Kosovo is lucky; we have been fortunate. Since the first day—since the end of the war, in June 1999—there has been an international civilian and military presence there. From that moment, we started building independent institutions based on advice and suggestions, and learning from international communities.
I would like to emphasize that we were a country that was occupied and suffered genocide at the hands of Milosevic, but we also had some experience of working with institutions. Our society was emancipated. Together with the international community, we drafted constitutions and a legal framework in line with the highest international standards. We built independent institutions to ensure the separation of power between pillars and the democratic functioning of all the pillars of society.
Yesterday we just finished a second round of municipal elections in Kosovo that were fair, democratic, transparent, and all-inclusive. All participants accepted the results of the elections immediately, and the elections were highly praised. The Central Election Commission is always highly praised for its role. Also, Kosovo's institutions are always praised for maintaining their independence, be they the constitutional courts, the courts, the media, or other relevant institutions. This is why I would emphasize that we have built a tradition in Kosovo of respecting the separation of powers and the decisions of independent institutions.
Of course there's always room to do more. Again, I say proudly that we are a good example for the whole region. I would also like to emphasize that these institutions—including the ombudsperson's office and other important institutions—are now led by Kosovars, by nationals. This means we have built our own capacities to turn these institutions into national, credible institutions for citizens of Kosovo, providing services of international standards.