What had Ibrahim Rugova written on Flag Day in 1968?

“U surprised the Balkans. Europe was amazed. They were all surprised, when after five centuries, from the Skenderbeu era to the Albanian sky, the symbol of blood was raised flag”, Rugova wrote.

Under the complete text that was published in the media at the time. 

From Ibrahim Rugova

Pristina, 28. XI.1968. We've always felt it in ourselves this white day, we've lived with her, with her red blood, that was so much different in our hearts, as in the heart of the white old man who whitewashed her in 1912. O how we may not feel this day, which is one of the darkest days, among the redest days of our hasty history full of thunderstorms and a little less pleasant whites.

Even in this glorious land, souls have been burned for freedom and independence, they still burn, and the project will be burned, until that glorious flaming light shines up the blood of a trunk every season of time. A people's liquefaction is best felt by the best and most of their best sons. They're being bummed out. They try to wipe it out and bring in dreamy fatness. To set up the temple of freedom among the Homeland Holy Land, a place that is a symbol of man throughout life and glory. They do everything. Burn it like a candle.

And with that light coming out of their trunk, it burns the blood - restored earth for centuries. Many of our blood has had these sons, honest, magnificent and manly. Their verse among the pages of our past is as long as all of us. The longest is the range of their glory and great bravery. The year 1912. The Ottoman election has been lifted. That's what those who for centuries feel its weight, its filthy denationalizing, brotherly-killing and destructive weight.

Even the motherland is smart. He can't stand the humiliating leg that turned off his barrenness. The world hears about this. The Balkans agree. Trims still on all sides. Deception is heard everywhere: independence and national freedom. Different hearts utter the most powerful voice. The Anadollal cult left forever after five centuries. Everyone expected freedom and tranquillity. To live by his own soul on his trunk, as they knew very well what this is, to revive an old blood that my years ran through the veins of glorious Balkans. There's anadollians. Those who were accustomed to this hand's albums well investigated this.

They didn't wait. They punched their noses. They planned them for the earth and the symbol of our blood... the flag preserved for centuries... in the bosom of every country of the beloved earth... lifted it up. They picked him up that fall day. On that day, white and gold. The national history calendar entered that day. It was marked: November 28,1912. And the name of him who raised it was written: Ismail Kemal. Also marked: Legendary Vlora. The Arber red wine that was occupied over that land as centuries-old sands by the Adriatic. He was surprised by the Balkans. Europe was amazed. They were all surprised, when after five centuries, the symbol of blood flag rose from the Skenderbeu era to the Albanian sky. Good to have everyone fooled. It's good they didn't think we had anything, that Anadol's dragon swallowed us up. But she's got a lot, she almost blew us up, but she can't get us the most valuable, most magnificent power, the bravery that got our souls burned for the land of ancestors.

We took her further and we take her to life over our beloved land. The first to bring the order of the ancestors, the one who lifted up the one held high between his hands and his head and who marched with him, was one of the best - known sons of our nation, Ismail Kemal, the bearded old man. He picked it up, we held it up and we'll keep it from time to time and move on in history. It was in our hearts, in our souls. We got it. We want to have it all over truly a symbol of blood, freedom, and independence that leads us more and more quickly to new victories and always to win.