El Salvador recognition confirmed

Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo announced that the Verbal Note, confirming the recognition of Kosovo by El Salvador, has arrived at the General Consulate of Kosovo in New York.

This makes El Salvador the 105 UN Member State to recognize Kosovo as an independent and free state.

We thank the people of El Salvador for their friendship, acceptance and recognition.

Grenada, Libya and Thailand – Thank you!

Last week, officials from the Kosovo government, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Republic of Kosovo, have announced that Grenada, Libya and Thailand have all officially recognized Kosovo as an independent country. These recognitions were initially communicated over Twitter and later confirmed on the site of the Executive branch (references included in the listing of countries).

The announcements were made during an official visit to the  68th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

We would like to thank the people of Grenada, Libya and Thailand for their acceptance and friendship. Each recognition is important, big or small, and each is of highest value.

We wholeheartedly thank you.

Egypt recognizes Kosovo (Update)

Update: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt has issued a statement on its web site confirming Egypt has decided to recognize Kosovo as an independent state. For the moment there is no mention of Verbal Note exchange from Ministries of either Kosovo or Egypt. We expect a Verbal Note or equivalent will be communicated shortly.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo announced today that Egypt decided to officially recognize Kosovo as an independent and free state. The news was communicated during a phone call between the ministers of these two countries.

In accordance with our policy on counting recognitions as official only once a Verbal Note has been delivered, we will await for confirmation that a Verbal Note or equivalent has been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo.

We would like to thank the people of Egypt for their friendship, acceptance and support. This makes Egypt the 101st UN Member state to recognize Kosovo.

Thank you Egypt!

Republic of Guyana recognition confirmed – diplomatic relations established

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo has confirmed the recognition by Republic of Guyana. The two countries signed a document establishing diplomatic relations thus confirming in writing the recognition of Kosovo by Guyana.

Guyana becomes the 100th UN Member state to recognize Kosovo as a free nation.

We thank the people of Guyana for their friendship and acceptance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo has yet to confirm the recognition by Tanzania, the verbal note of which has been secured by the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli.

Yemen recognition confirmed – Verbal Note received

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo has confirmed that Republic of Yemen has recognized Kosovo. The Verbal Note, received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo, has been signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Yemen, Dr. Abu Bekr Abdullah al-Qirbi, and states that Yemen decided to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo.

We thank the people of Yemen for their friendship and acceptance.

Yemen becomes the 99th UN Member state to reconize Kosovo as a free nation.

The other three remaining recognitions, by Guyana, Egypt and Tanzania, have yet to be confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Happy 5th Independence Anniversary, the Successes and Failures

Five years ago on February 17th 2008, the hopes and dreams of Kosovar people were at their all time high. Five years ago Kosovars started hoping that one day their country will be an equal among nations.

On this important date it is important to celebrate the successes but not ignore the failures.

The successes have been many: the recognition by 98 UN Member states, among with other non-members; the membership to different organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and the adherence to a European outlook.

The five years of independence have also brought stability and peace, and most importantly, a clear direction for the bruised Balkan nations, with different levels of success.

Five years is a long time in state building and development. Miracles can and have happened in five years. Examples are abundant around the world.

No amount of celebration and self-congratulation can void the fact that there have been failures.

And failures have been many: the standard of living in Kosovo has increased only slightly; unemployment is still among the highest in Europe; Kosovo is not present in any of the ISO standards; nationals of this small republic can travel to a handfull of countries without needing a visa; Kosovo is isolated from the rest of Europe in many ways; the development, foreign, security and other policies have been insufficient in delivering their goals; the political spectrum has not nurtured growth and development, instead, it has nurtured factions and infighting. The list is easy to add to. But it shall stop here.

Have a happy independence day, enjoy it and celebrate it. Let’s not forget the work that needs to be done to celebrate the 10th anniversary with more successes and fewer failures.

Pakistan recognizes Kosovo

Update: the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has issued a press release confirming that Pakistan recognizes Kosovo. The press release also states that the Pakistani Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey will be accredited as the Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo.

Media in Pakistan have made an unconfirmed announcement over Twitter that Pakistan has recognized Kosovo.

If confirmed, this would make Pakistan the 98th UN Member State to recognize Kosovo.

Following our established practice, we will await confirmation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo before considering this news as official. Stand by for updates. Other reports indicate that the verbal note, confirming the recognition message, has already been sent and is due to arrive shortly.

Nevertheless, we would like to thank the Pakistani people for their support and friendship, with or without the recognition.

Dominica recognizes Kosovo

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo today confirmed that Commonwealth of Dominica has officially recognized Kosovo as an independent state.

This brings the total number of UN Member states recognizing Kosovo to 97.

We thank the Dominican people for their offer of friendship and acceptance.

Thank you Dominica!

St. Kitts and Nevis Recognition confirmed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The recognition by St. Kitts and Nevis has been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo. In an email sent to all media contacts, the MFA confirms that the Verbal Note communicating this recognition has been shared by the Kittian and Nevisian Foreign Minister, Sam T. Condor.

We wholeheartedly thank the people of St. Kitts and Nevis for their offer of friendship and acceptance.

St. Kitts and Nevis becomes the 96th UN Member State to recognise Kosovo.