The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, paid homage today at the Memorial Complex in Reçak, and then attended the Memorial Academy for the Reçak Massacre.
In his remark, President Thaçi said that 19 years ago Reçak became a worldwide known name and entered Kosovo’s modern history as a fact and symbol of sacrifice and martyrdom for the freedom we enjoy today.
The Head of State said that on January 15, 1999, Serbian police and military formations committed serious murders on the unarmed population.
“The Serbian politics of systemic terror, of state genocide and crime against humanity, which took enormous proportions in 1998 and 1999, was proved even better in Reçak”, adding further that “the morning of January 15, 1999, was not grave only for Reçak, but for entire Kosovo”, stressed President Thaçi.
The President said that Reçak, with its sacrifice, awakened the conscience of the democratic world.
“The naming of the crime with the true name by the friend of Kosovo, Ambassador William Walker was a sensitizing act of the Kosovo issue”, adding that the sacrifice of Reçak accelerated the setting in motion of the international diplomacy.
The Head of State said that for the first time in Kosovo’s history, an international conference was organized in Rambouillet, where the Albanian side was equal at the table. According to him, the fair fight of the Kosovo Liberation Army was internationalized maximally.
“This conference gave the political document that paved the way for NATO intervention to protect the people of Kosovo”, pointing out that these positive developments in favor of Kosovo would not be achieved without the effort and sacrifice of all our citizens, without the sacrifice of Reçak.
The Head of State said that we will not forget the crimes that the Serbian regime has committed in Kosovo, for which it will give responsibility one day.
The President stressed that Kosovo was liberated and opened new chapters of free life. “We will soon celebrate the 10th anniversary of the declaration of independence. Within this decade, remarkable achievements have been made in the state-building process and the consolidation of independence”, he said.
He said that Kosovo is a successful story of the cooperation between the Kosovo institutions and the international support.
“We have become a factor of peace and stability in the region, a democratic state, where every citizen is equal, regardless of ethnicity, culture or religion”, stressing that the daily construction of a new, advanced, free and democratic Kosovo, which was also the will of the fallen for freedom, is becoming reality every time more and more.
President Thaçi emphasized that the friendship built with our friends and allies, in hard times and good times, with the United States of America and the EU countries, is preserved and cultivated as a permanent asset.
“Kosovo and our citizens have a clear orientation, Euro-Atlantic integrations. No one can stop us on this road”, he said, adding further that there may be delays, but we have no other way.
“We will be at the altitude of the institutional responsibilities to remove isolation for our citizens as soon as possible. We, ourselves can change things for the good”, he said.
At the end, President Thaçi said that as a society, we should work together in this jubilee year, for Kosovo to strengthen its state identity and subjectivity even more.