A memorial academy was held on the occasion of the Battle of Koshare Veterans Day and the anniversary of the fall of Sali Çekaj, reports Ekonomia Online.
Hysen Çekaj, the son of martyr Sali Çekaj, with a personal story, commemorated his father and his last moments with him, which were on New Year's Eve 1998-1999.
"For the veterans of the Battle of Koshare, you who know best what happened there in those 10 days that wrote history. April 19 is not just a date on the calendar for our family, it is the day when Kosovo learned that freedom has a price and the price is the blood of the brave. Honorable guests, allow me to speak for a moment not as an official speaker, but as the son of Sali Çekaj. My last meeting with my father was the new year '98-'99 and after that day all I had of him was a memory. His face, his voice, the hands that caressed me, everything. In the most difficult moments of my life, that memory was my true strength, because for most of my life, memory was all I had of my father.
But my memory of my father is not just a memory, it is also hope. I named my son Sali and in the young Sali I seem to see the legacy of the old Sali for the future. Last term I was elected a member of the Kosovo Assembly and people, friends, colleagues, family members asked me what prompted me to return from Germany, where I had organized my life, to Kosovo to deal with politics. I have never said it publicly, but I am saying it today that Kosovo is my memory of my father and I have nothing more precious in life. Therefore, Kosovo is my greatest pain and joy; I believe that for us, as well as for every martyr's family, when we see Kosovo well, it is our greatest joy and when we see Kosovo badly, it is our greatest pain. So from this place, from this event, from this commemoration, I ask everyone here: work hard, unite, honor each other for Kosovo, because every martyr's name in Kosovo is not just a memory, it is a question of whether we deserve freedom.
My father believed in unity, not in party division; for him the war was of Albanians and for Albanians, regardless of region or ideological-political views. He worked with Ibrahim Rugova and Fehmi Agani, Sali Berisha and Azem Hajdari, Hafiz Gagica and Donika Gërvalla, organized the war side by side with Adem Jashari and Zahir Pajaziti, and commanded with Tahir Zemaj, Rrustem Bruçi, Agim Ramadani and Rrustem Berisha. He did not ask which group you were from, he asked if you were ready to fight for Kosovo. His Kosovo was one, his flag was one, his enemy was one. Honorable guests, there is a category of people who are rarely mentioned in official academia, but without whom nothing would be possible. "Today, the people know Sali Çekaj as a hero, his comrades know him as a commander and friend, the state has given him titles and Deçan has erected a statue in his honor, and everyone with their presence and remembrance adds to our pride," said Çekaj.
He said that the hero's sacrifice is best understood by his mother, who saw Çekaj's tears the day he packed his children's school bags.
"For one person, only one person who understands sacrifice more deeply than anyone else is that lady sitting there, my mother. She saw my father's tears the day after she put our bags on our backs and saw us off to school, then got ready to leave for Kosovo. She raised us alone in Germany, worked non-stop, even without knowing the language. But only her heart and the hearts of women like her understand the real sacrifice that was written about, talked about, sung about and commemorated year after year. Honor, respect for every mother, woman and sister who bore the sacrifice in silence. Thank you, mother. From my father I learned that love for the homeland is not measured in words, but in sacrifice. And in his words that remained as a testament to all of us, there is an immortal message: Should Albanians only be united by tragedies and great dangers? Unfortunately, this has often happened to us until today. Tomorrow this must not happen again. Let us be together and united before and after danger. Let these words today be a guide for all of us in Kosovo, in Albania, in the diaspora, wherever Albanians live. May God bless our martyrs, may God bless Kosovo”, said Çekaj.
Fadil Hadërgjonaj, former commander of the 2nd Battalion, 138th Brigade "Agim Ramadani", also participated in this commemorative academy, who said that Sali Çekaj was the rare combination of intellectual and warrior.
"Honorable families of heroes Çekaj, Ramadan, Korani family, Rahmani family from Aqareva, Skenderaj and all of you present. Today we bow with deep respect to the bright figure of the hero of Kosovo Sali Çekaj and the fallen on the 27th anniversary of his heroic fall, remembering at the same time his 12 comrades who fell on the same day, as well as marking the day of veterans of the 138th Brigade Agim Ramadani. The figure of Sali Çekaj is a rare combination of intellectual and fighter, lawyer and patriot. He was a man of law, order and justice, but when injustice became a system and the law was violently suppressed, he understood that confronting the tyranny of oppression required taking up arms to defend the right. On the political level, he was an early contributor within the Democratic League of Kosovo, in the institutional organization of resistance, being an active part of the processes of the time for freedom, independence and democracy, led by the historic president Dr. Ibrahim Rugova.
In the legal plan, he worked for the functionalization of the constitutional order under occupation conditions, harmonizing municipal acts with the spirit of the Kaçanik Constitution. Persecuted by the regime, he was forced to emigrate to Germany, but exile for him was not an escape; it was another front of the war. In Stuttgart, he worked vigorously for the internationalization of the Kosovo issue, building bridges of communication with political circles not only in Germany, but throughout the West. At the same time, he organized and led illegal activity in Kosovo, keeping active resistance alive and mobilizing young people for the ranks of the Kosovo Liberation Army. According to the agreement between the President of Kosovo and that of Albania, in the fall of 1991, in the territory of Albania, within the framework of the first organized trainings of armed groups, he was among the main leaders alongside figures such as Adem Jashari and Zahir Pajaziti. There, the foundations were laid for a force that would later become the Kosovo Liberation Army.
His role in building military structures, in organizing the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kosovo, as well as the Supreme Headquarters of the Armed Forces under the leadership of Colonel Krasniqi, and in establishing the first operational information of the Kosovo Liberation Army at the brigade level led by Tahir Zemaj and Rrustem Berisha, testifies to his strategic vision and commitment to an organized and disciplined war. On the battlefield, he was a born leader. While later, together with Agim Ramadani, Anton Çuni and many other prominent commanders, and under the leadership of Rrustem Berisha, he was one of the architects of the historic operation of April 9, 1999, the breach of the Albanian-Albanian border in the Battle of Koshare. He stood on the front line, leading each confrontation with courage and clarity, experiencing the successes of his activity on the battlefield, at the same time facing the pain of the losses of his friends and comrades, until he fell heroically on April 19 to become an indelible part of our history. On the same day, his comrades also fell on the altar of freedom: Afrim Ahmet Stojku from Arbanë, Prizren; Aziz Bajram Gashi from Balincë, Malishevë; Bejtë Azem Kajdomçaj from Dedaj, Prizren; Fatos Shefqet Limani from Prishtina; Fisnik Alajdin Ibrahimi from Shajne, Dragash; Hysni Sylë Temaj from Kushnin, Prizren; Ilir Ahmet Hoxha from Arbanë, Prizren; Izet Islam Morina from Ostrozub, Malishevë; Leonard Dedë Palucaj from Klinë; Luan Ruzhdi Gashi from Prizren; Mejdi Abdullah Korani from Pozharan, Viti and Shefqet Fazli Mustafa from Gllogjan, Deçan. They fell together, just as they fought together. Their names are part of a common history of sacrifice and glory that never fades. Honorable participants, the Battle of Koshare was the greatest military undertaking of our liberation war. It was not just a frontal confrontation; it was a genuine military operation, built on detailed planning”, said Hadergjonaj.
Përparim Rama, the mayor of Pristina, said that it was an honor to be part of this academy and that it is very necessary to commemorate national heroes.
"Yes, it is more than necessary to respect our national heroes. In this case, today we had the memorial ceremony of Sali Çekaj, our national hero, who gave everything, that is, he sacrificed his life so that we can have peace today, so that we can enjoy freedom and democracy today in our country. It also inspires us to work together to strengthen our state, to strengthen our future, to honor the great sacrifice that our national heroes, including Mr. Sali Çekaj, have made. His family, his son, his wife, were also here, who honored us with their participation here. We had the honor of being part of this ceremony, so I say, we have to join forces and push, work hard, push all processes forward to have a strong state, a strong nation," Rama told EO.
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