Today, June 12, Kosovo marks the 27th anniversary of Liberation Day.
27 years ago, NATO peacekeeping troops entered Kosovo after bombings against Serbian military and police targets in Kosovo and Serbia.
Attacks on Serbian infrastructure began on March 24, and lasted until June 10, 1999. During the 78-day campaign, aircraft from 13 NATO member states made 38 sorties, of which 400 were they bombed. A total of 10 thousand 484 projectiles were thrown from the air.
The aerial bombardment campaign against Yugoslavia was done to stop the Serbian campaign for ethnic cleansing of the Albanians in Kosovo.
With the intensification of NATO bombing, the military and paramilitary forces of the former FRY launched a vicious campaign against the civilian population. According to notes from the US State Department, about 10 Albanians were killed and thrown into mass graves. The mass expulsion of half a million refugees in the first two weeks of the bombing alone led to political instability in Macedonia and Albania.
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26 years of freedom
On June 1, 1999, Belgrade accepted the G-8 principles. Accordingly, NATO suspended its air strikes on June 10. On the same day, after confirming that the forces of the former FRY had begun withdrawing according to the peace plan, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1244, which set the framework for the establishment of a UN civilian administration and for the establishment of an international security presence. Unlike the Rambouillet plan, NATO troops would not be able to enter the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but only Kosovo.
The conditions for establishing an international military presence, as well as its goals, were defined in the Technical-Military Agreement between the International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR), and the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, which was signed on June 9, 1999.
There are arguments "for" and "against" NATO's intervention on March 24, 1999 in Kosovo. Those against argue that the intervention was not clean from a legal point of view, because it was not based on any explicit resolution of the UN Security Council. However, those who approved the intervention justified it with the fact that an entire people was saved from ethnic cleansing and genocide.
NATO's intervention in Kosovo had created divisions even within NATO member countries, regarding the existence of the right of humanitarian intervention in general international law.
The NATO bombings made Serbia reluctant to sign the Kumanovo Agreement with NATO, after which Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo.
On March 18, 1999, Kosovo Albanian representatives and Western diplomats signed the Rambouillet Agreement.
But Slobodan Milosevic rejected the agreement proposed by the international community at Rambouillet, despite warnings of bombing to stop the systematic campaign against the civilian population in Kosovo.
Milosevic's refusal to sign the agreement led to the military operation "Allied Force".
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27 years since the start of NATO bombing of Serbian military and police targets
On the 25th anniversary, there will be several activities.
Agenda of the incumbent Government and the Presidency in honor of the 27th anniversary of the liberation of Kosovo:
09:00 – Tribute at the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex (Prekaz)
10:30 – Homage to the grave of President Ibrahim Rugova (Pristina)
10:40 – Homage to the grave of activist Adem Demaçi (Prishtina)
10:50 – Homage to the martyrs' cemetery. (Pristina)
11:00 – Tributes to the Monument of Hero Zahir Pajaziti (Prishtina)
also NATO's effectiveness in Kosovo does not depend on numbers16:00 – Photographic exhibition “KFOR and Kosovo 25+” (National Library “Pjetër Bogdani”)
19:00 – Festive concert “Freedom unites us” is held (House of Culture “Asim Vokshi”, Gjakova)
27 years of commitment to security in Kosovo, Italy: The Italian contingent remains the largest in KFOR
For 27 consecutive years, Italy has remained committed to the security and stability of Kosovo, the Italian Embassy in the country has stated.
On the 27th anniversary of liberation, the Italian Embassy shared photos from June 1999 in Kosovo and wrote that even after almost three decades, the Italian contingent remains the largest in KFOR.
"June 12, 1999 - 27 years of peace, 27 years of commitment to the security and stability of Kosovo and the region. Twenty-seven years later, the Italian contingent remains the largest national contingent in KFOR," reads the Embassy's article on Liberation Day.
27 years ago, NATO peacekeeping troops entered Kosovo after bombing Serbian military and police targets in Kosovo and Serbia. The attacks on Serbian infrastructure began on March 24 and lasted until June 10, 1999. The air campaign against Yugoslavia was carried out to stop the Serbian campaign of ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo.
Haxhiu and Kurti pay homage to Prekaz, highly appreciate the sacrifice of the Jashars
The acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, and the acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti have paid homage at the "Adem Jashari" memorial complex in Prekaz on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Liberation Day.
In a statement to the media, Haxhiu emphasized the historical importance of the sacrifice of the Jashari family and the fight for freedom.
"There is no June 12 without March 1998, there is no June 12 without the resistance of Commander Adem Jashari, Hamza, Shabani and over 50 members of the Jashari family, who fell and never surrendered. They did not just defend the threshold of their home, they defended the land, the land of our ancestors that was, is and will always be Albanians. They defended the idea that our people are never defeated. Their sacrifice became the foundation on which the Kosovo Liberation Army and our free Republic stand," Haxhiu declared, EO reported.
Meanwhile, Kurti said that Prekazi remains a symbol of resistance and sacrifice for freedom, appreciating that the epic of the Jashari family is the foundation of Kosovo's modern history and the ideal of freedom and statehood.
"Since on March 5, 6 and 7, 1998, three generations of Jashars stood, fought and sacrificed themselves for the freedom of our people, for unity, for statehood and for independence. The epic battle of Jashars, of Baca Shaban with his two sons, Hamza and Ademi, with their wives, Zahida and Zarifa, Ferida and Adila and with all the others, who did not submit for a moment, is today at the core of the history of our people, and not only as Kosovo and as a democratic republic, but also as an Albanian nation, in the sense of Albanians wherever they are, and in the sense of extending beyond the present, that is, from the ancient past to the future when, as the Albanian national anthem says, we will live," Kurti declared.
Haxhiu and Kurti also paid homage at the monument to the hero Zahir Pajaziti in Pristina.
Begaj: Kosovo's freedom came with the KLA's war and the determination of the allies
The President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, has congratulated Kosovo on the 27th anniversary of its liberation.
He expressed gratitude for the fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, for the sacrifice of the martyrs and all those who contributed to the freedom of Kosovo.
"Kosovo's freedom came thanks to the sublime sacrifice of thousands of men and women, the heroic struggle of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the determination of our strategic allies. Thank you to NATO for standing on the side of justice, freedom and human dignity in one of the most decisive moments in the history of our nation! Eternal glory to the martyrs of freedom!" the president wrote on Facebook.
US reaffirms commitment: We honor the resilience of the people of Kosovo
The United States Embassy has reaffirmed the US commitment to peace and stability in Kosovo, as it commemorated the entry of NATO troops 27 years ago.
On the anniversary of the liberation, the Embassy shared photos from June 1999 and stated that the US honors the resilience of the people of Kosovo.
"Twenty-seven years ago, NATO forces entered Kosovo, helping to pave the way for peace and stability. We honor the resilience of the people of Kosovo and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity," the Embassy statement said.
27 years ago, NATO peacekeeping troops entered Kosovo after bombing Serbian military and police targets in Kosovo and Serbia. The attacks on Serbian infrastructure began on March 24 and lasted until June 10, 1999. The air campaign against Yugoslavia was carried out to stop the Serbian campaign of ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo.
