I am honoured to be among you at this annual meeting of people who carry the burden of justice, often criticized and often challenged. Turning of this talk with the law enforcers into an active dialogue is therefore special, not only because of the manner of activities but above all because of the concrete results they have provided. Chief Prosecutor Lumezi, I have the complete trust that this annual meeting will turn from the run of the mill evaluation of the work into a concrete action towards strengthening of the state of law and establishment of the rule of law.
Honourable participants,
I am honoured to be among you at this annual meeting of people who carry the burden of justice, often criticized and often challenged. Turning of this talk with the law enforcers into an active dialogue is therefore special, not only because of the manner of activities but above all because of the concrete results they have provided. Chief Prosecutor Lumezi, I have the complete trust that this annual meeting will turn from the run of the mill evaluation of the work into a concrete action towards strengthening of the state of law and establishment of the rule of law.
We have often undertaken evaluations, positive ones as well, on the system of justice in Kosovo, by calling upon our citizens and their better future, and have dedicated ourselves to deepen the reforms in our society to make a different Kosovo. We have dedicated ourselves to the STATE OF LAW.
I emphasize how important your work is, of the people on the first line of the law enforcement; how valuable it is to the rule of law and how beneficial are the results of your work to the citizens. And I reiterate again: you are on the first line of the state of law.
We have been asking for reforms in the society; painful ones, challenging and by no means easy ones, but at the same time of utmost importance to the making of the state of Kosovo a developing democracy, an all inclusive state in which rights of everyone are equally realized. We have above all asked for reforms in justice, of this system which establishes the values of the country: law and order. Because this is a guarantee of both development and integration.
And this is achieved by law enforcement; respected by every single one of us, irrespective. No one can be above the law and no one can be pardoned for their violations.
I have continuously addressed the need for the intensification of the fighting of corruption and organized crime and I will continue to address this issue anywhere, anytime in in any manner.
We are as a society tired of the high level of corruption. We have damaged the functioning of the state with policies of impunity of all those involved in corruptive affairs. We have not only stricken our image in the international arena with this level of perception of corruption. And yet, we have not acted as much as we should have. Today is not the time to express with words the determination for fighting of corruption. Today is the time to, for the sake of our citizens and for the sake of the making of the state of Kosovo, find strength to end this cycle of fear and impunity. Today is the time to make Kosovo a non corrupt country.
We have demonstrated that we have the strength, ability and will to make Kosovo an equal part of the global security architecture and align it side by side all the democratic forces in the world. Because we cannot allow that values of freedom and democracy are challenged by extremist and radical groups. We cannot become a shelter of any extremist group, and this is why we have become a global partner in fighting of this threat. But our battle is also an internal one, in helping our youth not to fall prey to religious extremism by offering to them more opportunities, more chances in life, more education and more perspective. But we will not allow any extremist group to challenge our state, to attack our constitution and to shake the values of diversity and tolerance, religious tolerance, built with lots of toil during the centuries.
This requires closer cooperation of the police with the prosecution and building of the cases which lead to conviction and deserved punishment.
Honourable participants,
We have entered into a new state, of a contractual agreement with EU, and therefore we need a full consensus of the society on the path to integration. EU has no other alternative for us and at the same time it is the issue which unites all the people of Kosovo, irrespective.
But this journey requires from us much more determination and lots more work. It requires strong and democratic institutions; it requires more law and order; respect of institutions of justice; more engagement in protection of the values of the diversity of our society, ethnic, religious and cultural ones. But above all, it requires agreements and dialogue. A dialogue without prejudice, between people who once stood together in making war, who today must protect the peace. Thus, we must all sit together and find solutions, because we cannot challenge the state every single day and we cannot ruin the institutions of the country, trust in which we must return to the citizens with lots of hard work.
For as much as we need to return the shaken trust of the citizens in the institutions of justice. And the burden lies with you; who are on the front line of the rule of law, to undertake this with determination and dedication, to make the justice system an effective one, result oriented and unbiased, sublimating the spirit of the human rights.