Kurti in Geneva: VV to be Kosovo's next government

Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti is participating in the works of the Council of Socialist International, which is being held at UN headquarters in Geneva.

Social Democrat political parties from around the world participate in this Council.

In a speech he has given in these works Kurti has talked about the Movement he leads, saying it is the leftist party that opposes neoliberal governments that have dominated the country in the past two decades.

We've been out of colonization for 100 years, out of the war in the late 1990s, and survived a genocide. Therefore, as a political movement, we have no doubt that we will not only survive the current authoritarian rule in Kosovo, but we will be victorious”, Kurti said.

Part of Kurt's speech:

Almost half of our population has been left unemployed, while only 1 in 8 Kosovo women have jobs. Through our neo-Keynesian economic model, through the developmental state, we will not only fight unemployment; we will guarantee workers' rights, strengthen trade unions and enable collective contracts, reduce working hours and increase minimum pay and safety at work; we will fight corruption and re-train revenues fairly, through progressive taxation. This change means 24 hours of drinking water in every house; social housing for the homeless; sanitation and infrastructure for unregulated urban suburbs. Education of quality health and free because these are not goods for the market, they are right that every citizen should enjoy.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, to date, has been recognised by 113 UN member states. In 2010 the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of the independence we have declared, and Kosovo today is a member of the IMF, World Bank and many intergovernmental organisations, including FIFA.

We aim to become members of the European Union, because we want to make our contribution to a more social Europe. However, we are not only working on foreign recognitions for our independence. We have fought for our common freedom, but freedom is not bound only by foreign sovereignty. Freedom is also responsibility, external to other countries, and internal to all our citizens. The responsibility of every country and every government; that will be ours when we are in government, is to ensure the political and economic, social and cultural rights of people, without any discrimination.

People in our country are long hoping for this change, and are being organized. Last year, in parliamentary elections, our movement doubled support and won most of the years compared to any other political party. As a political movement we won the elections, but prevented us from coming to government, with the tactics of the powers' last hours, and with the non-progressive coalitions of right-wing parties. However, the election results showed us that the only thing they could do was buy some time. Their decline has come forever. The Socialocracy will soon win. Movement V ETHEVEN! will be Kosovo's next government.

I would like to invite you all to Kosovo, to see the difference that will come to a small country that refuses to be fortunate with neoliberal determinism. Visit Kosovo to meet with our people, learn about our battles and hopes, which I believe are similar to your battles and hopes. I would like to invite each of you, those who come from countries that recognise Kosovo's independence, but also those who have not yet. We want to have the opportunity to get to know each other, learn from each other, and advance the battle against inequality, social and international justice.