TIRANA, Feb 17 /ATA/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday congratulated Kosovo on the 18th anniversary of its independence, saying he regretted being unable to attend a rally in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders on trial in The Hague.
“I wish Kosovo a happy Independence Day, with regret that I cannot be today at the popular gathering of solidarity with the four hostages of the KLA in the hell of international (in)justice in The Hague,” Rama wrote on social media.
Rama visited Prishtina a day ago, where he met Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
He also attended the promotion of the book “Kur Heshtja Flet” (“When Silence Speaks”) by Ahmet Shala, a former ambassador, which addresses the trial proceedings in The Hague against former KLA leaders.
In his remarks at the event, Rama said history teaches that some challenges are chosen while others “choose us,” adding that leaders must confront both.
He also drew a distinction between what he described as the KLA’s war of liberation and the crimes committed by regimes responsible for ethnic cleansing in the region, saying international justice should not equate aggression with resistance for freedom.
Four former senior KLA figures, including ex-Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, are being tried at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on charges related to the 1998–99 conflict. They have pleaded not guilty.
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