Lladrovci: For Kosovo, honoring the US does not end with July 4

On the eve of July 4, the Independence Day of the United States of America, the mayor of the Municipality of Drenas, Ramiz Lladrovci, expressed gratitude for the historic role the US has played in Kosovo’s freedom and independence, stressing that respect for the country’s main ally should not be tied only to a festive date.

In a public reaction, Lladrovci said that for the citizens of Kosovo, America is not seen simply as a friendly state, but as the very source of freedom.

“To feel the Independence Day of the United States of America (USA) in the most pro-American country in the world is not so simple. It is not simple, because the citizens of Kosovo see in America not only an allied state, but the very creator of freedom, in Kosovo and in the world. Of course, there are states and certain mindsets that do not think this way, while we, the citizens of Kosovo and Albanians in general, have no doubt that the USA is freedom itself,” he wrote.

According to him, there are young people and representatives of newer generations who do not feel the importance of the US with the same weight, while he added that thanking the historic ally should not be seen as servility.

“Perhaps some young people who appear in the media or members of the newer generations do not feel their hearts warmed enough when ‘the United States of America’ is mentioned, while the eternal praise for our historic ally from those who experienced both captivity and freedom seems like servility to some. Worse still, gratitude and thanks to our historic ally, in the eyes of the opponents of Kosovo’s independence, seem exaggerated,” he said.

Lladrovci also mentioned historical events which, according to him, prove the long-standing friendly ties between Albanians and the United States of America.

“When I think about how our history unfolded, the chronology of a relationship, from the 19th century, especially from President Wilson, the Second World War, the assessments of Albanians at the time of the ‘weapons collection,’ the 1974 Constitution, the arrival of congressmen in Prishtina in 1990, the raising of the flag at the ‘Information Office’ in Prishtina, and all the way to the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, it is the story of a friendship that is as much a source of pride for us as it is historic,” Lladrovci said.

He stressed that honoring the US should be continuous and not only on July 4.

“July 4 is tomorrow and then comes July 5 and it continues until the next anniversary, but for me, and I believe for others like me who were ready to give everything for Kosovo’s freedom, honoring the Independence Day of the United States of America continues every day, every day of the year,” Lladrovci added.