Archives for November 2018

Në Katedralen e Prizrenit zbulohet piktura e restauruar e Gjergj Kastriotit

November 28, 2018 by dgreca

-Kryeministri Haradinaj: Për çdo shqiptar, Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu është heroi ynë, prijësi ynë dhe do të mbetet gjithnjë/

1 Imam Imzot Harad 1 a Ramushi pikt 2 Piktura 1 1 piktura e skenderbeut1

PRIZREN, 27 Nëntor 2018- Gazeta DIELLI/ Piktura e restauruar e Gjergj Kastriotit, e cila gjendet brenda Katedrales Zoja Ndihmëtare në Prizren, është zbuluar në mbrëmjen e sotme – të 27 Nëntorit, ku ishte i pranishëm edhe kryeministri i Republikës së Kosovës, Ramush Haradinaj. Për ta përmbyllur kështu Vitin Jubilar të 550 vjetorit të kalimit në amshim të Gjergj Kastriotit-Skënderbeut, Ipeshkvia Prizren-Prishtinë me këtë rast orgaizoi edhe një akademi solemne.

Me këtë rast, kryeministri Haradinaj tha se jo vetëm si kryeministër, por si shqiptar, krenaria e tij, memoria e tij, kthjellet dhe shkon në mijëvjeçar, duke vërtetuar se shqiptarët janë populli më i vjetër në kontinentin tonë me vlerat më të shquara dhe më të mira dhe që vërtet ata që ishim do të mbetemi në çdo kohë.”Ne nderuam vetën dhe të gjithë ata me të cilët ndamë kontinentin tonë. Shprehë respekt për gjithë udhëheqësit fetarë, dhe po ashtu një aftësi të veçantë që ka shqiptari që kurrë mos të arrij askush të vendosë pengesa e barriera ose dallime. Shqiptarë kemi qenë, shqiptarë jemi e do mbetemi gjithnjë”, tha kryeministri Haradinaj.

Duke shprehur gëzimin që është bashkuar sot në 550 vjetorin e vdekjes së heroit tonë Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, kryeministri Haradinaj shtoi se janë bashkuar edhe me një porosi të një pikture që i dedikohet Skënderbeut nga një piktor i një populli tjetër dhe kësisoj vërtetohet se vlerat tona jo vetëm të historisë por edhe të artit do të mbijetojnë ndër vite.

“Për çdo shqiptar Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu është heroi ynë, prijësi ynë, do të mbetet gjithnjë”, tha kryeministri Haradinaj.Don Shan Zefi, kancelar i Kancelarisë së Ipeshkvisë Prizren-Prishtinë, falënderoi kryeministrin Haradinaj, duke thënë se pa ndihmën e qeverisë nuk do të ishin në këtë ditë solemne.”Ky gëzim që na përshkon të gjithëve si një vit jubilar i 550 vjetorit të kalimit në amshim të atit të kombit bëhet edhe më i madh në mesin tonë, pasi që kompleksi i Kishës Katolike në Prizren ruan më dashuri dhe xhelozi të madhe pikturën e vlefshme tashmë të njohur për shqiptarët brenda dhe jashtë vendit. Kjo katedrale ruan djepin e civilizimit dhe kulturës shqiptare”, tha kancelari Don Shan Zefi.Një fjalë para të pranishmëve e kanë mbajtur edhe ministri i Kulturës, Rinisë dhe Sportit, Kujtim Gashi, kryetari i Komunës së Prizrenit, Mytaher Haskuka, i cili tha se restaurimi i kësaj pikture është dhurata më e mirë për qytetin e Prizrenit, si dhe përfaqësues të tjerë.Të pranishëm në zbulimin e pikturës së restauruar të Gjergj Kastriotit Skënderbeut ishin edhe klerikë fetarë, përfaqësues institucionalë, përfaqësues të KFOR-it dhe qytetarë të shumtë të Prizrenit.Zbulimin e pikturës së restauruar të Skënderbeut e bënë kryeministri Ramush Haradinaj, kancelari Don Shan Zefi dhe Ipeshkvi Don Gjergji

Në Kosovë janë organizuar shumë veprimtari që nga shpallja e Vitit Mbarëkombëtar të Gjergj Kastriotit – Skënderbeut, në 28 Nëntor 2017 në Vlorë, në 105 vjetorin e Pavarësisë së Shqipërisë, pas mbledhjes së katërt një ditë më parë të dy qeverive, në Korçë. /b.j/

INDEPENDENCE IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY

November 28, 2018 by dgreca

By Rafaela Prifti/

After the second drafting of the Constitution, as Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall, he was approached by a woman on the street who asked: “Mr. Franklin, what manner of government have you bequeathed us?” Franklin replied “A Republic, if you can keep it!”

The moral of the story is that the responsibilities of the country are in the hands of the citizens. The Albanian-American community has a good understanding of the civic duties because they live in the reality of ‘A Republic’ founded on the principles laid out by the forefathers. In line with the civic responsibilities towards this country and towards the homeland, a group of representatives from our diaspora in Michigan presented a proposal to the highest official authorities in Albania and Kosova to formally declare our National Hero, Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu “The Father of Our Nation”. The Organizing Commission which included members of social and religious organizations as well as renowned historians and professionals circulated a petition around the country which was widely supported. Large numbers of Vatra members and activists were enthusiastic signatories of the petition. There was a perceived sense of answering a higher call and being an actively responsible citizen. Among numerous distinguished names and contributors of the Pan-Albanian Federation Vatra, the contact person and liaison for the Organizing Commission, Valentin Lumaj, reached out to contact my father, Naum Prifti, to sign the petition. As he was signing his name, my father said: Skenderbeu already is “THE FATHER OF THE NATION”. It is a respectable sentiment that we share in terms of our collective pride in our past heritage. Presently our civic duty and sense of historical obligation have called upon us. The Albanian-American community answered soundly and clearly in support of the Members of the Commission stating in its Press Release that the granting of the title to our National Hero will elevate the moral, intellectual and spiritual awareness all over the Albanian lands, in order to strengthen the national integrity, cohesion and unity, which stand as pillars of our identity as Albanians of Illyrian descent and a milestone for the emancipation towards our integration in the European family of nations and even beyond.

At the festivities of Independence Day hosted by Vatra and the community in November 2017, the address of Chairman Dritan Mishto called for naming it ‘Responsibility Day”. From November 2017 to November 2018, among various projects and programs, the initiative that started in Michigan and gathered collective support becomes a form of manifestation of a responsible citizenship.

As the author of the book “Your Turn”, Seth Godin explains: … “If you have the power to make rules, the rules are your responsibility. If you have the freedom to make choices, the choices are your responsibility.

And if you have the ability to change the culture, to connect with others, then what you do with that is your responsibility as well. Doing nothing is a choice. The thing you didn’t say, the project you didn’t launch, the hand you didn’t lend…But whatever we do, if we have the independence to do it (or not) it’s our responsibility.”

In the course of 2018 the initiative to officially name Skenderbeu as the Father of the Nation is a prime example of celebrating independence responsibly and exercising responsible citizenship.

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Please read the Press Release for the Proposal in its entirety.

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PRESS RELEASE

Symposium Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu

Organizing Council – Michigan

The Organizing Council for the Symposium Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu composed of delegates of patriotic and intellectual associations and religious centers in Michigan at the completion of the meeting on 27 January puts forth a proposal to the highest state offices of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosova to officially declare our National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti – Skenderbeu “The Father of the Albanian Nation.”

The initial idea for the proposal emerged during the last sessions of the Symposium and began to take shape during the discussion phase and in group debates with the support of a highly eligible team of historians from Albania who participated at the Symposium, driven by the conviction that the idea expresses the hopes and the free will of the majority of Albanians in their home countries and abroad. The members of the Commission are united in their position that Skenderbeu has been, still is and will continue to be the highest leading figure and personality of the nation. The principal hero of freedom and the independence of Albanians and a symbol of Albanian unification, the founder of a national consciousness of the Albanians and the pioneer of our flag which we honor to this day, a military commander on a worldwide scale, a distinguished politician and strategist, the source of inspiration for freedom and independence for Albanians throughout centuries particularly the Renaissance, as well as the inspiration of the struggle for freedom of many European people, a prized escutcheon that is firmly Albanian, who has received the highest acclaims and appreciation throughout history and to this day is immortalized in textbooks and literature, in monographs and works of art, as well as squares and street names all over Europe.

The Members of the Commission are in agreement that in the new socio-historical period, the official granting of the title to our National Hero will bring a new moral, intellectual and spiritual awareness all over the Albanian lands, to strengthen the national integrity, cohesion and unity, which stand as pillars of our identity as Albanians of Illyrian origins and an emancipating ‘vector’ and a respectable passport for the integration process in the European community and beyond.

The title will send a clear and commendable message to the European Community that the definite orientation of Albanians is Europe and Albanians as successors of Skenderbeu who fought the right fight to liberate not only the native lands but to also safeguard the early European civilization. Consequently, our identification with Skenderbeu’s bloodline will be an added value and emancipating factor for the European community.

The historical argument was prepared by the credited historian Prof. Dr. Jahja Drancolli, in steady consultations with Dr. Pëllumb Xhufi and continues contact with Prof. Dr. Romeo Gurakuqi and others, with the resound contribution of the members of this Commission and an incredible support of the highly-educated members and successful businessmen of the diaspora in the US and Canada; we have completed and delivered the document to respective state offices to ratify it. If it is finalized with success, we believe it represents a highest degree of honor, appreciation and citizenry, which Albanians are in great need off and deservingly accredited to the immortal figure of Skenderbeu on the 550^th anniversary of his death.

The members of the Commission call on the mass media, print and broadcast, social networks and the public opinion in general to come together to support this initiative of pure patriotic nature, without prejudice of regional, political or religious affiliation or influence, to take this document to every media means of communication, to every Albanian home and heart, in so doing rendering a sacred service to yourself and the identity of your predecessors, all of it bonded in an eternal and unbreakable connection with Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu.

On behalf of the Organizing Commission – Dom Ndue Gjergji, Chairman

Kosovo’s prime minister: We will not accept Serbia’s violation of our sovereignty

November 28, 2018 by dgreca

Kosovo’s prime minister: We will not accept Serbia’s violation of our sovereignty/

1 Ramush-Haradinaj-12_BIG-650x358

By Ramush HARADINAJ*-The Washington Post/

My country, Kosovo, is being asked to make an impossible choice that would cheapen the sacrifice made by U.S. soldiers, undermine the stability of the region and threaten America’s allies. In the face of sustained attack from Serbia meant to undermine our sovereignty, security and prosperity, there are some who would like Kosovo to engage in so-called “peaceful” ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. This is a shortsighted attempt to give in to a bully in the hope that the bullying will stop. We will not do this — we will instead stand up against those who would seek to take advantage of us, while simultaneously working toward a long-lasting and comprehensive peace.

Following a genocidal campaign of terror, Kosovo won its independence from Serbia through hard sacrifice, supported by the United States and NATO. Since the 1999 war and our declaration of independence in 2008, we have built a modern state committed to democracy and integration with NATO, the European Union and the United States. As of today, more than half of the United Nations’ members recognize our independence.

However, Serbia and its ally Russia have refused to recognize our sovereignty and fought to block our joining the United Nations. In violation of the Brussels agreement on the normalization of relations, Serbia has worked to block our path toward E.U. membership, as well as membership in many international organizations. Last week, our effort to join Interpol was undermined, helping organized crime and hurting internal law enforcement.

Now, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, backed by Russia, has made us an obscene offer: Serbia will recognize Kosovo if we give it part of our territory. Serbia wants to create an ethnically “pure” state, stripping people of their citizenship and expelling them from their homes.

This is too high a price to pay. We will not violate our constitution, give up our sovereignty and destroy our territorial integrity just to have Serbia recognize something that is already a fact. We will also not set a dangerous precedent that will destabilize the wider Balkans and those countries fighting for their own territorial integrity, such as Israel, Ukraine and India.

The vast majority of international experts oppose this idea. It has also been soundly rejected by the Kosovo people – with 77 percent voting against it in a recent poll. As the country’s prime minister, I would never support such a trade.

More fundamentally, we also have no confidence that Serbia will honor its commitments, given its history of acting in bad faith. Serbia has failed to implement any major agreement it has entered into with Kosovo including the Ahtisaari Plan, the 2013 Brussels agreement on the normalization of relations, and the 2013 and 2015 agreements on power supply. The E.U. and the United States were guarantors of these agreements, demonstrating how Serbia ignores international pressure when it is applied.

In violation of these agreements, Serbia was recently caught blocking Kosovo from joining Interpol. Furthermore, Serbia has been actively lobbying the E.U. to further delay granting visa-free travel rights to Kosovars, despite Kosovo reaching agreement with the E.U. and implementing more than 95 reforms.

Shockingly, Serbia is using money generated from unfair trade with Kosovo to fund these lobbying campaigns against our very existence and economic development. For too long, Serbia has abused Kosovo’s market and violated the terms of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Serbia has regularly dumped underpriced products in Kosovo and violated rules related to public procurement, labeling, health standards and customs enforcement.

Enough is enough — in the name of fair trade, national security and our vital national interests, my government has imposed a 100 percent tariff on all Serbian goods. These measures will remain in place until Serbia stops its efforts to undermine our sovereignty and begins honoring its commitments.

Despite these tensions, I know the only answer is peace, and I still wholeheartedly support the creation of a long-term comprehensive peace deal with Serbia that addresses all political, security, economic, trade and cultural issues. To be successful, such an agreement must have the support of a majority of both Serbia and Kosovo’s peoples so that it is durable and can survive long-term. This agreement must result in Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia, entry into the United Nations and a rapid path to E.U. and NATO membership.

As long as the final agreement achieves these goals and does not violate our constitution, sovereignty and territorial integrity as this ill-conceived land-trade idea would, I will support it and urge all others to do so, as well. Thinking creatively and working together, Kosovo and Serbia can move past their current disputes and insulting proposals to create a lasting peace that benefits all of our people.

* Ramush Haradinaj is prime minister of Kosovo.

Në kullën e Isa Boletinit, i ka rrënjët liria jonë kombëtare

November 28, 2018 by dgreca

1 Boletini 2 Boletini 6 Boletini

Sot, në këtë ditë të shenjtë për kombin tonë, nga Vlora në Boletin, nga Presheva në Ulqin, nga Shkupi në Shkodër, na bashkon nderimi për të parët tanë, na bashkon nderimi për të gjithë ata burra e gra që edhe në ditët më të vështira mbajtën gjallë idenë e kombit dhe bënë gjithçka mundën për lirinë e tij.Kështi tha sot në Boletin të Mitrovicës, kryetari i Kuvendit të Republikës së Kosovës, Kadri Veseli, nën patronatin e të cilit, për nder të Festës së 28 Nëntorit, po bëhen homazhe dhe nderime te Kulla e Isa Boletinit.Kreu i Kuvendit tha se e gjithë jeta e Isa Boletinit sublimon përpjekjet e vazhdueshme të kombit tonë për liri dhe dinjitet.”Çdo 28 nëntor ne ngjitemi në këtë kodër historike, sepse këtu, në këto male të Shalës, këtu në konakun e Isa Boletinit, i ka rrënjët liria jonë kombëtare. Isa Boletini ishte njeri i pushkës dhe i fjalës. Ishte shëmbëlltyrë e tolerancës dhe e bashkëjetesës ndëretnike. Për Isa Boletinin patriotizmi nuk nënkuptonte urrejtjen dhe mohimin e të tjerëve që janë ndryshe”, theksoi kryeparlamentari Veseli.

Isa Boletini, shtoi Veseli, jetoi dhe veproi duke besuar se respekti për veten nënkupton edhe respektin për të tjerët. Ky parim, sipas tij, sot është vlerë për ne, për shtetin tonë dhe mbarë kombin tonë.”Republika e Kosovës është shtëpia e përbashkët për të gjithë qytetarët e saj, pavarësisht dallimeve etnike që ata kanë. Komunitetet pakicë janë vlerë e patjetërsueshme e shtetit dhe identitetit tonë si Kosovë. Të drejtat e tyre janë dhe do të mbesin të pandashme nga të drejtat e shumicës”, theksoi kryetari i Kuvendit, duke shtuar se kjo na nderon në sy të botës dhe na bën më të sigurtë në vizionin evro-atlantik.Kryeparlamentari Veseli tha se Kosova është një dhe e pandashme, ashtu siç e deshtën Isa Boletini dhe të gjithë dëshmorët e lirisë, siç e deshtën Adem Demaçi dhe Adem Jashari.”Pavarësia dhe sovraniteti i Republikës së Kosovës janë të pacenueshme. Sot dhe përgjithmonë! Ndërsa fqinjësia e mirë është e ardhmja e pashmangshme për të gjithë në rajonin tonë. Urime 28 nëntori të gjithë shqiptarëve kudo që janë. Për jetë e mot qoftë i nderuar kombi ynë”, theksoi kryeparlamentari Veseli.

Veseli bën nderime te varri i Adem Demaçit për 28 nëntor

November 28, 2018 by dgreca

1 Adem Demaci, Veseli

Kryetari i Kuvendit të Kosovës, Kadri Veseli, me rastin e Festës së 28 Nëntorit, bëri homazhe te varri i veprimtarit të shquar të çështjes kombëtare, Adem Demaçi.Ai ishte bashkë me Familjen Demaçi. Në shenjë kujtimi dhe nderimi për jetën dhe veprën e Demaçit, në shërbim të kombit dhe atdheut, Veseli vendosi lule pranë varrit të tij.

“Sot është një ditë e madhe për kombin tonë. Në këtë ditë, kemi për obligim të jemi pranë kujtimit të atyre që me jetën e tyre e nderuan kombin. I tillë ishte Adem Demaçi, simboli më unik i gjithë lëvizjes sonë kombëtare për lirinë e Kosovës. Gjithë jeta e Adem Demaçit ishte në shërbim të frymës së 28 Nëntorit, prandaj sot jemi këtu për të nderuar dhe për t’u përkulur para këtij burri të madh të kombit”, ka thënë me këtë rast Veseli.

Po ashtu, kreu i Kuvendit ka bërë sot homazhe edhe tek varret e Gjeneral Major Ilir Konushevci, Hero i Kombit dhe Dr. Hazir Malaj, Dëshmor i Kombit.