Editing Ali Ahmeti (section)

==Life==
Ali Ahmeti was born on 4 January 1959, in [[Zajas]], [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|SR Macedonia]],  [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|SFR Yugoslavia]]. From 1979 to 1983, Ahmeti studied philosophy at the [[University of Pristina (1969–1999)|University of Pristina]] in Kosovo, graduating in 1983. Between 1981 and 1983, he also was one of the student leaders in the [[1981 protests in Kosovo]]. For these activities, Ahmeti was arrested and imprisoned for one year by the [[Socialist Republic of Serbia|Serbian]] and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] authorities.

Between 1984 and 1986, he was involved with the reconsolidation of the student movement (and general popular movement) in Kosovo. In 1986, Ahmeti gained political asylum in [[Switzerland]], where he lived until 2001,<ref name="birn">{{cite web |title=Ali Ahmeti: Rebel Turned Politician |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2010/10/28/ali-ahmeti-rebel-turned-politician/ |website=Balkan Insight |date=28 October 2010}}</ref> and was working as a coordinator of different groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gazetajnk.com/?cid=1,1018,7922|title=Ali Ahmeti: "Njeriu i Qetë " që Merr atë që Dëshiron}}</ref>

From 1988 to 1989, he was one of the leaders of the student and miners' protests against the Milosevic government. From 1989 to 1990, he was one of the main organizers of protests of the Albanian diaspora in Europe.

Ahmeti gained his political support from the [[National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo]]. In the year 1986, he was elected as a member of the Main Council with a specific duty, interconnecting Kosovo with Europe. In the year 1988, he was elected as a member of the leadership of the National Movement of Kosovo. He was re-elected in this position in 1993, with a special duty in the military sector.

In 1996, he was one of the main founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and in 1998, when the war started, he was elected member of the main staff of the KLA.<ref name="birn" /> In 2001, he was elected Supreme Commander and political representative of the National Liberation Army (NLA). 

After the signing of the [[Ohrid Agreement]] in August 2001, and the disarmament of the NLA in September, Ahmeti was engaged in the political process of the implementation of the agreement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-20-mn-36296-story.html |title=Rebel Leader No Longer Persona Non Grata |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 20, 2001}}</ref> In this light, he initiated and was named as a leader of the Coordination Council which unified all Albanian political parties in Macedonia, and the former structures of the NLA.

In June 2002, Ahmeti founded a new political party called the Democratic Union for Integration. In September 2002, DUI won the elections among Albanian parties in the republic and Ahmeti was elected as a deputy in the Macedonian Parliament. DUI entered in coalition with the winning party from the Macedonian block, [[Social Democratic Union of Macedonia]] (SDSM).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bdi.mk/en/biografia.php |title=Ali Ahmeti: Biography |publisher=Democratic Union for Integration |access-date=2014-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219175719/http://bdi.mk/en/biografia.php |archive-date=2017-12-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, DUI entered in coalition with VMRO-DPMNE.

On 26 November 2019, [[2019 Albania earthquake|an earthquake struck Albania]]. Ahmeti was part of a delegation of Albanian politicians from North Macedonia visiting the earthquake epicentre that expressed their condolences to the Albanian president [[Ilir Meta]].<ref name="ABCnewsMeta">{{cite news|title=Meta në Durrës me Talat Xhaferrin dhe Ali Ahmetin: Nuk do e harrojmë kurrë ndihmën tuaj|url=http://abcnews.al/meta-ne-durres-me-talat-xhaferrin-dhe-ali-ahmetin-nuk-do-e-harrojme-kurre-ndihmen-tuaj/|agency=ABC News|date=28 November 2019|accessdate=29 November 2019|df=dmy-all|language=sq}}</ref>

In September 2020, Ahmeti testified to prosecutors at the [[Kosovo Specialist Chambers]] regarding [[war crimes in the Kosovo War]].<ref name="Marusic">{{cite news |last1=Marusic |first1=Sinisa Jakov |title=North Macedonia Albanian Leader Testifies to Kosovo War Prosecutors |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2020/09/02/north-macedonia-albanian-leader-testifies-to-kosovo-war-prosecutors/ |accessdate=3 September 2020 |work=Balkan Insight |date=2 September 2020}}</ref> In May 2024, he was honored with the title "Honorary Citizen of Tirana" in Albania.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ali Ahmeti “honorary citizen” in Tirana: You honored me! I will try to be disciplined |url=https://euronews.al/en/ali-ahmeti-honorary-citizen-in-tirana-you-honored-me-i-will-try-to-be-disciplined/ |website=Euronews Albania |date=2 May 2024}}</ref>