YouSaid · the spoken record

Citaku

lines on the record: 330
first: 2010-11-12
most recent: 2019-10-31
sittings or episodes: 17
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“So while we will talk to our Serbian citizens in order to address their concerns, we will allow no one to have veto power over that process. During the past few months, we have had to deal with a very aggressive and unconstructive attitude on the part of our neighbour to the North. Instead of normalizing relations, Serbia has been creating unnecessary obstacles in different regional and international forums. That includes the violation of the implementation of other Brussels agreements, some of which have been completely blocked - such as the ones on energy, justice and the recognition of diplomas.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“We were very grateful for the statement that United States Vice-President Pence made two weeks ago in Podgorica at the Adriatic Charter Summit, in which he articulated the support of the United States for Kosovo's full membership in the United Nations loudly and clearly. For our part, we will do everything we can to convince our Serbian citizens that Kosovo's army will be their army too, and that there is absolutely nothing to fear. I am pleased to inform the Council that we have already started to reap the fruits of our efforts. On 7 July, Kosovo's security forces organized a graduation ceremony for 61 new cadets - 58 Kosovo Serbs and three Kosovo Montenegrins. Today they are active members of the security forces serving in all of its units.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“While our path towards membership in the European Union has been settled with the entry into force of our Stabilization and Association Agreement, we are now focused more than ever on starting the NATO Partnership for Peace process. In that regard, Kosovo's institutions have been working hard, alongside our partners, to conclude the process of transforming our security forces into armed forces. For far too long we have been consumers of security. We believe it is time not only to fulfil our sovereign duty by establishing our own armed forces, but also to contribute to the regional and international security infrastructure. The challenges we face today know no borders, and they demand that we all work together, side by side. Kosovo cannot afford to sit and be a silent observer. We want to be an active participant and to contribute.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“International observers noted that Kosovo's parliamentary elections met the highest international standards, except in northern Kosovo, where local Serbian leaders faced pressure and threats, often from the Serbian State itself. Like all democracies, in the wake of the elections we are now creating a Government. As we speak, the parliamentary constituent session is meeting in order to reach the necessary quorums for electing its various bodies and, later, the Government itself. Despite their obvious differences and disagreements, all the political parties in Kosovo share a common objective, that of Euro-Atlantic integration. On that issue, the Council can rest assured.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“In fact, let us try to guess what would happen tomorrow if today's meeting did not take place. The answer is - nothing. I know that. My colleagues from Belgrade know that. We all know that. From our point of View, it is not only unnecessary but irresponsible for us to come here and bother the Council with useless debates at a time when its attention is needed to address real challenges and problems in which the United Nations has an important role to play. In the meantime, on 11 June Kosovo held democratic elections for the third time since its independence. They were the most successful, competitive and peaceful that we have held to date. The turnout was especially high among the Serbian community.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Furthermore, at a time when the world is facing serious challenges and crises across every continent, we continue to come to New York and take up the Security Council's valuable time simply because our northern neighbour insists on a Charade. Just last month, leaders ofthe Western Balkans met in Trieste to discuss economic cooperation between our countries. Today, Kosovo is an equal member in the forums and meetings of the Berlin Process. When we meet in Berlin, Vienna or Paris, Serbia and Kosovo sit at the same table as equals, as two States. Serbia has no problem when it sees our flags standing next to each other. So the question is why Serbia insists on asymmetry in this forum here. Why is this dichotomy being tolerated, when it is clearly being misused to project an image that does not match the reality?”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Let us think of the millions of refugees currently all over the world 4 there are 65 million of them, the largest number since the Second World War. I am sure UNMIK's millions and resources can be put to much better use. It is a shame to use taxpayers' money for repetitive, ill-considered projects. Instead of shrinking its budget and returning its funds, UNMIK has been building and funding permanent solar panels for a rented building in Kosovo. Member States should take action on an issue that has been gone over many times in this Chamber - downsizing the Mission at every level and bringing it to an end.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“However, not only has it continued to operate for more than 12 months, today, 18 years later, we are still here because of resolution 1244 (1999) - which, by the way, does not include a requirement that the Secretary-General must report on the Mission every three months. Let us therefore get real and bring UNMIK to an end. Times have changed since 1999. Kosovo today is free, independent and a sovereign State. There is absolutely no need for UNMIK to be present, because it has no role or function except for some self-invented initiatives that have been put in place to justify its existence. In terms of budgets alone, since 2009 more than $400 million has been spent to maintain a Mission whose mandate ended years ago.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Ms. Citaku: I am pleased to be here and seeing the Council every three months, but I would like to remind everyone why we are here. On 10 June 1999, the Council adopted resolution 1244 (1999) with the aim of resolving the grave humanitarian situation in Kosovo and providing for the safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes in the aftermath of a terrible war and a time of ethnic cleansing. If we try to read resolution 1244 (1999) again for a moment, confusion awaits, since it talks about a country that no longer exists - the former Yugoslavia. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was initially established for a period of 12 months.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“There is no Great Kosovo or Great Albania; there are Albanians living in Kosovo, Albanians living in Albania, Albanians living in Macedonia - our common goal and shared objective is to be equal citizens of the European Union.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“This is a small defensive force, which will complete our State security infrastructure, in accordance with the security sector review that we conducted together with NATO. As Council members may have already heard, after the no-confidence motion last week, Kosovo will hold early parliamentary elections in June this year. We have invited international observers to monitor the process. For Kosovo, the credibility of the electoral process is far more important than the outcome. Way too many challenges lie ahead this year, and the new Government will need full credibility and legitimacy to push forward the agenda. Furthermore, while there are obvious differences between the political parties in Kosovo, just like in any democracy, there is a fundamental agreement and a broad social consensus about the Euro-Atlantic future of Kosovo.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“We also want to become contributors to regional and global security. In accordance with our laws and Constitution, therefore, we have initiated the establishment of a Kosovo army. We will engage in an intensive and serious effort to convince the local Serbian population to support this project. All other minorities in Kosovo support it. But we will not allow anyone to hold us hostage, nor will we give veto power to anyone in that regard. We will push for constitutional changes, but if it becomes obvious that Serbia is interfering and not allowing local Serbian members of Parliament to decide on their own, then we will move ahead with legislative changes. We are not buying MIGs, so there is no room for panic.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Instead of finding the strength to deal with its own past, instead of seeking catharsis, Serbia has chosen the path of denial. The number of Serbians charged with or convicted for crimes committed in Kosovo is zero. Rather, they are being promoted to high-level positions, as in the case of General Dikovie, whose responsibility for killing 1,400 civilians is documented. Regardless, however, we will not allow Serbia to deter us from our own commitments. Between 2009 and 2015 alone, Kosovo institutions issued more than 20 indictments for war crimes. Every life is important and every death should be properly investigated. We will remain committed to peace and dialogue, just as we have always been. And we will work harder and harder to become a responsible member of the family of the free nations of the world.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“And it also has to accept its historical responsibility. Would the reconciliation between France and Germany have ever happened if Germany had denied its responsibility for the Second World War? Serbia has failed to deal with its own past. It has failed to deal with the real - not fictional, but real and well-documented - crimes that were committed in Kosovo during the war. The Centre for Human Rights in Serbia published a horrifying report with facts and figures that illustrate the unprecedented measures that Serbia undertook to hide traces of its war crimes, going as far as to erect buildings on top ofmass graves. Imagine the feelings of the thousand families in Kosovo that are demanding answers and a proper burial.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“And it is now clear that Serbia wants to win the moral challenge by trying somehow to artificially create a moral parity between itself and the rest of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. That is simply false. There was one aggressor in the former Yugoslavia, and it was Serbia. There was one military that fought for expansion and committed genocide. The rest of us - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo - were fighting for freedom and our lives. Even today, Serbia refuses to accept historical responsibility for what happened. Even today we heard a representative of Serbia's Government deny a massacre that happened before the eyes of the world. The point I am trying to make is that for reconciliation to happen, Serbia has to accept Kosovo as an equal and as a State.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Many were leaders from other countries, including a former United States President, a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Prime Ministers of Italy and Germany, as well as Foreign Ministers and Ministers ofDefence were included on Red Notices. The most recent episode, involving Mr. Ramush Haradinaj, the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, has thankfully ended, and although it took a few months, he has finally been released by the French authorities. What happened to him says a lot about the state of mind that prevails in Serbia today. Mr. Haradinaj was acquitted not once but twice by the Tribunal in The Hague. Serbia knows very well that it has lost the battle with Kosovo. Militarily, it was lost in 1999; politically in 2008; juridically in 2009, with the ruling of the International Court of Justice.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“On the one hand Serbia tells us that it is for peace and reconciliation; on the other, every day it misuses the INTERPOL Red Notice system and issues warrants against our leaders and freedom fighters who defended their homes from atrocities, as the Council and the entire world are well aware. That seems to be part of the old pattern of brutality mixed with fake bureaucracy that tormented Kosovars for decades. After beating, humiliating, killing or, in the best cases, expelling them from Kosovo, Serbian police would draw up terrorism charges against them to prevent them from returning home or having a normal life. By the way, those subject to these kinds of fake bureaucratic tactics and fake allegations were not just Kosovars.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Without undermining the vital importance that peacekeeping missions have for security in general, I should point out that the mandates of some missions - UNMIK being a good example - were drafted years, sometimes even decades, ago. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank Ambassadors Haley and Delattre for saying that this was the right time to close the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. The second thing I want to talk about is the dialogue with Serbia. While we will remain committed to it, we are tired of double standards, double games and ambiguity.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Furthermore, spending the Security Council's precious resources on a Mission that no longer serves a purpose is an injustice to all the people who do need its help. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has no role in Kosovo, which is why we were surprised to see that its budget and staff for next year are increasing. The Council may choose to keep an expensive Mission in Kosovo, but there is no role for it to play in its current form. The most recent Security Council debate on peacekeeping missions (see S/PV.7918), initiated by the United States delegation in the presence of the Secretary-General and supported by the members of the Council, highlighted conclusions that the Council's approach to peacekeeping missions should change, which is precisely what we have been calling for a long time now.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“There is something inherently racist in that attitude. Serbia has always tried to portray us as an unworthy class of people with no culture, a second class. Try saying that to Majlinda Kelmendi, our Olympic gold medallist; or Petrit Halilaj, who was honoured last week at the Venice Biennale; or Mergim Cahani, who three years ago had an idea and today is running the fastest- growing information and technology company in the region; or the brand-new graduates I met the other day at the American University in Pristina, who were full of hopes, dreams and curiosity, no different from their peers in Europe and America. What I am trying to say is that although Kosovo has many challenges, this Chamber is not where we should address them.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“I am not talking only about high levels of intolerance or hidden discrimination, which has always existed, but the visible and constant discrimination of ethnic Albanians, especially in the areas of the economy and education, including their underrepresentation at the local and central levels of employment in the public sector and many other restrictions that they face on a daily basis. I know that because I visited them myself. Yet there is no Security Council meeting or discussion concerning their rights. The bottom line is that Serbia uses this platform and somehow insists on an asymmetrical representation. lt insists that we are somehow not equal, that somehow they are superior. Let me to say it again, loud and clear. We are independent, equal and confident, and we are not inferior.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“If the situation of minorities in any given country were to be the criterion for meeting here every three months, believe me when I say that Kosovo would be far down on the list, not because the situation concerning the integration of minorities is perfect but because we have gone to great lengths to accommodate their needs. Serbs in Kosovo are the most privileged minority in Europe. Does anyone know where the most discriminated community in Europe lives? The answer is in Serbia f Presheve, Medvegje and Bujanoc, where every day the Albanian community is faced by all forms of harsh discrimination.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“I invite everyone to come to Kosovo and see the reality, because - trust me - the discussions in this Chamber do not correspond to it. I have said it before, and I will say it again: just because Serbia does not recognize us as a State does not mean that we are not within our rights to be an independent State and people. Just because we are not yet a State Member of the United Nations - because of purely geopolitical power plays beyond our control - does not make us any less of a State. And, yes, we are not a perfect State. We face many challenges. We have much that remains to be done. But we all know that the reason that we came and sat here today - and why we do so every three months - is not because we are not perfect. Let us take the example of minority rights.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“According to the resolution, however, Montenegro is part of a union called Serbia and Montenegro. Secondly, it was precisely in this Chamber that on 24 October 2005 the Council adopted a presidential statement (S/PRST/2005/51) calling for the beginning of a political process to determine Kosovo's future status. It was precisely the Secretary General's Special Envoy, the wise President Ahtisaari, who, after a very intensive and extensive process of negotiations, proposed independence for Kosovo as a final solution. It was precisely the International Court of Justice that, at Serbia's request for review, specifically and unambiguously stated that Kosovo was within its rights when it declared independence and that its independence did not violate the international law.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“They were with us when approximately 1 million Kosovars - half of our population - were deported, while assisting us in the refugee camps in Albania and Macedonia. And they were with us when we returned home. Although we found everything in ashes, we rebuilt our homes and lives with their help and support. They were there for us during the most difficult days, but now it is simply unnecessary, counterproductive and, frankly, cynical to come here every three months, repeat the same old stories just for purely political reasons and a power play. Resolution 1244 (1999), adopted 18 years ago, expired a long time ago. First of all, it refers to a union that no longer exists. I am sure that the members of the Council have heard about Montenegro's recent accession to NATO.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Ms. Citaku: I am honoured to be here today, and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to me by the members of the Security Council, whose time is very valuable. I know that, as we speak, the world has many pressing challenges and problems to address. It was in 1993 that members of the Council in this Chamber spoke about Kosovo for the first time. At that time, when based solely on our ethnicity we were exposed to apartheid, imprisoned for our political beliefs and expelled from our schools and rightful jobs, the Security Council members in this chamber spoke up. Later in 1998 and 1999, as we were living the nightmare of brutality, the Security Council adopted seven resolutions calling for peace and the end of ethnic cleansing. For that we will be forever grateful. All members spoke on our behalf.”
2017-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7940 (2017) · source
“Young, dedicated and selfless people in Kosovo are writing history and making us proud every day. These include Majlinda Kelmendi, who once again won the world judo championship, and Arta Dobroshi and Shpat Deda, who collaborated with British producers and just brought home our first award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. In the real world, beyond politics and political turmoil, there is a Kosovo in which youngsters try hard, challenge the boundaries imposed by politics, dream big and never let us down. I would like to invite everyone here to come and visit, so that they can see with their own eyes what Kosovo looks like today.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“We will not discuss with Serbia or with anyone else the establishment and the creation of our own armed forces. That is a legitimate and a sovereign decision for the Kosovo authorities to make. Although the President of Kosovo established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission because we believe that every family and every victim, regardless of ethnicity, deserves truth and justice, what we heard from Serbian President in January was a call for war. Now, obviously, there will be no war - we all know how the last one ended - but in order to build sustainable peace, the absence of war is not enough. I should be clear that we in Kosovo will not be distracted. We know exactly who we are, and we know exactly what we want. We want peace, dialogue and reconciliation, but never submission.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“They should be masters of their own lives. Kosovo institutions have gone to great lengths to accommodate their needs. Unprecedented legislative and constitutional measures have been put in place in order to make sure that their rights are guaranteed. We will, in accordance with our Constitution, implement all the agreements that we reached in Brussels. We will establish the association/community of Serb- majority municipalities but only in accordance with our Constitution, without their having any legislative or executive power. We will not allow Serbia to hold us back and hostage to its own troubling past. We understand that dealing with the past is sometimes more difficult for the perpetrator than for the victim. Questions need to be answered and, for some, that past is shameful.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Now, really, does anyone have any idea of what Serbia thinking? Would any Council member sitting around this table allow the same thing to happen in his or her country? Kosovo, of course, took measures to stop the train, and after seeing our resolve, just before it reached the border, Serbia decided to stop the train. Frankly speaking, there is no reason to praise Serbia for doing that. It is playing the roles ofboth pyromaniac and fireman. It should not be rewarded for fixing a problem that it created in the first place. We experienced a similar situation with regard to the wall that was built in the centre of the city of Mitrovica and later removed by those who put it there in the first place. Those kinds of games should end. Serbs living in Kosovo should not be held hostage by Serbia and played as pawns in order to create leverage.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Instead, they are being promoted to high-level positions, such as in the case ofGeneral Dikovie, the current Chief of Staff ofthe Serbian Armed Forces, who, as has been documented, is responsible for the killing of 1,400 civilians. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is and was not a terrorist organization. The KLA has been the most successful liberation movement in recent history. What we face on an almost daily basis from Serbia are one-sided provocations aimed at destabilizing Kosovo. There is a train service that runs twice daily between Kosovo and Serbia. People commute from one side of the border to the other. There was never a problem, until one day in mid-January when Serbia decided to send a train fully-loaded with hatred to Kosovo covered with the slogan "Kosovo is Serbia" translated into 21 languages, including Albanian.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Just last month, the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade published a shiver-inducing report substantiated by facts and figures of unprecedented measures that Serbia undertook to hide traces of war crimes, going so far as building structures on top of the mass graves. According to Serbian logic, Churchill, De Gaulle, Roosevelt and Eisenhower should have faced the Nuremberg trials - not the Nazis. Let us imagine just for one second those thousands of families in Kosovo who are demanding answers and a proper burial for their loved ones. Instead of finding the strength to deal with their own past, catharsis and de-Nazification, Serbia has chosen the path of denial. Zero is the number of Serbians charged or convicted for war crimes committed in Kosovo.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“This is persecution. Furthermore, this is a desperate act by Serbia to reverse history. As a reminder to everyone, Serbia conducted and levelled similar trials and charges against all Western leaders in 2000, including Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroder and Javier Solana, among others. We have no doubt that this Kafkaesque process will end soon and that Mr. Haradinaj will return to Kosovo where he belongs, but the really disturbing element in all of this drama is Serbia's failure to deal with its own past - with the real and not the fictional crimes that were committed in Kosovo during the war.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“The Court ruled that States exists for the population, not vice versa, thereby confirming without any ambiguity that we did not break any international law when we declared our independence. Secondly, just because Serbia refuses to accept us as a State does not make us any less ofa State. That only signifies that Serbia is a neighbour that remains hostage to its own hegemonic and neo-colonial past. Its attitude is clearly demonstrated by the abuse of the issuance of an INTERPOL red notice, as we recently witnessed in the case of the detention of the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Ramush Haradinaj. Mr. Haradinaj was twice acquitted at The Hague tribunal, and we have absolutely no doubt that the justice system in France will function professionally and release him. That is long overdue. This is not justice. This is not prosecution.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“While we heard from my Serbian counterpart about a parallel universe, let me please tell the Council what is happening in the real world. First, Kosovo is a free, independent and sovereign State recognized by the overwhelming majority of the free nations of the world. Just today, Bangladesh recognized the Republic of Kosovo, and we wish to thank its Government and its people. We wish also to thank the people and the Government of Singapore, which recognized Kosovo previously, in December. It is very clear that this process is unstoppable. Kosovo is a member of more than 50 regional and international organizations and on a clear path towards becoming a member of the European Union, and soon, hopefully, a Member of the United Nations. The legitimacy of our cause was sealed by the crystal-clear ruling of the International Court of Justice.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Mimoza Kusari, has been working hard to accommodate minority communities in her municipality. For the record, the municipality has invested in the reconstruction of the Serbian Orthodox church there. The church does notpay for any utilities; the municipality covers all costs. Moreover, the municipality has invested in a small farm on the premises of the church in order to be even more accommodating to the people who are living and serving there. The Orthodox Church in Gjakova was never attacked, and there is good cooperation. The incident to which the report refers has to do with a very specific situation, that of people who were involved in war crimes coming to visit the site. This is the whole story. The context is everything, and often the reports of the Special Representative fail to provide that.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Frankly, Iwill not go through every topic mentioned in the relevant report of the Special Representative. If United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo criteria were used also to write reports about the countries of the representatives sitting around this table, trust me, many reports would have to be produced. I will just mention briefly several issues. First, with respect to the incident that took place in the city of Gjakova, what the report failed to mention is that in 1998-1999, 1,665 civilians were killed in that city. That is 13 per cent of the entire population. In the village of Meje alone, 373 civilians were killed in less than an hour. Three thousand women were raped. Hundreds went missing. Houses, schools and religious sites were destroyed. Yet the mayor of Gjakova, Ms.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“The lessons of Kosovo are quite simple; you can win if you are right and if the cause is just, even if you are not the powerful one. Furthermore, humankind is capable of miracles. When there is solidarity among the free nations of the world, life prevails over death and good prevails over evil. We will forever be grateful for the role the Council has played, but the time has come to move on. Corning here every three months, taking up the Council's valuable time and hearing the same old stories represents an unjustified use of the Council's valuable time. Spending millions to maintain a mission in Kosovo that no longer has a function or purpose is an unjustified expenditure of United Nations resources given that we know very well that they could be put to much better use.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Ms. Citaku: Before I read out my remarks, I wish to stress that I will abide by the lO-minute time limit that you, Sir, proposed, out of respect for your time as President and out of respect for the members of the Security Council. Secondly, allow me to convey our deep condolences in connection with the passing of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. We disagreed on almost everything, but we appreciate his role and contribution. Ten days ago, Kosovo celebrated the ninth anniversary of its independence. We allremembervividly that cold day in Pristina: the emotions, expectations and dreams. All the suffering that Kosovars were subjected to, the years of discrimination, exclusion, mass killings, ethnic cleansing, rape and deportation, did not deter us from pursuing our destiny. We persevered, and we succeeded.”
2017-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7891 (2017) · source
“Ivanovic' is concerned, he was indicted and has been brought to trial by the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). The Kosovo Government supports the role of EULEX, and we look forward to a time when all these trials are far behind us. I apologize for taking more of the Council's time. I really felt offended and I know some others here did as well. The meeting rose at 6.30pm.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“I listened to him, and ask him to listen to me. Ijust hope that one day we will come to the Chamber and hear an apology and signs of remorse from Serbia, because ultimately that is in Serbia's interest as well. Can anyone imagine Germany, after the Second World War, accusing Allied forces of intervening to save Europe? I really hope that Serbia will reflect because, as I said, that is the only way the region will be able to move forward. Unfortunately, our legislation and Constitution make it very clear against whom we can open investigations and indictments. We cannot indict people in absentia - when they are not physically present in Kosovo - and the fact is that most of the people who committed war crimes have left Kosovo. As far as Mr.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“Our biggest resource is human resources - people. We have a young population, 70 per cent of whom are under 30. This human potential, which was liberated and enabled to live in freedom, is the only benefit and pleasure that the international community has gained. Sincerely, I am shocked and offended. I hope that my colleague from Serbia will reflect on these statements. Secondly, the war in Kosovo did not happen 500 years ago or 70 years ago; it is a recent war. It happened in 1998 and 1999 before the eyes ofthe world, under the eyes of those in this Chamber, and journalists from the United States to Russia to China to Japan. Everybody was there and the images are real. Interpretations can change and be different, but facts cannot change. Facts are real. I am sorry that my colleague is losing patience.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“Ms. Citaku: I will be very considerate of the Council's time, but some of the issues raised by my colleague from Serbia deserve a response. In fact, most of his statement, if it were not so troubling, given that it was delivered here in the Security Council, would have been amusing and entertaining. Accusing the international community, the leaders of the free world and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization of being involved in Kosovo for their own interests and our resources is insulting. Actually, Kosovo is a clear example of the world coming together to defend human dignity, human life and humanitarian values. For those who do not know, Kosovo is the size of Connecticut; it is a small country. By the way, we had borders long before we had our statehood. We are not actually very rich in natural resources.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“We believe that not only Kosovo, but also INTERPOL would gain from our membership, and we are convinced that in the coming sessions our request will be put forward. We in Kosovo are fully aware that there is much more work that needs to be done in order to meet the rightful expectations of the Kosovo people. Internally, we have realized that independence is not self- sufficient. People want more jobs, better education and health care. They want to be equal citizens ofthe global family of the free nations of the world. And it is our job to make sure that what we leave behind for the future generations is a republic in which everyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation, has equal opportunities to prosper. To achieve that goal, there is more that needs to be done, but it is a goal worth fighting for.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“Just last week, thanks to the cooperation ofKosovo, Albanian and Macedonian law enforcement institutions, a terrorist group was apprehended. That is yet another reason why Kosovo must become part of the global family. Most of the challenges we face are borderless, and cross-border cooperation and coordinated actions and responses to those threats are necessary. We therefore regret that INTERPOL has decided to postpone voting on three applicant countries until the criteria for membership are revised. We believe that we should all be treated on individual merits. Kosovo's request to join should be considered because we meet the criteria. Transparency International highlighted in a report last week that the Kosovo police is the most credible and trusted police force in the region.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“The Serbian Orthodox Church on the grounds of the University of Pristina campus was built illegally and by force as part ofa campaign ofrepression, and we in Kosovo should preserve it as such. Destruction is not the answer. That object should serve as a reminder of very difficult times, but it should also serve to persuade the clerics who accepted the illegal building of the church by Milosevic' to do some soul-searching and confront the role they played when they acted in unison with the Milosevic regime. Kosovo is a secular republic. It is multireligious and multicultural, and we will fight to preserve it as such. Any attempt to change the fabric of our society will be meet with resistance by our people and action from our Government.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“There is only one Orthodox Church in Kosovo with which we have a problem, and that is the church that the Milosevic' regime decided to build on the premises of the Public University of Pristina. That is the church my colleague was referring to. Let me remind those present that construction on that Church began in 1992, at a time when our autonomy was revoked and when the University of Pristina closed its doors to all Albanian students and professors, including my own. That object lately has become a source of tension, and the only heritage it bears is that of repression. It stands there as a reminder of a time when we were denied our most basic human rights.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“It is not only our constitutional duty to protect and preserve our shared cultural and religious heritage; it is also our moral duty. During the last war in Kosovo, Serbian forces destroyed 218 mosques and other historic or religious sites in my country, including centuries-old libraries. Unfortunately, we also saw scenes of attack and destruction in the March riots in 2004, when around 35 Orthodox sites were attacked. We in Kosovo condemned those acts in the strongest terms. Over $10 million were allocated in the budget of Kosovo to repair the damage, and many international donors have contributed with additional funds. Religious tolerance has been the backbone of our society. Churches and mosques share the same yard in many cities in Kosovo. Interfaith tolerance had always functioned in Kosovo until politics decided to step in.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“Everybody knows what happened, and everybody knows who did what, and yet no one was ever indicted for the crimes committed there. That is why justice is so important. It has been said time and time again by people much wiser than me that true peace is not only the absence of war, but the presence of justice. All victims in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnicity, deserve truth and justice. That is the only way we can build peace and reconciliation. Another issue that is repeatedly brought to the Chamber by my colleagues from Serbia is the state ofthe Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. Allow me to state that the Kosovo Constitution provides unprecedented rights for the protection of the Serbian Orthodox sites in Kosovo.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source
“However, we also need to be cautious and work with the local communities, and not provoke unpleasant situations like the one we witnessed in late August in the village of Mushtisht in the municipality of Suhareke, when visiting Serbian pilgrims were met with protests from the Albanian villagers seeking justice for the crimes committed during the war in their village. On 3 April 1999, the Serbian army, with the assistance of some local Serbs, deported the entire local Albanian population, killing 14 civilians and destroying, looting or burning down every single house in the village - 1,051 of them, to be more precise. According to the testimonies collected by several human rights organizations, 122 local Serbs were active members of the Serbian military and paramilitary forces. These are small communities where everybody knows one another.”
2016-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7811 (2016) · source