Along with Rugova: How the State Was Built Between War and Peace

When the man of war and the man of peace work together, the State is built on foundations that never fight.

Ramush Haradinaj

I met Ibrahim Rugova in difficult times, when Kosovo was broken by violence, war, uncertainty about the future. He was the man of peace, I was the man of war. At first we could say that we were all alike, but what brought us together was love for Kosovo and the conviction that this country deserved its freedom and state.

When he gave me the opportunity to work with him in building the first government, I felt the weight of the moment. It was a time when it took not only courage but also wisdom to stop the violence that was dividing us as a society. I came from the war, from what I was taught to protect my men with rifles. It came from another way of peace, patience, of speech. Together, we made an unprecedented agreement: for Kosovo, there was never a place for revenge, division, or weakness in state building.

When you worked with Rugova, you felt that any decision he made was for today, but for tomorrow, for a Kosovo that had to stand on the foundations of the force. He didn't talk much, but his word was weighty. He was gentle, but with a determination that did not break. I learn from him that the state is built not only by force but by wisdom and cooperation. He assured me that my human force of war was only to protect Kosovo on the front, but also to face the challenges of peace.

I remember respectfully the moments when he insisted I should keep the institutions. No institutions, no state,” said. And he was right. Today, when I see some political forces trying to destroy what we built so hard, I feel the task of remembering that our sacrifices were not for political games, but for a country that needs to survive.

With Rugova, I understand that the strength of a nation is when the man of war and the man of peace work together. The war protected Kosovo, peace gave the vision. And this is a lesson that should always be remembered: Kosovo is bigger than any of us, and the work on it never ends.

Rugova today is still between us. He's in the next world, but his dying wish stays with us. I am alive and put them where we started together: to return international friends to Kosovo, with the trust we have built for decades of sacrifice. Today, we are seeing how our efforts for 30 years to build the state and friends are at risk from there that they do not understand the weight of what we have done. But I will not allow Kosovo to deviate from the road we built.

For Ibrahim Rugova and all those who gave everything for this country continue to work for a strong, free and respectable Kosovo in the world.