Agim Bahtiri: New Year's as I'm going to wait with the citizens of Mitrovica, celebrate the successes

Citizens of the municipality of Mitrovica again entrusted the vote to Agim Bahtiri for their chairman. And he has often shown himself to be extremely modest, even funny, in particular situations.

Bahtiri in an interview for Indexline shows what it was like for him in 2017, with what challenges he faced this year, the difficulties of governing a city but also for plans in 2018.

Indexline: How did you define the year 2017 in three words?
Agim Bahtiri: Year of great challenges!

Indexline: What are the challenges you faced this year?
Agim Bahtiri: The first challenge worth isolating with which I faced this year that we're leaving behind has been the projects I started at the beginning of the mandate and the completion of them successfully, since it was only the last year of the first mandate, where I think I have successfully completed them. Then the next challenge was the extraordinary situation created after the country moved to the parliamentary elections, where I had to make my contribution as AKR deputy chairman. However, as the main challenge is known, there has been a period of holding local elections, where I, after a petition organised by thousands of citizens, decided to be reruned to a mayoral mandate. Citizens highly appreciated my work for four years and at the same time showed that they want to have a clean-handed government for the next four years, which only works in their interest.

Indexline: How hard is it to be mayor of a municipality?
Agim Bahtiri: Being a commander is not a privilege, but it is a great responsibility, since it should ensure that 72 thousand citizens make life easier and better. As you know, I live away from my immediate family, since my wife, sons, daughters, grandchildren, and grandchildren are left in the Netherlands, just to serve my fellow citizens, but with a small municipal budget you can't afford to help everyone in need. But with what we have, we take full care to make the most of it, giving priority to people who need it most. It should not be forgotten that a mayor faces citizens every day directly, which does not have this responsibility of ministers or other senior state representatives, without forgetting here the difficulties that arise from the fact that Mitrovica is a very specific city and thus I have additional obligations, unlike other mayors.

Indexline: What do you remember the holiday season?
Agim Bahtiri: Last year's holidays remind me of our people's sacrifice for freedom, independence and democracy, which has resulted in their gaining citizenship.

Indexline: Where are you gonna wait for the New Year?
Agim Bahtiri: New year as usual, I will wait with the citizens of Mitrovica at the <x0 ft. Uka” Square, where we will jointly celebrate the successes of the year we are leaving behind and opening the way for the new successes to be achieved in next year.

Indexline: Plans for 2018?
Agim Bahtiri: A few days ago, I have officially received the second government mandate, where, as I have pledged, I will work to the maximum for the economic development of Mitrovica, as in the mandate that I have successfully managed to stabilise the security situation in Mitrovica, and thus conditions have been created for opening new perspectives for Mitrovicas.

Indexline: Happy citizens and readers of Indexline..
Agim Bahtiri: All citizens wish you health, peace, harmony and success in 2018, where we will surely together make Mitrovica an example city for all of Kosovo. Cheers.