Albin Kurti engages in election campaign in northern Macedonia

Besides Kurti, who has expressed his stance through a video message, other political leaders from Kosovo and Albania are still not involved in the domestic election race of the neighbouring state.

He has come to the full support of these two political subjects; while he has criticised other parties, which he has called outdated.

His education has been made at the Alliance's election rally in Skopje.

We remember that the VV leader had come out earlier in support of the Alliance for Albanians when Blerim Reka had competed for the president's position in this country.

Following the 6 October elections in Kosovo, where VV emerged as a winning party, Kurti had chosen Reka, appointing him minister in the Government of Kosovo.

Next, you can read Kurt's complete talk:

Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Albanians, who live as autochthons in your land, in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, I am addressing you with this video because I couldn't visit you in Skopje, as I planned, because of the restrictive measures that make it difficult to cross the border during the pandemic. We cannot meet physically, but we can still communicate, and continue to be close to each other the way we want to.

Northern Macedonia Albanians, anyone who does not know the history of Albanians, may even think they are peripheral, Albanian province. But they have been in the forefront of all our national processes. For the freedom of Kosovo, many young people from Northern Macedonia have given their lives, and then many others have fought in Macedonia, along with young people from Kosovo and other Albanian countries, for a dream which today seems to have been forgotten. But we do not forget our martyrs.

Not even their ideals. Ideals never age, ideals don't get too old. Us singing the song of Hajredin Pasha, we know the story of Dervis Cara and his 1844 uprising, which led the Prizren League for more than three decades. They sought the autonomy of Albanians in the empire, just as autonomy was once granted to Serbs. Well, this predecessor of independence, and his movement, began from the outskirts of Tetovo and Debar, and organised throughout Albanians from Skopje to Shkodra.

Then came the League of Prizren. The chairman of the meeting on June 18, 1878, was Ilyaz saw Cook, or Ilyaz saw Debra. Then, among the many participants in the Prizren League that were from today's northern Macedonia, you see Mustaf Tetovo and Jashar do Skopje and Hasan saw Tetovo. The very son of the latter, Mehmet saw Derilla, engaged as a helper and adviser to Sylejman Vokshi, and fought all the battles of the League of Prizren and the Peja Testament.

Mehmet Derilla later became the first defence minister to the government of Ismail Kemal in Vlora. Then we have the first Reinnishers and educators of Albanian, Said Naydeni, or Hodge Voka, as they know, who worked with the newcomers and shared with schools and writing learning of Albanian. Also Yasar Erebara, from Skopje, Ibrahim Temo from Struga, who helped Albanian publications in Istanbul, Dervis Hima from Struga, and Albanian Orthodox National Renaissance poet Josif Bager.

And let us not forget the outstanding contribution of the Kyriazzi family from the Monastery, the Sterling of George, a pioneer teacher of Albanian, but especially their sisters, perhaps the most prominent women of our Renaissance: Parascivi Kyriazi, activist, teacher of the people, participants in the Manastir Alphabet Congress, founder of the first Albanian Women Association, author of the government's educational programme Ismail Kemal, and something rare, the only delegate wife, from all participating countries, who participated in the Paris Peace Conference.

Also her sister, Sevasti Kyriazi, among the first women's education initiatives, attends the Elbasan Monastery conventions, associate of Ismail Kemal, and patriot to the end. Many of Albania's independence signatories, which was actually the project for the independence of all Albanians everywhere, came from Northern Macedonia. Mustafa Baruti, Nuri Soyliu, Myrteza Ali Struga, Dervis Hima, mentioned, Zyhdi Ohrid, and many others later joined him because they failed to arrive on November 28th. Here is another curiosity, the first chairman of Albania's Islamic community, immediately after independence, was Haxhi Vehbi Dibra.

In Vlora, he has said that the <x0kristians and Muslims are undivided Albanian brothers», stamping out our national reality, co-operation among believers of different religions, values we love so much and that we boast about it. The alphabet we write with today is occupied by your monastery, our monastery. Many relevant writers for Albanian, historical and contemporary literature come from the Albanians of Northern Macedonia. I'm referring to, for example, Hakki Stern, who in the book «as if I were a boy» brings up the important subject of the woman's suffering and discrimination, which politics still has to do with.

Then also painters, the great Abdurrahim Busa, or Sabri Fetah of Omer Calesey. And many singers and poets, professors and critics, scientists. And even athletes. The whole world knows that the first Albanian to have taken gold medals at the Olympic games has been Shaban Trstena, an opportunity from Skopje. Second, our golden Berida from Peja. The two Nobelists with whom Albania, humanist Mother Teresa boasts, and the doctor, Ferid Murati, come from your side.

So there's a lot of potential in you. You are not Albanian province, you, like the Albanians of Montenegro, the Presevo Valley, Chemmeria, Kosovo, the diaspora, and, of course, Albania, without forgetting the Arabs, are the heart of our culture and nation. But for the potential of the Albanian daughter and son to express himself, he needs some basic conditions. These conditions cannot be realized where discrimination and inequality exist. Just looking at the Alliance's joint programme for Albanians and Alternatives, as the programme's first point and as a very important topic, they have the state for all and full equality. Albanians should be present everywhere, as much as they deserve.

They give them that right, not to be allowed to deny old politics, or corrupt ones. We are peaceful people. But this does not mean that we must endure, without justice and under corruption, without education and ignorance, without health and depression, without work and poverty. Inequality must fight in all its forms, all the time, all of us, wherever we are and where we are. So, I'm loving that you're all saying hello, along with my friends, Ziyadin Sela of Africa Gashi, extending five fingers.

I know you do this to remind voters of the number five, which is your election number. Let us hope that this welcoming hand of yours is a good hand, to be a time for an Albanian hand working, to extend amicably to anyone who wants to cooperate with righteousness, to stop injustice. I wish you a success in the July 15th election. Let's leave the old ones behind, let's turn to new ones, that we need changes, development and democracy. Support the change, and let me remind you again, such as Albin and Vetevendosje: you are not alone; we are together; you will never be alone.