“The twenty-fourth of March was indeed a day of great hope, because for the first time, the alliances of the democratic world came together to prevent the extermination of the people of Kosovo by the then genocidal regime of [former leader, Slobodan] Milosevic, and together many other partner states, we managed to free Kosovo.”

She delivered these remarks after paying homage to the memorial of NATO soldiers fallen for the freedom of Kosovo, which is located in Mother Teresa Square in Pristina.
Ambassadors of Western countries in Kosovo were also present in the ceremony.

“This day of great hope has turned into an unwavering partnership between Kosovo and the democratic world, alliances that continue to this day.”

Osmani thanked each NATO soldier who, as she said, risked their lives “in order to save ours.”
“I take the opportunity to thank all the leaders of the democratic world who did not turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people of Kosovo, but came to our rescue and are still standing by us today, as long as we work together so that today’s Kosovo is Kosovo that will make, not only its citizens, but also its friends proud of how far it has come in development of democracy.”

After the Recak massacre, in March 1999, NATO launched attacks on military police targets in the former Yugoslavia.
After 78 days of attacks, the bombings were stopped on June 10, 1999, with the Kumanova Technical Agreement, which provided for the withdrawal of all Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo.

The agreement was followed by the adoption of Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council.
This Resolution was a compromise of the five permanent member countries of the Security Council, which provided a framework for the resolution of the conflict in Kosovo authorizing the deployment a United Nations administration – UNMIK in Kosovo, which oversaw the transitional phase until the establishment of local institutions and the permanent settlement of the status of Kosovo.
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