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DR. VJOSA OSMANI SADRIU
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
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Republic of Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu’s Address on the 10th Anniversary of Academic Fehmi Agani’s murder

Ten years ago, Kosovo experienced the worst tragedy in its history. In the spring of 1999, faced with NATO airstrikes and convinced that its atrocious rule over Kosovo was reaching its end, Serbia committed unseen massacres upon the civilian population all around Kosovo. While Serb regular police and military forces were slaughtering unprotected Albanians every day, pyromaniacs encouraged by Milosevic and the entire Belgrade caste were burning houses and schools one by one, showing no respect for cultural facilities either.

Prishtinë, 5 maj 2009

Honourable Agani family,
Honourable Prime Minister Thaçi,
Honourable ministers, members of Parliament and mayors,
Honourable representatives of political parties,
Honourable participants in this commemoration academy,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Ten years ago, Kosovo experienced the worst tragedy in its history. In the spring of 1999, faced with NATO airstrikes and convinced that its atrocious rule over Kosovo was reaching its end, Serbia committed unseen massacres upon the civilian population all around Kosovo. While Serb regular police and military forces were slaughtering unprotected Albanians every day, pyromaniacs encouraged by Milosevic and the entire Belgrade caste were burning houses and schools one by one, showing no respect for cultural facilities either. It was during those dark days – when Serbia was openly trying to make a burned land out of our country – that the honourable professor, politician and patriot, Academic Fehmi Agani, departed this life.
Professor Agani was executed barbarously by Serbian forces only few weeks before Kosovo set itself free from the chains of slavery. Like many other fighters for freedom, independence and democracy, Fehmi Agani departed this world without seeing the dawn of freedom. However, all of us who knew him and had the chance to work with him are satisfied with the fact that he – owing to his glorious legacy of work and deeds – still lives and shall live in our individual memories and in the memory of our nation as the man who knew how to bring his human virtues, intellectual knowledge and love to the service of his country.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear participants in the this commemoration academy,

Professor Agani was the most active person in our overall movement for freedom and independence, especially in the last decade of the 20th century. He was the right arm of Kosovo’s historic President Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, who, while reminiscing the figure of professor Agani, said: “Kosovo is proud of professor Agani, his work and his figure. Profesor Agani was a great man of Kosovo. A man with a beautiful mind and great heart, as we all know him. Professor Agani is and shall remain a Kosovo hero. He has dedicated his entire life to the freedom and independence of Kosovo”.

Acknowledging these views of our prudent President Rugova for professor Agani in their entirety, we want to reiterate that Fehmi Agani was always distinguished for his human and moral modesty, which is a virtue of great men. With these personal traits and with the strength of arguments that he set forth to defend the issue of Kosovo and the national cause as a whole, Professor Agani gained the support of world diplomats and the respect for him as a Kosovo statesman.
At the national level too, he enjoyed the sympathy and admiration of the people of Kosovo for being an example of political maturity and commitment to a joint cause. Fehmi Agani was, undoubtedly, the most distinguished man in approximating divergent approaches in our political scene, which sometimes seemed almost irreconcilable. That’s why he had an authority amongst both his fellowmen and those who did not concur with the strategy of our political leadership of the end of 20th century.

Agani has provided an extraordinary contribution to the Albanian education, science and journalism. Owing to his views, modern ideas and clear vision for the future of his country, his writings attracted the attention of readers, not only those who belonged to academic circles, but to all the layers of Kosovan society, for Agani had already become a very popular figure. Like professors Anton Çetta and Latif Berisha, he was always among students and citizens of Kosovo, sharing common concerns and advising them how to cope with difficult times that our people going through. 
 
As mentioned by the connoisseurs of his work, the scope of Fehmi Agani’s work as an intellectual covered mainly the fields of sociology, political sociology, political philosophy, social relations, liberation movements, political groups and parties, and so on. Agani has earned an outstanding place in the Albanian culture of the second half of the last century.

 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It seems that men like Fehmi Agani depart this life early, but their legacy remains, as a guide for generations to come. We are fully convinced that professor Agani and his generation – who were the ones to embark on a fight against the violation of the rights of their compatriots and take the flag of leadership in the overall political and civic movement for the freedom of Kosovo – was undoubtedly a golden generation of Kosovo, which gave us smart, prudent, brave and visionary men, who knew how to lead us by a sound reasoning, even at the darkest moments of our history, precluding thus the execution of others’ dark blueprints against us.

The great value that these people had for the political, educational, cultural and humanitarian lives in Kosovo can be seen well from today’s perspective. Now that their vision for an independent, sovereign and democratic Kosovo has become a reality, our memory of people like Fehmi Agani bears proof of our political and state culture that they have sealed.

A Republic of Kosovo integrated into NATO and the European Union and in a permanent friendship with the United States of America was the main motto and political vision of the leaders of our Movement for freedom, independence and democracy. The motto remains, even now when Kosovo is recognised by 58 countries of the democratic world and awaits further recognitions, to which institutions of our country and our friends remain strongly committed. With God’s blessing, this summer, Kosovo will gain access to the sea, because Adriatic is coming closer owing to Durres-Pristina highway, which was a spiritual project of President Rugova and is being made a reality by Berisha government.
As a conclusion to my speech about the distinguished professor, politician and patriot Fehmi Agani, allow me to highlight that professor Agani took an active part in all major events that took place in our country during the 90s, such as: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, the Referendum for Independence and the establishment of Kosovo institutions. He was always in the front lines of journalistic and political activities, including his work on the field. Professor Agani’s name has given a shape to the political, state and human culture of our country. His vocation and legacy are a part of our further engagements in making Kosovo a place that he once loved and dreamt of.
For all these contributions, President Rugova has conferred three awards upon Academic Fehmi Agani: The Golden Medal of the League of Prizren, the Golden Medal of Independence and the Kosovo Hero Award.

Long live the glory of Fehmi Agan’s life and deeds!

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