Minister Gashi: Gjergj Kastrioti’s epoch was and is the history of survival, wars for the preservation of the Albanian national identity

07.06.2018

On the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the death of Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Faculty of Education and National Library "Pjetër Bogdani" was organized the manifestation "Days of Skanderbeg".

In this manifestation of the 550th anniversary of the death of Gjergj Kastrioti Scanderbeg, participated also the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Kujtim Gashi, who first talked about history and study of events, stressing that "return to study of events, stories which for centuries are behind us, we do it not for symbolic but for the past. "

"Our national history, in whose cradle the pride was born, the independence of the nation, in particular, recognizes four fortunate dates: in 1444 when Gjergj Kastrioti convened in Lezha the Assembly of the leaders of various provinces of Albania in 1878, four hundred years when, in historic Prizren, Abdyl Frashëri brought together Albanian leaders in 1912 when the Albanian state was born, Albania and 2008, when the independent state of Republic of Kosovo was declared ", said Minister Gashi.

He also added that "our history from the Epoch of Gjergj Kastrioti was and is the story of survival, the wars for preserving the national identity, the preservation of territories of the Albanian vital space, the factorization of the Albanian element. However, for the fact that, for us Albanians, the history of civilizations was not so merciful, so friendly, we were forced to pave the way of our survival with the power of sword and lead. Not that we wanted, but because rulers, especially those Slavs, instead of peace and good neighborliness, imposed war on us. Thus our national history flowed, as if the great river of the ages flowing from the Scanderbegian Epoch to the Glorious KLA Epoch with the graet Commander Adem Jashari ".

At the end of his speech Minister Kujtim Gashi talked about the Euro-Atlantic integration paths.

"We, the descendants of Gjergj Kastrioti, Ismail Qemali, Mother Teresa, Adem Jashari, are facing the calls of the new civilizations. Again, with the Skanderbeg's emblem, we are knocking at the gates of United Europe, in the cradle of culture, where are our tracks, roots, civilization and Albanian history", concluded Minister Gashi.

Meanwhile, Rector Dema said, "We have tried to survive the Kastriotian spirit by placing general interest in personal interest, as Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg did and when the University of Prishtina is fine then Kosovo is fine."

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