Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, discussed domestic politics, his government’s achievements, security, and threats from Serbia, among other delicate issues, in an interview.
Kurti began by speaking about the 25th anniversary of Kosovo’s Liberation and the country’s achievements during these years. The Prime Minister emphasized that the country has undergone gigantic changes.
“All those foreigners coming to mark the 25th anniversary of Kosovo’s Liberation, if they haven’t visited before, can hardly recognize our country because the changes are gigantic. This makes us proud, but also a bit saddened and pained for those who are no longer with us and who paid the highest price for the state and freedom we have. At that time, 120,000 Albanians were burned or destroyed. In 25 years, significant progress has been made. Besides needing justice and progress, greater pressure from the international community is needed so that the criminals in power in Serbia are not only free there but also answer to justice in Kosovo and internationally. The wounds that have remained open for these 25 years need to be healed,” Kurti said.
But has enough been done over these years to document what happened during the war period?
“We are late, but not too late. International factors were successful in 1999 when peace was established in Kosovo, with the entry of NATO troops and the possibility of refugees returning. Albanians returned immediately to their homes. This was also the miscalculation of Slobodan Milošević, who believed that after Operation ‘Horseshoe,’ which expelled, killed, and massacred Albanians, they would never return to their homeland. But when it was necessary to move from the humanitarian phase to development and justice, neither UNMIK nor EULEX produced results. It is regrettable that even justice in Kosovo has not delivered the results we expected. At the end of May, it has been five years since we enabled the trial and sentencing in absentia of war criminals. However, you can count on your fingers what has been done. Most massacres have no one accused, tried, or convicted. I believe there is much room and urgency for the prosecution and judiciary to be more effective, as many witnesses are aging and passing away,” Kurti stated.
Regarding the logo for the 25th anniversary of Liberation, a white dove and a double-headed eagle, why this choice?
“June 12th in Kosovo is not only considered Liberation Day but also Peace Day, since there is no peace without liberation. It is the day when NATO forces entered Kosovo, but it is not the day when the boots of Serbian soldiers or police left Kosovo. That is June 20th,” the Prime Minister of Kosovo said.