Kurti: Milosevic's Serbia committed crimes, the equation between KLA leaders and a genocidal regime is unacceptable

The leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the trial in The Hague were mentioned as central issues in Prime Minister Albin Kurti's speech at the solemn session of the Kosovo Assembly on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of independence.

He emphasized the importance of the sacrifice of fighters and activists for the creation of the state, describing the republic as an institution of freedom and sovereignty, while also speaking about the accusations against former war leaders.

"Today is a day of remembrance for all those men, women and children who sacrificed much and everything for the Republic of Kosovo. The activists and fighters who tried to bring the republic to life. The republic, first and foremost, is an institution of freedom, an expression of sovereignty, a means of development. Therefore, when it comes to the republic and sovereignty, we cannot let go, because we cannot compromise with freedom and development. We remember the unrealized imaginations and visions of the activists and fighters who desired the republic, because without their sacrifice we would not have our state, and they inspire and guide us to strengthen it even more," he said.

Kurti stressed that the accusations of the Specialist Prosecutor's Office in The Hague do not hold up, and that former KLA leaders are being accused unfairly, just because they dared to take up arms for freedom.

"Today we remember the peaceful resistance of the 90s and we remember the Kosovo Liberation Army today. We bow with respect to the martyrs and try to preserve and exalt our Republic in their name. While we remember the date of the proclamation of the republic, we are concerned that the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Republic of Kosovo are being unjustly accused, because they dared to take up arms for freedom, against a century of oppression and against a genocidal regime. The accusations of the Special Prosecutor's Office in The Hague for crimes against humanity do not stand. They did not take into account the historical and political context of our liberation war, to each of which we owe our freedom today. Crimes against humanity against the Albanian civilian population were committed by Milosevic's Serbia. The threat of their repetition today is Vučić's Serbia. The equation between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is "unsustainable and unacceptable to us," he said.

The head of the executive branch further said that the alliance between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is unstable.

"The equation between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is unsustainable and unacceptable for us. The Republic does not give up when it comes to the issue of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and popular democracy. Democracy is both a source and an expression of Kosovo's sovereignty, where in addition to Albanians, our Constitution recognizes Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, Gorani. All are part of the people of Kosovo and participate in democratic elections," Prime Minister Kurti emphasized.