Kosovo Unofficially Marks Liberation Day

Citizens around Kosovo are celebrating what they call the ‘Liberation Day’, nine years since NATO-led forces entered Kosovo following the 1998-1999 conflict between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and Serb military forces, although the recent law on state holidays does not foresee June 12 as an official holiday.

The government instructed all state institutions and schools to proceed with a normal working day on Thursday, while many cultural activities were organised to mark the day which Kosovo Albanians consider as one of the most important dates in their new history.

President Fatmir Sejdiu addressed citizens with a statement saying that this day marks the moment by which Kosovars thank NATO soldiers in Kosovo and those who are committed to guarding Kosovo’s security.

“The freedom and independence of Kosovo was achieved de facto back on June 12, 1999, whereas on February 17 this year, it just became legally so,” Sejdiu’s statement says.

“Today, in the day of our liberation, we heartedly thank all our friends and those who are members of the giant military and political alliance, NATO for saving us from the politics of genocide that was threatening our existence,” he said.

NATO deployed peacekeeping forces with other partner allies following 72 days of airstrikes against military targets in what was then left of Yugoslavia, in order to end late Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic's oppression of Kosovo's Albanians.

Nine years after being administered by the United Nations, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia but the newly-adopted law on state symbols was aimed to balance the interests of all ethnic groups.

As a result, two key dates, which were vastly celebrated by the Albanian majority, that of Albania's national Flag Day and June 12 as the Liberation Day were not included in the law.

Legislators left the option open for these dates to be celebrated as memorial days.