10 years since NATO came to Kosovo’s aid

The 24th of March marks the 10th anniversary of NATO strikes aimed at stoping vioelence and ethnic cleansing on Kosovar Albanians. A whole generation of Kosovars will remember this day for all their lives, and with 10 years behind us we can only focus on the future and for this future to be a bright one. Today Kosovo is independent and recognized by 56 UN member states, and many other friends around the world.

But also to this day, the same ideology that in 1999 attempted to forcefully subdue a peaceful nation and tried for almost a century to destroy its future by closing universities, schools and treating Kosovo as a colony, is continuing its bizare and hard to comprehend campaign. The ideology that sits today in Belgrade has caused too much suffering for everyone in South East Europe and we can only hope that 10 years from now it will be history.

Therefore, 10 years may have passed and most countries in the Balkans might have moved on, but we still await for the rest to catch up. At least so we hope.

We must also not forget the thousands that are missing and whose families await to learn about the fate of their loved ones. 10 years later, forgivness has yet to be sought by those that caused harm.

We may celebrate, but we must also remember.

5 senior Serb officials guilty of war crimes in Kosovo, 1 acquitted

The guilty verdict by the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at the trial of 5 out of 6 high ranking Serb government figures for the crimes they committed and organized during the Kosovo-Serbia war in 1999 brings some justice to the people of Kosovo. This decision, although welcomed, should be a reminder to the countries around the world that justice is still being demanded by the victims.

Additionally, the guilty verdict of a Former Serbian Prime Minster, top Generals and security decision makers, of the Serbian Republic should speak volumes about the legality of Kosovar independence. Kosovo had and continues to have not only the moral right, but the legal right to protect its people and its independence.

It is important not to forget that many Kosovars are still missing and are presumed dead. Many perpetrators of these crimes are still free and living in Serbia, and some are also active in political life and decision making.

As long as these questions remain unanswered, justice will only be half-done.

The guilty verdict is welcomed, but also serves as a reminder to the world that this is not the end of the story.

Happy Birthday to Republic of Kosovo – 1 year old

Dear citizens of Kosovo and of all the countries of the World,

Kosovo just turned 1 year old. It was on the 17th of February 2008 that our country declared its freedom and its desire to grow and stand on its feet.

Today we celebrate that day.

In 1 year, we have been recognized by 54 UN Member states, most of the EU and NATO. The year that is coming, will also be fruitful and prosperous. In the face of all challenges, our young nation has come out stronger and took its place in the world. The reality of Kosovo has been accepted by the World. Yet a lot remains to be done.

To mark this occassion, KosovoThanksYou has started a new Twitter feed and prepared a celebration video. View the Kosovo Flag Around the World project.

The KosovoThanksYou team will be covering the celebrations from Prishtina and will publish photos and videos as they become available.

We wish you all a Happy Independence Day!
The Team

Updated: 17 February 2008

Maldives confirms intent to recognize the Republic of Kosovo

The Republic of Maldives Missions to the UN in New York and Geneva have confirmed for KosovoThanksYou that the island Republic intends to recognize Kosovo in the near future. In a separate statement made for the press, the Maldives Foreign Ministry also confirmed Maldives intention to recognize Kosovo and establish diplomatic relations.

The Maldives Missions to the UN in New York and Geneva stated that official recognition has not yet been offered to the Kosovo authorities. Due to the end of the business week, the Maldives missions could not confirm for KosovoThanksYou the timing of the recognition.

We want to thank Maldives for their support and look forward to our countries establishing diplomatic relations in the near future.

Bulgaria recognizes the passport of Republic of Kosovo

The Embassy of Republic of Bulgaria in Bern confirmed for KosovoThanksYou that Bulgaria recognizes the passport of Republic of Kosovo. Also, the embassy noted, citizens of Kosovo are required to have a viza in order to enter Bulgaria.

We also received reports that Kosovars were able to use their Passports in Bulgaria [See passport stamp]

We want to thank Bulgaria for the continued support and its role in stabilizing South East Europe. Travel of citizens of both Bulgaria and Kosovo to these countries is an important step for the economy and European integration of the Balkans.

Important information about Flag and Coat of Arms of Republic of Kosovo

The KosovoThanksYou team with the help of the flag designer M. Ibrahimi has acquired the correct values for the colors of the Flag and Coat of Arms of Republic of Kosovo. This information is currently only available on the KosovoThanksYou.com site.

In the past few months there has been some confusion about the exact colors of the Kosovar flag. Confusion stems from conversion between CMYK and RGB color formats, which was not done properly.

The colors on the Government Website are in CMYK format that have been converted to RGB without corrections. This makes the Kosova outline look darker on the screen. The correct RGB version of the flag as well as the color values are listed below.

At this point, this specification remains the only Kosovo Flag color standard publicly available.

Flag of Kosovo with Corrected Colors
Flag of Kosovo with Corrected Colors

Republic of Kosovo flag color codes:

Background: R:24, G:56, B:132 (or #183884)
Kosova: R:219, G:187, B:91 (or #DBBB5B)
Stars: R: 255, G: 255, B: 255 (or #FFFFFF)

Download high resolution: Flag | Coat of arms

Coat of Arms and Flag Download in:
SVG, EPS

Panama recognizes Republic of Kosovo

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo today confirmed that Panama has recognized the young Republic. The Foreign Minister of Panama, Samuel Lewis Navarro, today confired to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo that Panama has officially recognized Kosovo and that the Verbal Note communicating this will be handed over to the charge d’affairs of Republic of Kosovo in Washington, Avni Spahiu.

Panama becomes the 54th UN member state to recognize the Republic of Kosovo.

MFA of Panama Press Release

MFA of Kosovo Press Release

The Republic of Kosovo welcomes 2009

2008 has been a very important year for the Republic of Kosovo. Our Republic has been recognized by 53 countries the world over, and with very good outlook for more recognitions to come in 2009. Predictions that foresaw instability for Europe have not come to fruition. In short, though a lot more could be done, 2008 can be marked as an important turning and starting point for the Republic of Kosovo.
In the next year, we hope to see an improved foreign policy, and more concrete plans for the economic development of our Republic. We are also hoping to see more activity in streamlining various processes for citizens, such as information about passports.
And of course, more recognitions.
We wish all our supporters, allies and friends a Happy New Year.
May peace and light continue to prevail in 2009.