Fifth anniversary of indepence of repuclic of Kosovo celebrated in Turkey

The fifth anniversary of independence of the Republic of Kosovo was celebrated in a ceremony in Istanbul which was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri and in which messages of solidarity and unity for Turkey and Kosovo were extended. During the ceremony, Mayor of Istanbul's Bayrampasa district Atila Aydiner welcomed the guests from Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, saying that Kosovo has lived in peace for 524 years under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, and after the withdrawal of Ottomans from the region, the people in the region had to face pressure and cruelty. "Kosovo has not surrendered such pressures, its soldiers have become martyrs and thus it has gained its independence. Turkey has been the first country to recognize the independence of Kosovo. We are bond with Kosovo at heart," Aydiner said.