At the parade ceremony of the Kosovo Security Force and Kosovo Police, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that “behind us lies the long history of resistance and struggle to achieve the creation and construction of the state of Kosovo.”

At this ceremony, which was attended by many citizens, Prime Minister Kurti mentioned all the personalities who helped Kosovo in its journey to independence, starting from Hasan Prishtina to the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci.

Kurti said that in the modern history of Europe, the creation of the state of Kosovo is one of the most powerful and exemplary stories of progress for freedom and perseverance for the state. According to him, the history of Kosovo does not begin nor end with any one generation.

Kurti, at the main event marking the 17th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, also mentioned the country’s leaders at the time when independence was declared, the former president Fatmir Sejdiu, the former speaker Jakup Krasniqi and the former prime minister Hashim Thaci.

The head of the Kosovo executive said that the Republic of Kosovo is the result above all of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Prime Minister Kurti said that the KLA is the army that has suffered the most from the lack of weapons and ammunition, therefore, as he said, “there is no greater satisfaction than equipping the KSF with weapons.”

Kurti: There is no greater pleasure than working on arming and equipping the KSF

“There is no other army in Europe that has suffered more for weapons and ammunition than the Kosovo Liberation Army. Therefore, there is no greater pleasure than working on arming and equipping the KSF with modern weapons and equipment like the ones we will see today…In the last four years, Kosovo has invested hundreds of millions of euros in purchasing ammunition and weapons systems, from mortars and mine throwers, to anti-tank missiles, javelins, and Bayraktar drones,” he said.

Today, on the 17th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, together with President Vjosa Osmani, paid homage at the graves of former President Ibrahim Rugova and activist Adem Demaci, and at the memorial complex in Prekaz.

17 years ago, at exactly 15:39, the declaration of Kosovo’s independence was made in a session of the Kosovo Assembly.

109 out of 120 MPs participated in the historic session, who also signed the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo. Serbian MPs did not attend this session. The declaration of Kosovo’s independence was made by the then Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

So far, 117 countries in the world have recognized Kosovo’s statehood, while Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Romania and Spain continue to not recognize it.