Kurti in the City Hall: Let's strengthen relations between BiH and Kosovo, so that Serbia does not repeat the crimes of the past

(Patria) - Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is tonight the keynote speaker at an extraordinary expanded session of Circle 99 in Sarajevo's City Hall on the topic "Development of relations in the region with special reference to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Kosovo".

At the beginning of his address, he thanked the organizers for the invitation and the warm welcome he received in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Emphasizing that Sarajevo is a symbol of resilience, culture and heritage, he recalled that Western Balkan leaders were recently supposed to discuss the Growth Plan in Neum. However, that meeting was canceled, but he - he stressed - could not cancel his visit to Sarajevo.

- Before I continue, allow me a friendly reminder, if I make a mistake in expressing myself, I apologize in advance. In elementary school, I learned the Serbo-Croatian language from a teacher from Montenegro.

I will begin my address by quoting Alija Izetbegović. On July 9, 1992, at a meeting in Helsinki, Izetbegović said:

"BiH did not come into being with the breakup of Yugoslavia; it was a kingdom six centuries ago. And even then, it was recognized by neighboring states, including the Holy See. BiH is a multinational and multi-religious state."

In other words, BiH survived after Yugoslavia and will continue to exist as an independent state subject of international law. I come to Sarajevo both as a friend and as a partner. Our relationship is rooted in the values we share in human rights and steadfastness - added Kurti.

Sarajevo is six hours away from Pristina, the Kosovo Prime Minister continues, explaining that to get to Sarajevo he had to overcome barriers of visa restrictions.

- I bring you greetings from Kosovo from friends whose friendship was long denied. We decided to implement the agreement on movement with ID cards. BiH and Kosovo are connected not only through history, but also through a painful and tragic past.

In many ways, Kosovo owes a debt to Bosnia. Largely because of the horrors the world witnessed in BiH, it was later prevented in Kosovo. NATO intervened in Kosovo in the second year of the war, because of Srebrenica - stated Kurti.

He then referred to earlier statements and reactions by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

- The President of Serbia called it frightening that a Serbian politician in Kosovo was sentenced to two years in prison. He stated that the crime was fabricated and asked whether "they will all convict us" because of it. "That is frightening," Kurti quoted Vučić's statement from five years ago.

- I cannot help but recall the words of Richard Holbrooke: "With the passage of time, there are things we could have done before, during, and after Dayton. I still regret that I agreed to let the Bosnian Serbs keep the name Republika Srpska for their entity; President Izetbegović was right when he told me it was a Nazi name. We should have tried to change it for practical reasons" - said Kurti.

He also emphasized that the political leadership of Serbia still denies numerous crimes and the genocide in Srebrenica.

- Serbia denies the genocide in Srebrenica, they deny their criminal past and thus show that they would repeat what they did if they had the opportunity. That is why we must strengthen relations between the two states; in doing so, we also help them not to do it again - said, among other things, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.