Kryeministri i Republikës së Kosovës, Albin Kurti, mori pjesë në shënimin e Ditës Kombëtare të Zvicrës, të organizuar nga Ambasada e Zvicrës në Kosovë.
Në këtë event, kryeministri Kurti tha se diaspora jonë nga Zvicra ka sjellë në vend një hov ekonomik dhe perspektivë të re.
“Kosova është me fat jo vetëm që ka Zvicrën si shembull se çfarë mund të arrijë një shtet, por edhe të krijojë lidhje të thella me atë vend. Zvicra ka luajtur një rol vendimtar në rrugëtimin tonë. Së pari, ka hapur dyert dhe ka ofruar mundësi për ata që ikën nga një prej krimeve më të këqija që njerëzimi ka parë. Mbi çerek milion qytetarë zviceranë i kanë rrënjët në Kosovë”, vlerësoi kryeministri Kurti.
Me këtë rast, kryeministri përmendi dhe shembuj konkret të shqiptarëve të suksesshëm që jetojnë në Zvicër dhe rrugëtimit të tyre të jashtëzakonshëm profesional.
“Suksesi i zviceranëve me origjinë kosovare nuk shfaqet vetëm në ndeshjet e futbollit, si në rastin e Xhakës dhe Shaqirit, por edhe në formën e drejtorit të klinikës për kirurgji të zemrës në Universitetin e Cyrihut – si në rastin e Omer Dzemali – dhe në vendet e këshillave kantonale – si në rastin e Ylfete Fanajt”, tha kryeministri Kurti.
Duke përmendur zhvillimin ekonomik në Kosovë, ai shtoi se është bërë i mundur edhe falë ndihmës humanitare dhe ekonomike që ka dhënë Zvicra që nga viti 1990, e cila filloi si ndihmë humanitare dhe që tani është shndërruar në ndihmë zhvillimore, e cila shtrihet në fushat e infrastrukturës, arsimit, mbrojtjes së mjedisit, qeverisjes, kujdesit shëndetësor e shumë më tepër.
“Kjo mbështetje po intensifikohet me akordimin e 86 milionë frangave zvicerane për periudhën 2022-2025, ku menaxhimi i burimeve ujore përballë efekteve shkatërruese të ndryshimeve klimatike mbetet prioritet kryesor”, tha kryeministri.
Ai u shpreh i lumtur me forcimin e marrëdhënieve mes vendeve tona gjatë 15 viteve të fundit:
“Si qeveri, ne jemi plotësisht të përkushtuar për ta forcuar edhe më tej këtë bashkëpunim, veçanërisht në marrëdhëniet tona ekonomike, përmes marrëveshjes EFTA, investimeve direkte dhe rritjes së shkëmbimeve tregtare.kryeministri Kurti.
Zvicra mbetet një shembull kyç për ne siç bën për pjesën tjetër të botës, të stabilitetit, prosperitetit, ekonomisë dinamike lokale, respektit për mjedisin dhe shoqërisë së lulëzuar e të larmishme që gëzon, thuhet në komunikatën për media e ZKM-së.
I am pleased to be together with you today to celebrate August First, Switzerland’s national day. 732 years ago, the cantons of Uri, Schwyz [Shvic] and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter to free themselves from external enemies. Ever since, this day has served as an example to the world that unity can transcend linguistic and other boundaries, and that political cooperation and resilience can withstand the tests of time and external pressure.
Kosova is fortunate not only to have Switzerland as an example of what a country can achieve, but also to forge deep connections with that country. Switzerland has played a crucial role in our journey. First, it has opened doors and provided opportunities to those fleeing one of the worst crimes that humanity has witnessed. Over a quarter million Swiss citizens have their roots in Kosova.
This diaspora has not only brought an economic boost to our country but has also provided a perspective shaped by their experiences in their new home. Nearly 60 years ago, in the spring of 1964, the first Albanian immigrants arrived in Switzerland. They went to work in the agriculture sector, because that is where the Swiss economy most needed them. The Swiss writer Max Frisch — who in 1933 made a tour around Kosova — remarked after the arrival of the first foreign workers in Switzerland, that, I quote, “we called for a workforce, and human beings came”. The bulk of the migration however happened when the lives and freedoms of ethnic Albanians faced existential risks.
Switzerland has enabled our community to carve remarkable professional paths beyond the sectors in which our first immigrants worked. The success of Swiss with Albanian origins are manifested not only in football matches, as in the case of Xhaka and Shaqiri, but also in the form of the director of the clinic for heart surgery in the University of Zurich – as in the case of Omer Dzemali – and in the seats of cantonal councils – as in the case of Ylfete Fanaj. These successes are also marked in thriving businesses and cultural centers, making it evident that those fleeing war and instability have, in Switzerland, found not only a home, but a land where their dreams have taken flight.
Meanwhile, here in Kosova, the economic breakthroughs we see now are due in no small part to the steadfast humanitarian and economic support that Switzerland has provided. What started as humanitarian assistance in the 1990s has transitioned into development assistance, Government’s that spans across the fields of infrastructure, education, environmental protection, healthcare and more. In the process, roads and bridges have been built, farmers have received vocational training that enables them to grow their small businesses sustainably, and 600,000 citizens in rural areas have been able to gain access to clean drinking water.
This support is intensifying with the allocation of 86 million Swiss francs for the 2022 to 2025 period, where the management of water resources in the face of the devastating effects of climate change remains a top priority.
Through this help, Kosova has transitioned from an aid recipient to a bona fide trade partner. Switzerland is Kosova’s third largest bilateral cooperation partner and has become the top export destination for Kosovar services in the fields of information and communication technology and other business outsourcing services. Our country has also become an important and growing nearshoring destination for several Swiss companies.
Additionally, Switzerland’s tradition of direct democracy and participatory culture uniquely demonstrate the possibilities of democracy. Like nowhere else, the Swiss people actively use their right to influence the politics of everyday life.
It is only natural that our citizens, mainly in these hot summer months, are able to give a warm welcome to our friends from Switzerland. In addition to our diaspora, a good number of tourists come to savor the cultural treasures and the natural beauty of our country — of Kosova, the 27th canton, as the Swiss media are prone to call us, with very serious irony.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Switzerland was the first country that, through then–Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy Rey, declared its support for the independence of Kosova, even before we declared it.
With the strengthening of our relations over the past 15 years, I am very happy that our two countries enjoy excellent relations at all levels. As a government, we are fully committed to strengthening this cooperation even further, especially in our economic relations, through the EFTA agreement, direct investment and an increase of commercial exchange.
Switzerland remains a key example to us – as it does for the rest of the world – of the stability, prosperity, dynamic local economy, respect for the environment, and the thriving, diverse society that it enjoys.
We are thrilled that what was born out of immense generosity during our darkest times, can now flourish in a far brighter era.
Happy National Holiday! Danke! Merci! Grazie! Grazia!
