtime.

At an address held at the Memorial Academy, President Jahjaga said:

Honourable Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Kadri Veseli,

Honourable Mayor Mr. Naim Ismaili,

Our dear Friend, Ambassador William Walker, who honours us exceptionally with his presence here today, not only in Reçak, not only in Shtime, but all around Kosovo, and the whole nation of Kosovo. On behalf of all institutions and all the people of Kosovo, I express my deepest gratitude.

Honourable Ambassador Minxhozi,
Honourable families of the martyrs,
Honourable citizens,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On each anniversary, we remember our most beloved ones with pain and pride, innocent people killed in most miserly manner- victims of crimes against humanity. Each anniversary is pain felt again, an inerasable memory of yours dear residents of Reçak, and of all of us in Kosovo, who feel the pain with you.
Reçak marks the great historic turn for Kosovo, through strengthening of the conviction of the international community that intervention to save a nation from genocide was inevitable.

Reçak is the end of a history of violence, of crime and killings, and it demonstrates the great sacrifice of many generations for the freedom and independence of Kosovo. It is the foundation stone of the new state of Kosovo.

Reçak is pain and pride; end of an era of hegemony; it is the strength and courage; the will to make a different Kosovo- one of free and independent citizens! Equal people with all others around the world!

Reçak is an inseparable story of an eternal friendship with USA and of a strong bond with EU.

Honourable participants,

Anniversaries in Kosovo have as much pain, as is painful the history of this country itself, a country which has made exceptional sacrifices and endeavours on its path to liberty and independence. Anniversaries mark the pride of this nation, its inerasable memory for its people; they share the pain for all those fallen, and above all, are a good reminder that the past cannot be repeated, because the present is being built in peace and understanding for a better future of the coming generations.

It is our obligation to fulfil the testament of all those who sacrificed for a different Kosovo- where the ruins of war still remain an inerasable part of history; where Motherland is the land of all those living on it, without any differences; where perspective of everyone is a civic state and where the future is built together, in democracy and freedom.

 It is a determination of everyone to fulfil the vision of  making of the state of law- where me and you- citizens of the Republic- have fair and equal chances, as much as the obligations, to have an incorrupt and economically strong state. It is our dedication to make this a promised land, a developed and advanced state, in which everyone will find its own perspective, without the need to look for it elsewhere.

And, our development depends upon ourselves, as much as our path of integrations depends on our work and engagements, on our maturity to find methods of state making based on the Constitution and the laws. As much as our political differences are part of political rivalry and not of political animosity and for as much as the dialogue is the foundation of problem solving. We have come where we are now by overcoming challenges and problems; Difficult years of confrontation in the internal environment, and especially in the international arena. We are half way through to making of the state- an inseparable part of the free nations, and therefore we cannot afford to stop and rest; we cannot turn back the history and we cannot challenge friendships.

Peace is built through hard toiling, and it cannot be lost. Our language is the language of dialogue and not one of violence; it is of the offering of the hand of understanding and not of confrontation; it is an attempt to find solutions without touching the state, without challenging the institutions and without destroying its foundations.

 On these political challenges we will need to sit and talk again, and to find common solutions- through the language of dialogue.

Kosovo is a testament of many a generations! And we cannot lose the chance to fulfil it. To make the state of pride for all those who sacrificed, for us who are building it today and for the coming generations to enjoy.

On each anniversary, despite the pain and sadness, we feel proud of our history, for all those who spared nothing to realize the century’s long dream for an independent and sovereign Kosovo.

May the remembrance of the martyrs be an eternal one!
 

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