European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that “no one can rewrite Kosovo’s history,” stressing that the recent verdict by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague concerns the individual responsibility of the defendants and not Kosovo’s wartime resistance.
Speaking after her meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Prishtina, von der Leyen said Kosovo was going through an important political moment and addressed the first-instance verdict against four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
“I would start with the issue you also mentioned at the end of your remarks, which is understandably at the center of public attention,” von der Leyen said.
“Nothing and no one can rewrite Kosovo’s history. 1999 is engraved in your collective memory — the violent repression, the humanitarian crisis, and the suffering endured by your people. The European Union has stood with you ever since,” she said.
Von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s support for Kosovo and said the country’s future lies within the European Union.
She acknowledged that the verdict had triggered strong emotions in Kosovo and praised Kurti and other political leaders for calling for calm.
“I appreciate your measured reaction and that of the political leaders who are calling for calm,” she said.
Von der Leyen stressed that the mandate of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers must be respected and that the verdict should be accepted.
“One thing is clear: this verdict concerns the individual responsibility of the persons accused. Kosovo’s resistance was not on trial,” she said.
