The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, during her address at the Assembly in the solemn session marking the 18th anniversary of Independence, stated that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) represents the heart of resistance and the response of an oppressed people to the Serbian regime.

She emphasized that efforts to tarnish the KLA are unjust and unacceptable. Osmani added that attempts to equate the liberation war with genocidal crimes committed by Serbia undermine the foundations of long-term peace in the region.

“The KLA is the greatest ideal that Albanians have built over the centuries. It is the heart of our national resistance and the response of an oppressed people to a genocidal regime. This war was always just, always pure, and always necessary.

Any attempt to tarnish it, to relativize it, or to equate the victim with the aggressor is not only unjust, but also historically untrue and entirely unacceptable.

The leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are today in The Hague, together with thousands of other fighters and with the unwavering support of the people of Kosovo, rose for freedom, dignity, and the inalienable right to live freely in their homeland.

Therefore, any attempt to equate our liberation war with the crimes of Serbia’s genocidal regime not only distorts the truth but also seriously damages the foundations of long-term peace in our region,” she said.

Osmani added that the KLA is one of the strongest pillars of the state and cannot be undone by any attempt to rewrite or distort history.