Former Congressmen Engel's Role and Contribution Appreciated for Kosovo

At the Assembly's honoured session of Engel, who died on April 10th, President Albulen Haxhiu's taskman, has said Engel left a lasting impression on Kosovo's history.

In the most difficult days of our new history, even with many U.S. congressmen and senators, he raised his voice strongly against violating our rights, repression, and persecution by the Serbian-Yugoslav regime”, has stressed Haxhiu, at the session that has started with a minute of silence in honour of Engel.

She has said that Engel throughout his entire career did not stop seeking justice for the people of Kosovo.

“in the dark years when Kosovo Albanians were suffering under Milosevic's regime, and the world was still reluctant to act, Eliot Emgel raised his voice”, Haxhiu stressed.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has raised the image of Engel, assessing it as the man who spoke to Kosovo at any time, before and after independence. Kurti has stressed that Engel is unique among all the allies that have the country.

He wanted what we want for ourselves. In the most difficult times for Albanians Engel became a voice we did not have. He became our conventioner, and he will remain forever. Sincere interest in Kosovo's future for which it worked so hard was at the centre of our meetings. Kosovo's freedom and independence are the success of the sacrifice of our people and our Western allies, where a particular country occupied Eliot Engel”, Kurti has said.

On behalf of the LVV parliamentary group, Lisa Gashi, has commemorated Engel's great contribution during the Kosovo war and evidence presented to Americans for crimes being committed against the Albanian people by Serbs.

For Kosovo Eliot Engel was not just a great friend at the American Congress, he understood our pain correctly, defended our right to freedom and stood by us when the road to citizenship seemed very long and difficult”, Gashi said.

And from the PDK, Vlora Citaku, has appreciated the contribution Engel made to Kosovo in Washington until it showed that Engel had created the terresponsive for Kosovo in the US and had spread it to each other.

“Eliot Engel had done what very few people can do in politics, had left a mark on people's conscience”, Citaku stressed.

Jehona Lushak-Sadriu of LDK has named Engel the most powerful voice of Kosovo freedom.

For Engel freedom of Kosovo was not a geopolitical issue, it was a moral issue, it was his personal struggle between good and evil”, the potential Lusshak-Sadriu.

Artan Aslan of the multiethnic group has stressed that political actors today must testify to what Engel has done for Kosovo constantly and continue to rebuild.

“He was a friend of Kosovars because he defended Kosovo and did not defend only the national cause, but defended the dignity of the people living here despite their belonging”, he has said.

AAK MP, Besnik Tahiri, has honoured and commemorated Engel's contribution, has stressed that his group expects the Parliament to establish the “Eliot Engel” award to divide personalities that have made special contributions to Kosovo.

“Engel was not just a political ally, was a sincere friend of Albanians, and a strong voice of freedom”, he said. /Time