Dimal Basha ridicules PDK after President Thaci's interview from The Hague

Vetevendosje MP Dimal Basha has reacted after the former president Hashim Thaci's interview published yesterday.

Basha has mocked PDK officials' reactions to this interview, saying she cannot get up.

“S'un was the guy who brought the PDK today, very bad! ” he wrote. Further, he went on: “Bile those who voted the Special Court at all were met, teslim were! ”

Full interview with Hashim Thaci:

National: Several years before you were arrested, you have repeatedly repeated that you would retire after the end of the president's mandate. Was it true?

Hashim Thaci: I do not miss the office of president or prime minister, nor do I miss the agenda or political, party or parliamentary debates. After completing the political engagement and the process I am currently going through, I want to live through chapters of other vital commitments.

I'm in physical isolation today, but not in mental prison.

I feel that I have physical and creative energy, experience and mental refreshment to do good, useful and creative things for my society and my country.

For Kosovo citizens, freedom and independence should not be sufficient.

Kosovo has many unmet opportunites; human capital makes up the most valuable property. I believe in active, dynamic and innovative Kosovo society; I believe in the safe future of our children and our children's children.

National: What do you miss most in Kosovo?

Hashim Thaci: For the family, to stay and talk freely with them: Lumen, Andrew, who now grew up and became a man, to participate in his graduation ceremony, to walk the mountains, the beautiful mountains of Kosovo, to watch football matches together, or to spend some skiing day together in the mountains of Brezovica. Let's talk about his dreams, his dreams, his movies or books, etc.

We miss each other every day, but that's the price of freedom.

I know that sympathy is a measure of weakness, but it also represents humans - we are people of flesh and blood.

Yes, I miss my parents who have entered the old age, even though I talk often over the phone. Their arrival here last year was a special and memorable emotion.

My visit long ago, on May 29, 2023, which was conducted in custody and association of the DHSK, in the country of Buroja, talking to my parents, for several hours, represents an extraordinary human miracle. Time and conversation with them were most special in my life. We had memories of the past, talked about the immediate and extended family circle, about today, but also about the future. They are blessed with many grandchildren, grandchildren, and great - grandchildren. They are living their old age calm, proud, and dignified.

I am thrilled for the people I love and love, who trusted me for more than two decades in the common process of building free, independent, tolerant, developmental Kosovo.

National: In my final address to the people of Kosovo, the day you were arrested, a portion has impressed me: that when you say we stay together and not allow us to deepen in the constitutional and institutional crisis. What did you mean when you said those words?

Hashim Thaci: I continue to believe that only by remaining united as a people can we overcome challenges. Unitedly, we succeeded in the process of freedom and independence, and thus should continue in the Euro-Atlantic integration phase.

This civic and institutional unity should be embedded in Western values, in the sense of moving forward, not joining in wrong causes. Not spending time together reflecting on past confrontations, but looking forward to the future.

Our past is not challenging, it's won, it's very proud and with integrity, we can't and shouldn't try to change it. The challenges and solutions are ahead.

People want development, jobs, well-being, quality education, health care, cleaner environments, etc. It takes care to keep the past in high esteem, risk, or even lose the future.

Internal unity and investment in interethnic reconciliation are key to success for Kosovo. The world is moving and changing faster than our local intuitions or agendas.

Each crisis is very delayed in Kosovo, but it also undermines the efforts of international friends to consolidate the state of Kosovo on the domestic level, but also in its international affirmation.

International support should not be taken for granted. It must always be earned. Kosovo daily must continue to produce arguments that facilitate the support of international friends.

National: Eddie Rama's personal support for you after you were arrested has surprised many. He calls you brother and expresses great friend love. We witnessed good reports, even as long as you were in Kosovo. But were they always good?

Hashim Thaci: When we arrived in The Hague, as a result of anti-Condavid measures, we spent about nine months without even a family contact. It wasn't easy. Edith's visit took place and exceptional and unimaginable circumstances, beyond politics and judicial process, a very brotherly conversation. I missed you. Eddy fights and usually wins on the cause he believes, it is impressive how he is continuing to build and affirm European Albania.

I was delighted that, after authorising the chief of custody, I accepted the books Eddie had brought me to the DHSK detention facility. As usual, he was in a good mood. But when we broke up, I felt that he was very excited, but always confident of the better and safer future, beyond the space where we stayed drinking coffee about two hours.

We believe in justice, in truth and transparency. Kosovo citizens are eager to see and hear the truth. Not incomplete, or biased. Kosovo and its citizens believe in the principles of modern justice, which they have included and respected with constitution and state laws. Justice that respects contemporary, fast and efficient standards. Justice that gains domestic legitimacy. Kosovo has suffered much from injustice. Kosovo has moved ahead only by respecting the principles of freedom, justice and democracy.

National: In Kosovo politics you have built personal reports with other political figures. Can you mention any of them that you may miss today?

Hashim Thaci: I wouldn't separate people from politics, not politics. I miss the friends with whom I worked together over two decades, with whom I shared joy, grief, success and failure, people of proud travel for freedom, state and development of the country.

I am inspired by these people and submitted with respect and gratitude that they endured my mistakes and trusted me in success. The integrity of these people is remarkable. Why we knew that my journey was not easy and short but safer and sustainable.

Working with partners or political rivals for me has always been self - respect, care, and purpose. I've made all my political life with people of different political profiles. Political priorities, not ideological, party or individual priorities, have always been more important to me.

During the political confrontations, I have won many friends and opponents, but there have also been various constructive political controversy, but normal for plural democratic society. They're understandable to me.

I am very grateful to all who have stayed close to my family but also to my visits to The Hague. Above all, though, for the faith that I represent.

I repeat, people are missing me, not politics. I have been visited by presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors, congressmen, politicians, civil society activists, leaders of religious communities, human rights activists, intellectuals, academics, journalists, art and culture people, sports world, entrepreneurs, citizens from the diaspora, known and unknown. Frankly, I enjoyed talking about private, family, and professional topics.

I am very grateful to all the citizens, wherever they live, who share their solidarity.

National: You have had time, as never before, to think of different things, perhaps even the last war in Kosovo. Is there anything new that you can tell us about that time?

Hashim Thaci: Frankly, I think more about the future than about the successful closed chapters of Kosovo. We did not start the war, nor did we want it, the people of Kosovo resisted the aggressor. We did not do less than what was to be done, as many today have done and do even many host nations of world civilization.

We won.

Now we must strengthen peace. It brings development, order and law, harmony among people, better life and prosperity for citizens.

Only with history can we gain the future, history must be respected, institutionalized. It is citizen possession, but it does not guarantee success for today and the future.

If we fail today, we hurt it and we repeat yesterday's victory story. But it should be remembered that our success story is not only Kosovo property, it is also the extraordinary merit of the Western world.

Kosovo is a story of shared success. Without the support of the sponsors of freedom and independence as a society, we can survive somewhat irreverent, but as a functional state we cannot exist.

Consider the Rambouillet Conference, the time of bombing, the liberation of Kosovo, the making of Kosovo state, its recognition by over 100 states, the International Court of Justice's ruling, its integration into many international institutions and organisations.

It should be remembered that not all global relief factors were enthusiastic about making Kosovo free and independent.

On the contrary, Kosovo will have a grim, uncertain, discouraging look and more dilemmas. It will be economically poorer, at all foreign investment and wavering democracy. A country with permanent crises nobody believes.

But I believe in Kosovo in NATO, in the EU and in eternal special reports with the United States.

Everlasting peace must be achieved with mutual recognition, legally binding. The longer this agreement is delayed, the later Kosovo will be in NATO and the EU, and the darker the support of the US.

My experience tells me that Brussels supports Kosovo as much as it encourages and keeps Washington in focus.

The US alliance must be cultivated for the strategic future, not just for thank you. Our success is the greatest gratitude the West can accept and assess from Kosovo.

National: Kosovo is facing major problems, the departure of young people. You're worried about common messages, and you're concerned about the position as president. Do you even have a message for these young people: Why should they stay in Kosovo and love it?

Hashim Thaci: The departure of young people and entire families from Kosovo is disturbing and poses alarm.

People don't leave because they don't want their country, but because of the lack of opportunities for a better life. With this trend, very quickly, in a few years, we can have the proportion of over half of Kosovo citizens living in the diaspora.

It should not only complain or mourn their departure, but create conditions for the acceleration or reduction of this phenomenon. But no one should think that leaving people for the diaspora can completely stop him.

It should not be forgotten that Kosovo was a great beneficiary of Diaspora. They invested a lot in Kosovo's freedom and development. Now we have to turn this factor into a priority for the economy and social emancipation.

It is known that many brilliant talents are leaving out, with this state of departure increasing, so “brain drain”.

I hope it's not one direction... I think we'll soon have “brain circulation where people go out, stay out and then return to their countries... I want to believe that different investments in Kosovo can be linked to knowledge and entrepreneurship experience in Kosovo.

Young people believe and feel proud of Kosovo. Kosovo's achievements are extraordinary. Kosovo is a country that has proven that it can perform miracles. More hope, faith, and optimism for today and its future.

Work to make each citizen feel good and proud of Kosovo.