Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Elisa Spiropali, spoke after visiting the detention unit of the Special Court in The Hague, where she met with former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and other senior UÇK figures.
Spiropali said she found Thaçi “in good condition” and reported that he was following developments in Albania and Kosovo closely, expressing his wish to see both countries prosper.
“At the detention unit of the Special Court in The Hague I met President Thaçi and conveyed to him the greetings of the Albanian government and, I believe, of the Albanian people. I met also the three other fighters — Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. I am glad I found President Thaçi in good condition; he was following developments in Albania and Kosovo and wishes to see our two countries do well,” Spiropali said.
She underlined the Albanian government’s support for a fair and proper judicial process, saying it must deliver historic justice rather than historic injustice.
“I conveyed the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister Edi Rama for a regular and fair process that should produce historic justice and not historic injustice,” she said.
Spiropali also urged respect for Kosovo’s sovereign decision to accept the Specialized Chambers and the Special Court, warning that the decision should not be inverted or undermined.
“We hope that Kosovo’s mature state decision to establish the Specialized Chambers and the Special Court will not be turned on its head, but will be respected in its original spirit — respecting the rule of law, human rights, and, above all, preserving the trust that Albania, Kosovo and Albanians invest in international justice. It is vital to stress that the people of Kosovo — the men and women who rose up — fought to defend their homes and lives, not to aggress against another people or state. That struggle for freedom must not be smeared; the fight for existence cannot be trivialized. These processes must be clearly separated so that historical truth, justice and the sacrifices of an entire people are not trampled,” she added.
