In a message posted on social media, Begaj said Kosovo’s freedom had been achieved through the sacrifice of thousands of men and women, the armed struggle of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the determination of Albania’s strategic allies.

He expressed gratitude to NATO for what he described as standing on the side of justice, freedom and human dignity during one of the most decisive periods in the history of the Albanian nation.

Begaj also paid tribute to KLA fighters, fallen combatants and all those who contributed to Kosovo’s liberation.

“Eternal glory to the martyrs of freedom,” the president said.

Kosovo Liberation Day commemorates the entry of NATO-led peacekeeping forces into Kosovo on June 12, 1999, following a 78-day air campaign by the alliance against Yugoslav military targets. The deployment of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) marked the end of the conflict between ethnic Albanian insurgents, organized within the Kosovo Liberation Army, and Serbian security forces.

About 50,000 NATO troops were deployed to Kosovo as part of the peacekeeping mission, alongside a United Nations interim administration.

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