-
NewDiplomatKosovo’s
Bi-monthly newsletter of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic
of Kosovo. No.12 Year III.SEPT/OCT 2013
The end of the supervised inde-pendence was a major beginning
for the Republic of Kosovo. It was the moment that marked our
political maturity and increased our social responsibilities. Like
ever before, these two catego-ries walk hand-in-hand: ma-turity is
achieved only through the giving of responsibility, and vice versa.
The people of Kosovo themselves decided their status after decades
of neglect and op-pression that almost ended with a genocide of
unseen proportions in Europe after World War Two.Many challenges
lie ahead for the new state of Kosovo. However, these are ordinary
challenges for independent states and respon-sible societies. They
are reason-able, acceptable and surmount-able. This moment remains
very important in the recent history of our state. We have
succeeded in being treated equally with other states, and we now
consider our-selves as equal with them. Equal treatment promotes,
and raises awareness for, the joint responsi-bilities that we have
towards our people, our neighborhood and the entire democratic
world. To-day it is time for the European-isation of our region. It
is these very principles that continue to remind us of the great
truths about our economic, political and cultural interdependence.
There can be no cooperation if you are alone in this. Although
national pride in the Balkan societies can be high, the states are
small and vulnerable. We must remember that the Kosovar government
and institutions were supposed to implement a certain number of
provisions to ensure full minor-ity protection, positive
outreach towards all strata of society, the protection of heritage,
and full decentralisation of the political power to the local
municipalities.
Following the positive find-ing of the International Court of
Justice that confirmed legality of Kosovo Declaration of
Indepen-dence and dismissed the claims put forth by the Serbian
govern-ment, the EU started negotia-tions intended to normalise
re-lations between the two former foes and put them on the path of
EU integration. I have personally met the Prime Minister of Serbia
to find solutions to the every-day problems of the people, which
have been caused by Serbia’s less than forthcoming policies in the
past. Serbia’s stance is quickly changing: we initially agreed to
the recognition of Kosovo diplo-mas, car plates, and to
exchange
liaison officers in each other’s capital cities. After ten
intense rounds of negotiations, and six months of direct
discussions, the Serbian Prime Minister Ivi-ca Dacic and I recently
signed a historic accord that resolves our most contentious
disputes — the first-ever agreement to be signed during the deep
and protracted conflict between our two coun-tries. In the
agreement, Serbia must dismantle the illegal polit-ical, judicial
and security struc-tures that it supports in north-ern Kosovo. As
result, there will be one multiethnic Kosovo po-lice force with a
single chain of command. An elected Serb re-gional commander will
lead the new police region of Mitrovica North. In addition, the
courts in the north will function under Kosovo laws, and we will
recruit and appoint more Kosovo Serb judges. Our agreement
provides
additional extensive rights for a northern part of Kosovo that
has a majority of ethnic Serbs: a spe-cial solution that will
integrate them into Kosovo’s institutions and society through the
creation of Serb-majority municipalities that guarantee political,
econom-ic and socio-cultural rights. Also, Kosovo obtained a unique
coun-try code and reached a deal with Serbia on energy issues. For
all of the economic problems con-fronting our continent, Kosovo and
Serbia are drawn together by the prospect of participating in the
EU, with its vision of a peace-ful and prosperous Europe that has
open borders for people and goods. This is a vision well worth
working towards and compro-mising for. As Prime Minister, I’m
blessed to lead a country that has fully embraced Euro-pean values.
Kosovo is Europe’s youngest state, but we are al-
ready playing a positive role. We have the lowest debt compared
to GDP ratio in all of Europe. We al-so have the highest GDP growth
in the Eurozone, which Kosovo is a de facto member of through our
special relationship with the German Bundesbank. In June of this
year our efforts culminated with the decision of the Council of the
European Union to autho-rize the European Union to start talks on
Stabilisation and Asso-ciation Agreement with Kosovo.
Kosovo has invested public funds in infrastructure and
ed-ucation, and we have plans to make Kosovo a dynamic econo-my
tied to both the regional and European markets. In the energy
sector we will build new capaci-ties, especially as we plan to
de-velop the mining sector. We will continue to invest in education
to ensure that Kosovar innova-tors and businesses are compet-itive
in the difficult global cir-cumstances. We intend to keep prudent
and conservative fiscal policies, but still heavily invest in
projects that will enable long-term growth and prosperity. We are
improving the tax revenues every year, and have tested the
electronic trading of bonds, sup-ported by the US Treasury and EU.
Fighting corruption and or-ganised crime are high on the agenda:
this will mean that in-vestors can be sure of a fair and prompt
legal system, and the people will also know that free-dom brought
with it equality.
We have shifted gears in fighting corruption and organ-ised
crime, as the EU progress report has noted.
Greece strongly supports the European perspective of Kosovo5
questions with the Head of the Greek Liaison Office
Kosovo’s Path to Gender Equality
Kosovo now recognised by 101 UN members
By Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi
Follow our sites on Twitter: @MFAKosovo @InterfaithKosovo
@germiahillconf
CONTINUES ON PAGE 5
Kosovo, from supervised independence to potential EU
candidate
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi: Kosovoçs efforts
culminated with the decision of the Council of the European Union
to authorise the European Union to start talks on Stabilisation and
Association Agreement with Kosovo.
-
2 Kosovo’s New Diplomat
Diplomatic Bits & Pieces
Relations between Greece and Kosovo are based on sincere
friendship and the awareness of our common interestin promoting
peace, stability and prosperity
Greece strongly supports the Europeanperspective of Kosovo,
fully aware of the implications of that position
1 What is the best thing about working and living in
Kosovo?There are a lot of great things about living and working in
Kosovo. Firstly, the people: they are very warm, friendly and
always make me feel welcome. This is not restricted to the everyday
citizens, but also those I work with in the politi-cal leadership,
both in government and opposition. Secondly, Kosovo is rich both in
natural and in cultural heritage. The Kosovar landscape is
wonderful, and the cultural and religious monuments found
throughout are rightfully considered sites of outstanding world
heritage. Friends sometimes ask me whether I encounter hostility in
Kosovo considering Greece’s non-recognition. I have never, however,
felt any hostility directed towards me. Of course the question of
recognition comes up often in my talks with both the Kosovar
leadership and ordinary people, but that is absolutely natural and
is always done in both a friendly manner and good faith.
2 How big is the Greek presence in Kosovo? The Greek presence in
Kosovo is not large. Except for the Greek contingents of KFOR
(currently 112) and EULEX (currently 38), whose presence here is
temporary anyway, we do not know the number of Greeks living and
working in Kosovo. This is because Greek law does not oblige Greeks
living abroad to register with consular offices. Therefore we only
know some of them, estimated at below a hundred. Also as commercial
transactions between Greece and Kosovo increase more and more
Greeks travel to Kosovo, which is good for our relations.
3 How do you see Greek- Kosovar relations developing? Relations
between Greece and Kosovo are based on sincere friendship and the
awareness of our common interest in promoting peace, stability and
prosper-ity. In spite of the problem of non-recogni-tion, we see
each other as friends sharing the same neighborhood and aspirations
and, to a large extent, similar difficulties. Greece strongly
supports the European perspective of Kosovo, fully aware of the
implications of that position. Last March,
Foreign Minister Hoxhaj visited Athens and was received by the
Greek Foreign Minister. We have also agreed that Kosovo will soon
open a Trade Office in Athens, in light of the increasing
commercial activi-ties between us, activities that we want to
further expand.
4 What is your favorite part of Kosovo?Kosovo is very rich in
both natural and cultural sites. The Rugova Valley is absolutely
spec-tacular and awe-inspiring. In the Serbian monasteries I find
timeless beauty, both cultural and natural, and infinite
tranquil-ity. I especially like Prizren, and I hope that the
efforts to protect its beauty and history will succeed. This city
is of unique importance for both Kosovo and for the region as a
whole.
5 What is your current reading list? I must confess I have much
less time than I would wish for reading that is not dictated by
profes-sional necessity. Currently I am reading “Bloodlands, Europe
Between Hitler and Stalin” by Timothy Snyder. A riveting and
beautifully written, but also horrifying and depressing account of
the unspeak-able sufferings of the people of Ukraine, Belarus,
Poland, western Russia and the eastern Baltic coast from the early
1930s to the end of the Second World War. It is a scholarly account
that is both eye-open-ing and heart-wrenching. I am also read-ing a
book by James Naughtie called “The Making of Music, a Journey With
Notes”. This book offers a trip into the world of music, a world
which is a never-ending source of pleasure and solace for me. I am
reading it with a sense of pleasurable complicity as I see that it
is written by an author who feels the same fascination with music
as I do.
Hoxhaj calls for Canada’s support on Kosovo’s membership in
international organisations
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver
Hoxhaj, during his official visit to Canada met Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Canada, John Baird. Minister Hoxhaj expressed the
grati-tude of Kosovo’s people and government for the support Canada
gave during the war and is still giving for state building. The
Min-ister also expressed his gratitude for Canada’s support of
Kosovo’s membership in the International Monetary Fund, World Bank
and recently the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Minister Baird expressed Canada’s support for Kosovo’s
Euro-Atlantic integration processes, as well as Kosovo’s path
towards strengthening international subjectivity and membership in
inter-national and regional organisations.
SHORTNEWSFROM THE EMBASSIES
5 QUICK QUESTIONS
Kosovoçs New Diplomat is a bi-monthly publication of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo / Publisher:
Petrit Selimi / Editors of this issue: Astrit Zatriqi, Drilon Zogaj
/ This publication is supported by KS Talks EU
program of British Council Kosovo, sponsored by British Embassy
in Prishtina and MFA Kosovo / Views expressed in the publication do
not necessarily reflect the views of sponsoring institutions or
publisher / Contact: Government building, Mother Theresa str. PN,
10000 Republic of Kosovo; email: [email protected]; web:
www.mfa-ks.net; Twitter: @MFAKosovo
NewDiplomatKosovo’s
UNSC Report: historic agreement and fundamental progress towards
normalisation of relationsThe report of the Secretary-General of
the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo stated that the
positive steps taken by both Belgrade and Pristina in the
EU-facilitated talks have resulted in historic agreements and
fundamental progress towards nor-malisation of their relations. UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the decision of the European
Council, during its June meeting, to reaffirm the European
perspective for the region. This is in keeping with the important
strategic commitments made at the EU summit at Thessaloniki in June
2003. Mr. Ban commended the leadership in both Pristina and
Belgrade for demonstrating a seri-ous and steadfast commitment to
their dialogue, while also stressing the importance of the
implementation of this agreement.
President Jahjaga meets with the President of France, Mr.
Fran’ois HollandePresident of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete
Jahjaga, met the President of the Republic of France, Mr. François
Hollande, in Brdo near Kranj, Slovenia. President Jahjaga stated
that Kosovo’s suc-cess is because of both its citizens and
institutions and also the international community. She also added
that Kosovo’s international consolidation is being carried out with
the help of its friends, includ-ing France. President Hollande
expressed his interest in the develop-ments in Kosovo including not
only the process of building a legal state but also its EU
integration developments. He expressed particu-lar interest in the
economic development of Kosovo and its capacities, and the help
which France and the EU might provide on this issue.
nos scimus, non solum scribere
Dr. Dimitris A. MoschopoulosAmbassador, Head of the Greek
Liaison Office
sep t/oct 2013
Montenegro opens embassy in Kosovo
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver
Hoxhaj, welcomed Radovan Miljanic, who submitted appointment
letters to the position of charge d’affaires at the Embassy of
Monte-negro in Kosovo. Minister Hoxhaj outlined the bilateral
cooperation between the two countries, expressing the will of the
Republic of Kosovo to strengthen their relations with Montenegro in
many ar-eas. The charge d’affaires at the Embassy of Montenegro in
Kosovo expressed his commitment to working in Kosovo to strengthen
overall relations and exchanges between the two countries.
-
3Kosovo’s New Diplomat
Diplomatic Bits & Pieces
NEWKOSOVOREADSTitle: Kosovo - Country on the movePublisher:
Seltmann + SoehnePublication date: 2013
The Balkans is presented in a way that dispenses with all the
usual clichés in these magnificent coffee-table books by Doris and
Jçrgen Sieckmeyer, a husband and wife team. The everlasting
cheerful loud laughter of children everywhere ç that is
Kosovo. The country and its inhabitants are very young: Kosovo
has the youngest po-pulation in Europe, with the average age being
23 while 40 percent of the population is under 18. The greeting
«Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen, dear children!» is only
possible on a flight to Kosovo. Kosovo is situated in southeastern
Europe between Serbia, Montene-gro, Albania and Macedonia. The
country is not very large:
in less than four hours you can drive from north to sou-th. High
forested mountains and two large fertile plains - the Field of
Blackbirds and Dukagjini ç characterise the green landscape and you
are always surrounded by the beautiful mountain back-drop. There
are impressive canyons such as the Rugova Gorge or Kaçanik. Kosovo
has many beautiful rivers and several large reservoirs. There are
the seven natural
wonders: the Rugova gorge, the Mirusha waterfall, Bre-zovice ,
the Sharr Mountains, the source of the White Drin, the bifurcation
of the river Nerodime and the Cave of Gadime. The most impres-sive
thing about this country, however, is the people. They had a
terrible war and almost every family mourns a victim. However,
hatred does not shape their life: the future is the most important
thing.
EVERY ISSUE OF NEW DIPLOMAT WE WILL RECOMMEND BOOKS, REPORTS OR
WEBSITES WITH INTERESTING AND UPDATED CONTENT ON KOSOVO.
sep t/oct 2013
Yemen recognises KosovoYemen announced its recognition of the
Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. The
recognition of the Republic of Kosovo came in a statement issued by
the Foreign Ministry. There-fore, the Yemeni government will
establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Kosovo in order
to develop the bilateral relations and serve thecommon interests of
the two brotherly countries and peoples in all fields,ç the Foreign
Ministry said. The statement expressed the Yemeni govern-mentçs
aspiration of the Republic of Kosovo to exercise its role as a new
member of the international community to help underpin the security
and stability in the Balkan region as well as the world.
El Salvador recognises KosovoThe government of the Repub-lic of
El Salvador decided to recognise the Republic of Kosovo. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo announced the recognition on
Twitter, and it was subsequent-ly acknowledged that the Govern-ment
of El Salvador had taken the official step of recognising Kosovo as
sovereign and independent na-tion. This recognition brought the
total number to 101.
Guyana confirms recognition of KosovoThe Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Republic of Kosovo has confirmed the recognition by
Republic of Guyana. The two countries signed a document
establishing diplo-matic relations thus confirming in writing the
recognition of Kosovo as sovereign by Guyana.
Egypt recognizes KosovoThe Government of Egypt has taken a
decision to recognize Kosovoas an independent and sovereign state.
The official deci-sion of the recognition of Kosovo by Egypt was
communicated to Kosovoçs Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and by the Assis-tant to the
President for Foreign Relations and International Coop-eration,
Essam Al-Haddad.
Tanzania recognizes KosovoTanzania has recognised Kosovoçs
independence. The news was confirmed to the Kosovo General
Consulate in New York by the authorities of Tanzania. Deputy Prime
Minister Behgjet Pacolli an-nounced the news in a press con-ference
in Prishtina. According to the Deputy PM, this country has been
making efforts to recognise Kosovo for four years and after some
discussions in the parlia-ment, finally decided to recognise
Kosovoçs statehood.
KOSOVO NOW RECOGNISED BY 101 UN MEMBERSIn the last twelve
months, Kosovo has been recognised by Yemen, El Salvador, Guyana,
Egypt, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Burundi, East
Timor, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica. After membership in
IMF, World Bank, EBRD, Kosovo recently became a member of the
Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the Regional
Cooperation Council (RCC).
11 JUNE 2013 29 JUNE 2013 13 JUNE 2013 26 JUNE 2013 31 MAY
2013
10 NOV 2012
East Timor recognises Kosovo’s statehoodThe Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo has received a letter from Jose
Luis Guterres, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of East Timor, in
which his country recognises Kosovo's independence.
29 OCT 2012
Burundi recognises Kosovo The Republic of Kosovo has been
recognised by the Republic of Burundi. The verbal note of
recognition was submitted to the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo,
Behgjet Pacolli, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi
Laurent Kavakure, in Bujumbura, the countryçs capital. During the
two-week tour, Pacolli visited Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Kenya and South Sudan.
11 DEC 2012
Dominica recognised Kosovo’s independenceMinister of Foreign
Affairs of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, has received a verbal note on the
official recognition of Kosovo by Dominica. Dominicaçs authorities
have also sent a letter addressed to the President of Kosovo,
Atifete Jahjaga, confirming the official decision of this state on
formal recognition of Kosovo.
28 NOV 2012
Kosovo recognised by Saint Kitts and NevisMinister of Foreign
Affairs of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, received the verbal note of the
official recognition of the Republic of Kosovo from Saint Kitts and
Nevis, which confirmed their decision to formally recognise
Kosovo's independence.
03 OCT 2012
Papua New Guinea recognises Kosovo The Prime Minister Peter
OçNeill has formally informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Kosovo that Papua New Guinea has recognised the independence of the
Republic of Kosovo. The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
proclaimed the recognition and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Kosovo confirmed it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo has
received the official notification on recognition. "Today we are
officially informed through our Embassy in Tokyo that the
Government of Papua New Guinea made a decision to recognise the
independence of Kosovo," said Artan Behrami, advisor to the Foreign
Minister, Enver Hoxhaj.
-
4 Kosovo’s New Diplomat
About us & Our events
What do you do, where are you based? Currently I am the Head of
Treaties Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Kosovo. I am in charge of reviewing the implementation
process of treaties and conventions in Kosovo and the negotiation
of international treaties. I am based in Prishtina, the capital of
the Republic of Kosovo. What is the most you like about the job you
do? Being the part of MFA is a dream come true, and dealing with
the treaties is another challenge I like. The best part of this job
is the opportunity
of being a member of negotiation teams at the governmental level
and getting the chance to negotiate many international agreements.
This gives me satisfaction and as a diplomat and I enjoy being able
to serve my country in the best way. What is the best thing about
the city you live in? I live in Prishtina, which is the capital
city of the Republic of Kosovo. Having visited many places around
the world, to me Prishtina is the city that brings you joy and
passion. It is a very young city and has great brilliant
restaurants and bars serving great food and the famous Prishtina
macchiato . It is a vivid city that never sleeps!
What do you do, where are you based?I am the Counsellor at the
Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Berlin. What is the most you
like about the job you do? My primary responsibility is to
represent the inte-rests of Kosovo in the Federal Republic of
Germany. The German capital is one of the most important global
political centres, so it is a great privilege and extraordinary
opportunity to serve my country in Berlin. The city plays a
signi-ficant role in the development of the EU and Europe in
general; thus, represen-ting the interests of Kosovo here is a true
delight. Amongst others, one of my tasks is the presentation of our
culture, traditions and virtues to the people
of Germany. The power and wealth of our culture has always
fascinated the Western world and it is still unfortuna-tely not
sufficiently well-known to the world. What is the best thing about
the city you live in? Berlin is a place that offers extraordinary
opportunities for work, study and recreation, and opportunities to
communicate with the whole world. The historical aspect of Berlin
is one of the features that makes it attractive to visitors from
all over the world. Because of its parks,, museums, ballets, and
operas Berlin remains a favourite place for many. I should also
particularly mention friendly menta-lity of the German people
generally, discipline, work ethic and a collective work-conscious
mentality. Berlin, a perfect place to be!
What do you do, where are you based? I am chargé dçaffaires at
the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Zagreb. Until the new
ambassador takes office, I am responsible for all the diplomatic
aspects of our mission. Besides the tasks within the public
diplomacy activities, I am also in charge of consular affairs. What
is the most you like about the job you do? It is not only a
privilege and pleasure, but also a responsibility to represent your
country in a friendly state. I have to represent the overall
interests of Kosovo and its nume-rous achievements in all segments
of life. I love this job because I get to know not only the
interesting geography, but also history, culture and tradition of a
country
such as Croatia, with whom we share a large common history. Our
diplomatic mission also has excellent cooperation with this country
and its institutions. What is the best thing about the city you
live in? There are many fascinating things in this country which
has newly become part of the European Union. Given its culture,
education, infrastruc-ture and overall development, Croatia has
become part of the EU much earlier than its neighbours. Zagreb, its
capital, is an extraordinary city, with its unique Austro-Hungarian
architecture and parks which contain hundreds of acres of greenery.
It also has many cultural and historical landmarks that give
visitors an excellent opportunity to understand the history of this
country.
What do you do, where are you based? I currently work as a
Bilateral Relations Officer in the Department of Bilateral
Relations and Interna-tional Organisation of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. I am based in Prishtina,
Kosovo. What is the most you like about the job you do? TWhen I
returned to Kosovo after living and studying with my family in
Melbourne, Australia, it confirmed my belief that I am strongly
rooted in Kosovo. Thus I have come home to Kosovo, trying to give
my support, my knowledge, and my contribution to our newborn
country. I've had the privilege and good fortune to have been
part of the MFA since it was established almost five years ago. It
is an honor for me to be part of a team that does significant work
in shaping the image of our country as it moves along the path to
global integration and tells the world who we are. What is the best
thing about the city you live in? I love Pri-shtina because it has
every quality of our country in one city ç itçs vibrant,
challenging, progressive and some-times confounding; in those ways
itçs just like any other capital in Europe, yet it is still unique
in its own way!
FATMIRE MUSLIU
VISAR RRECAJ
GANI MULLIQI
ALBANA BYLYKBASHI
NEWDIPLOMATS
Follow us onTwitter @MFAKosovo
By the Interfaith Kosovo Team This August, the Ministry of
Fo-reign Affairs and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, in
partnership with the Balkan Institute and the University of
Prishtina, hosted a summer course in Prishtina on “Religion and
Foreign Poli-cy: the role of religion in conflict and post-conflict
societies”. The course brought together thirty students from over
fifteen coun-tries including the United States, China, Morocco and
the Ukraine. The students were based in Prish-tina for two weeks,
and had the opportunity to travel to Prizren, Recak and Decan.
These trips offered participants valuable in-sight into the
country’s rich and diverse religious and cultural he-ritage. The
course was taught by world-renowned historians, di-plomats, faith
leaders and acade-mics. Courses were taught by Dr. Ivo Banac, Dr.
Miroslav Volf, Dr. Obrad Savic and Ambassador Za-mir Akram, and
guest speakers included Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, Deputy
Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Taub,
Father Sava Janjic and Antti Pentikäinen of Finn Church Aid. Each
of these guest speakers brought to discussions both their own
unique analysis of the role of religion in foreign poli-cy, and
their own experiences wit-hin the field. Students focused on the
intersection between religion and foreign policy not only wit-hin
the context of the Balkans but also globally. Dr. Banac’s course,
which considered the history of religion in the Balkans,
empha-sized the importance of the region as a meeting place for
Eastern and Western religious traditions, and explained the unique
blend of religious and political culture that this produced. Dr.
Banac’s course was complemented by Dr. Savic and Ambassador Akram’s
course, which focused on the in-ternational importance of the use
of religion as a tool in post-conflict reconstruction, and its
poten-tial to aid reconciliation efforts. Lastly, Dr. Volf’s course
focused on the importance of religion in the contemporary
globalized wor-ld, and the changing role of faith
communities. The final day of the course was hosted by Father
Sava Janjic and his community at the Decani Monastery outside Decan
in order to contextualize these discussions, and to draw attention
to Kosovo as a case stu-dy for issues relating to religion and
foreign policy. The Decani monastery, built in the 14th cen-tury by
the Serbian King Stefan Decanski. Today, the fully func-tioning
monastery is a designated UNESCO world heritage site, and is home
to a community of twenty-five monks. Father Sava took course
participants on a tour of the grounds of the monastery, which
included an introduction to the world-famous frescos on the walls
of the church. He then continued the day’s discussion on the role
of religion within conflict and post conflict societies against the
backdrop of this significant religious and cultural site. Father
Sava’s participation in this dis-cussion was significant not only
because of his active presence on social media providing an
un-biased voice on issues relating to the role of religion and
recon-ciliation, but also because of his personal experiences in
leading a religious community during and after a conflict. Father
Sava’s talk focused on the importance of religious communities
remaining free from influence of nationalist ideologies and being
faithful to their spiritual cause. He stated in particular that
religious commu-nities should work to overcome the boundaries set
by nationalist agendas. To this effect, Father Sa-va drew on his
expertise and ex-perience during the Kosovo War, where he sheltered
many Alba-nian families at the Decan monas-tery in an effort to
save the lives of Albanians in the areas surroun-ding the
monastery. With such a rich history, the Decani Monas-tery was a
very significant place for the summer program to wrap up. The
monastery not only re-flects many of the religious issues within
the history of Kosovo, but also provides a strong case study of how
religious communities can work to overcome conflicts within their
wider societies.
Religion and Foreign Policy in Kosovo
sep t/oct 2013
Participants of the Religion and Foreign Policy summer course at
Deçan Monastery
-
5Kosovo’s New Diplomat
What is important for us to focus on now is delivering the
reforms that are key to EU integration. We must continue to
strengthen demo-cratic institutions, protect minori-ties, ensure a
just system for all ci-tizens, and create a sustainable mo-del for
economic growth. Despite the fact that Kosovo was born as a
republic in the midst of the worst financial and economic crisis to
hit the region and the continent in decades, we have had a
consistent GDP growth of over 5% for five
consecutive years. Our GDP per capita has doubled from 2007, the
last year of UNMIK. We have em-ployed a Keynesian stimulus
pac-kage, and increased the salaries of public employees as well as
star-ting a campaign of reconstruction that included building a
hundred schools and a major highway to the Adriatic coast and ports
of Al-bania and Montenegro. Through our prudent financial policies,
we have remained the least indebted country in European
continent.
Kosovo has got the significant achievement of being recognised
by 101 countries as sovereign and independent, including over two
thirds of EU member states, NA-TO members, the Council of Eu-rope,
etc. Important countries have recently recognised Kosovo’s
statehood. They include Pakistan, Egypt, Tanzania, Yemen, Guyana
and El Salvador. We have also be-come a member of the World Bank,
IMF, EBRD, CoE Bank and RCC, as well as regional organisations
and initiatives. Kosovo’s tireless efforts in all areas
culminated with the European Council giving the European Commission
the green light to begin negotiations with Ko-sovo on a
Stabilisation and Asso-ciation Agreement. Thus, Kosovo, a potential
EU candidate, made the first official step on its path towar-ds
European Union membership. Let us focus on this huge opportu-nity
given newly to the Republic of Kosovo, its society and to this part
of the Balkans. This is an oppor-
tunity to open a new and success-ful chapter of our future; a
chap-ter of free, equal people within in-dependent states that
protect and respect each other through deve-lopment, peace and
cooperation. Rightly put, from now on, a new story for all the
Balkans will begin. One of integration in the European Union and in
NATO, where we will enter as democratic and multi-eth-nic states:
as independent states that are part of the great family of
equals
Continued from Page 1
sep t/oct 2013
Europe
Celebrating only five years of in-dependence and following
recent fanfare surrounding its strug-gle to achieve recognition by
100 members of the United Nations, Kosovo may not necessarily be
the first country that comes to mind in contemporary discussions of
women in diplomatic leadership. Often characterised in terms of its
one-way relationship (or lack the-reof) with neighboring Serbia,
the country has much more to offer than its anecdotal history of
eth-nic conflict would suggest—speci-fically in lessons of
development as a post-conflict nation in the often overlooked
regions of southeas-tern Europe. At the Woodrow Wilson Center for
International Scholars, Director of the Center’s Women in Public
Service Pro-ject Dr. Rangita de Silva de Alwis welcomed four female
delegates from Kosovo to discuss the chan-ging role and impact of
women at the helm of lawmaking in their country. Panelists included
Senior Legal Officer at Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice Venera
Kabashi; Coun-cil Member for the Capital Munici-pality of Prishtina
Meliza Haradi-naj; UN Populations Fund Project Coordinator Linda
Abazi-Morina; and Chief of Cabinet for Kosovo’s Deputy Prime
Minister as well as Minister of Local Government Ad-ministration
Blerta Miftari. Koso-vo does have an impressive track record of
advancing women to po-sitions at the fore of domestic and
international policy initiatives. President Atifete Jahjaga was
elec-ted in April 2011 by members of the Parliament as Kosovo’s
first fe-male, and the youngest ever, Head of State. Jahjaga
previously served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding
rank as Major Ge-neral. She finds herself among on-ly a handful of
female leaders at comparable levels of decision-ma-king power in
the region. Kosovo’s
President symbolises what pane-list Venera Kabashi called a
“men-tality change” in their society that “countries in transition”
are in need of, and which Kosovo so far seems to be modeling quite
well.
The panelists each individually spoke on an issue among the many
facing themselves and their fel-low countrywomen, elaborating on
modern conditions and the as-sociated regulations in place or in
the process of being altered. These areas included affirmative
action and quotas for female political re-presentation, advancing
women in local governments as Mayors, addressing violence against
wo-men in private as well as public spheres, and the rise of women
in diplomacy across disciplinary fields. Underlying the logistics
of their presentations though was a message that surfaced
repeatedly throughout the talk: that rhetoric does not give rise to
action.
Panelists lauded the country’s “highly advanced legislative
framework” with a 30 percent quo-ta for female members of all
poli-tical parties, but acknowledged “advantages and gaps” in the
system, endorsing the ultimate goal of changing attitudes towar-ds
women in such a way that at some point quotas will no longer be
necessary. Even with its flaws the quota system produces mate-rial
results, with compliance by a majority of municipalities—a
shortcoming apparent in other points of the discussion. Blerta
Miftari spoke on the difficulties of enforcing the 2004 Law for
Gen-der Equality adopted under the UN Interim Administration
Mis-sion in Kosovo (UNMIK). The law aims to establish equal
participa-tion for women and men in local governments by
designating those administrations themselves to or-ganise
institutions and activities that tackle inequality between the
sexes, intended to lead naturally to equality in political
represen-tation. However there is no fe-deral budget allocated to
gender equality measures, so local go-vernments are responsible for
de-termining their own budgets. At first this placement of
responsibi-lity seems reasonable, but Miftari pointed out that only
23 out of 37 municipalities have elected an offi-cial for gender
equality; those pre-sently in charge of the budget for much of the
country have no enga-gement with the issues for which they are
planning alleviative mea-sures. How can they be expected to enforce
them?
Linda Abazi-Morina of the UN Populations Fund discussed
do-mestic violence and policies ai-med at better addressing the
is-sue, touching on the basic but im-portant problem of defining
the term. Previously, Kosovo law re-cognized domestic violence as
any such behavior between a cohabi-tant couple, only recently
expan-
ding the definition to cover vio-lence against the elderly,
child-ren, and those with disabilities. Abazi-Morina echoed Miftari
in pointing to budget issues as a ma-jor constraint on improving
life si-tuations of those subjected to vio-lence, but happily
shared an in-crease in shelters and investiga-tion rooms equipped
to comfort victims and, if present, their child-ren. These measures
are changing the culture surrounding the sen-sitive issue, allowing
for a more appropriate treatment of victims in relation their
perpetrators and creating a society that won’t accept the behavior
as routine. Represen-tative Haradinaj echoed her collea-gues in
reaffirming the impor-tance of having living laws instead of
meaningless statutes, calling for the “voluntary implementation of
principles of gender equality” as necessarily preceded by a change
in sociocultural mentality shift. As Kabashi mentioned at the
begin-ning of the talk, laws can hasten
the speed of this shift, building channels for success and
produ-cing role models—not just for as-piring female youth in
Kosovo, but for their families as well. Kabashi noted a recent
study citing an indi-rect symbolic impact that females in
leadership positions can have for fathers with daughters: when
fathers see females elected to lea-dership positions in their
country, they want their daughters to achieve the same. Without a
place at the decision-making table for women, half of the
population is robbed of a voice. This phenome-non is a human rights
issue, not a gender role misunderstanding; va-lue changes that go
beyond writing laws will cement generation-span-ning change.
Kosovo’s female po-pulation is poised to help conti-nue to close
the already-waning gap in equality between women and men. Their
male colleagues’ willingness to carry their weight in the struggle
will determine its success.
Kosovo’s Path to Gender Equality
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
-
6 Kosovo’s New Diplomatsep t/oct 2013
Europe
Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February, 2008, and today
is recognised by over a hundred UN members, all but four NA-TO
member states and a consi-derable number of nations across the
globe. We have established diplomatic relations with nearly sixty
states. With the exception of Serbia, we have been recognised by
all our neighbouring coun-tries and enjoy admirable regio-nal
co-operation. Securing addi-tional statehood recognitions and
strengthening Kosovo’s interna-tional position in multilateral
or-ganisations are among our most important foreign policy
objec-tives. We are trying to reach that through close bilateral
coope-ration with countries across the geographical and political
spec-trum; with the EU, NATO and US being principle pillars of our
de-mocracy. The landmark Agree-ment between Kosovo and Serbia
reached in April of this year re-quires that all parallel
structures, such as police or courts in the Ser-bia-populated
Northern Kosovo, should be dismantled. The Agree-ment between
Kosovo and Serbia also outlines the guiding prin-ciples for the
normalisation of in-ter-state relations and is a victo-ry for both
countries. It is a victo-ry for our European future above the
bitter past and an opportunity for inter-state political
reconcilia-tion and chance to pursue good neighbourly relations.
Notwit-hstanding this, the Agreement is a victory that preserves
Kosovo’s institutional, legal, and adminis-trative unity and
functionality, be-cause Serbia has accepted Kosovo’s political
system and constitutional order. Since April 19, there are new
political dynamics in Kosovo that have led to substantial changes.
However, serious challenges re-main, and these can only be
over-come with political commitment, flexibility, and visionary
dedica-tion. In my view, reaching the in-ter-state agreement is a
good basis for the normalisation of relations and mutual acceptance
by both countries, but it should serve al-so as a basis for
reconciliation and recognition. In only the past five months, Prime
Minster’s Thaci and Dacic have meet fifteen times in Brussels. This
is thanks to the excellent mediation of Baroness Ashton on behalf
of the European Union. In line with the provisions of the
Implementation Plan, the main issues discussed in these meetings
were: dismantling Serb
illegal and parallel security and justice structures; the
formation of the Serb municipalities associa-tion; the organisation
of local elec-tions; and discussions on energy and telecoms. I can
confirm today there has been some progress on the integration of
the police, the es-tablishment of the association and the
finalising of preparations for the local elections. On June 26, the
Assembly of Kosovo ratified the in-ter-state agreement between
Koso-vo and Serbia with more than two-thirds majority of 84 votes,
which included the support of the opposi-tion. These legislative
changes will facilitate the implementation of the Agreement, and
will enable Koso-vo’s institutions to extend their de-mocratic and
legal authority in the northern municipalities. Kosovo’s government
is determined to im-plement the conclusions that came from these
talks. We are also ready to engage in further dialogue that should
aim to normalise relations between the two countries.
After a long society-wide de-bate, on July 11, the Assembly of
Kosovo approved a law on amnesty. The law aims to facilitate the
integration of the former em-ployees of Serb parallel structures
into Kosovo’s institutional system. The amnesty law has created
some political reaction from a faction of the opposition in Kosovo.
There-fore, the law is currently under the review of our
Constitutional Court. As a democratic country we fully respect the
independence of justice system. However, we re-main hopeful that
the court will confirm that the amnesty law is in accordance with
our Constitution.
In accordance with the Norma-lisation Agreement and the Im-
plementation Plan, we have had a breakthrough regarding the
es-tablishment of the Association of Serb municipalities. Another
area of progress is the integration of for-mer Serb police into
Kosovo’s law enforcement institutions.
In the area of justice there is no progress yet on the
implementa-tion of provisions and this is due to lack of political
will in Belgrade. On integrated border manage-ment, some progress
is noted in finalising the construction of five permanent joint
border points, which will also set the inter-state borderline
between Kosovo and Serbia. However, there are still obstacles from
Belgrade, who will not allow Kosovo’s citizens to tra-vel through
Serbia with Kosovo documents. Also, Kosovo has now obtained a
unique country code and reached a deal with Serbia on energy
issues. Over the past three months, Kosovo has strengthened its
international position and in-creased its interaction with
multi-lateral organisations. Just in June 2013, we welcomed the
recognition of our independence by countries such as: Egypt,
Tanzania, Yemen, Guyana, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, Burundi,
Timor-Leste, Fi-ji, Saint Kitts, and Dominica. Af-ter membership in
IMF, World Bank, EBRD, we recently became a member of the Council
of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the Regional Cooperation
Council (RCC). On 9 July, the North Atlan-tic Council announced
that the Ko-sovo Security Force reached opera-tional capability, in
line with NA-TO standards and principles. As a multi-ethnic force
and a source of stability, the Kosovo Security Force has now
strengthened its capaci-
ties for dealing with disaster ma-nagement and humanitarian
as-sistance. This marks an impor-tant moment in the widening of
relations between Kosovo and NA-TO. It also confirms that Kosovo is
as an example of civilian democra-tic oversight of the security
sector.
I can always say proudly that Kosovo citizens of all ethnicities
have actually created a stable and civic state with a growing
economy in midst of the global economic cri-sis that hit the region
so hard.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo has a
de-dicated staff that has made admi-rable progress working with
inter-national experts and dignitaries to further our shared goals.
Ko-sovo continues to meet the wor-ld where it can with strong
pu-blic and digital diplomacy, utili-sing conferences and
technology, such as Instagram, to work with the people who make
democracy so successful. This praiseworthy work led to twelve new
recogni-tions in 2012. We have 21 embassies and 15 consular
missions around the world which seek to further Kosovo’s ability to
augment the efforts of the international com-munity as a strong
contributing member.
In June of this year, Kosovo marked a milestone on its path to
EU membership. On June 28, the Council of the European Union took a
decision to authorise the Commission to negotiate a Stabi-lization
and Association Agree-ment (SAA) between the EU and Kosovo. This
decision represents an acknowledgement of our pro-gress regarding
both democratic governance and the normalisation of relations with
Serbia. It opens,
for the first time, a clear perspec-tive for establishing
contractual relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the EU. By
signing an SAA, Kosovo will undergo the same processes as all other
states in the region before joining the Eu-ropean Union. It has
been encou-raging to see the reforms carried out by other aspiring
members supported through EU funds for reform and development.
We remain trustful that the SAA will contain all the elements
necessary to enable Kosovo to achieve the conditions to submit an
application for membership. This will offer a strategic framework
for social, economic, and political mo-dernisation and
transformation. It represents a legal framework that offers
stability and security for fo-reign direct investments, econo-mic
growth, and job creation.
We have already formed a ne-gotiating team and begun the
pre-parations for negotiating the pro-visions of the SAA. Based on
the commitment of the EU, we expect to finalise the agreement
during the Spring of 2014. Let me reiterate that Kosovo’s European
integra-tion remains a national priority for all political forces
in the country. Regarding visa liberalisation, we have approved a
package of laws that regulate a number of critical security-related
issues, such as the status of foreigners, asylum, citizenship, the
prevention of trafficking, and integrated border management. This
package of laws has now also been passed by the Assembly of Kosovo.
The Republic of Kosovo has a legitimate, demo-cratic government
that meets the highest international standards and provides freedom
and secu-rity for its people.
Kosovo’s efforts to work with the international community stem
from our great success in stren-gthening community rights,
eco-nomic development, and rule of law. Many World Reports mark
this improvement, such as the Transparency International’s
Cor-ruption Perceptions index. The World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’
re-port increased Kosovo’s rank by 28 from 126 to 96 in only one
year. Ko-sovo’s growth rate was steady even as the world sees major
economic turmoil.
As a state, Kosovo clearly hold both a European agenda and also
stand for all the European Union upholds such as free movement of
goods, people, ideas, and friendly neighborly relations.
Kosovo’s opening of SAA talks with the EU decision, an
acknowledgement of Kosovo’s progress regarding both democratic
governance and the normalisation of relations with Serbia
Kosovo Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj: Kosovo clearly holds both
a European agenda and also stands for all principles of the
European Union such as free movement of goods, people, ideas, and
friendly neighborly relations.
-
7Kosovo’s New Diplomat sep t/oct 2013
Europe
The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is now focused on the
implementation of the EU agree-ment between the two coun-tries.
This follows the historic EU Agreement reached on April 19 in
Brussels between the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, and
brokered by EU foreign poli-cy chief Catherine Ashton.
The EU as well as principle stakeholders such as the US, Germany
and the UK are insis-ting that both countries must now implement
the agreement to disband the parallel structures, in order for
Prishtina and Bel-grade to advance in their sepa-rate EU
integrations.Kosovo is committed in its efforts to reach an
agreement on the implemen-tation plan and commence actual
implementation as soon as pos-sible.
The Republic of Kosovo gives significant priority to compliance
with the content and the spirit of the EU Agreement. Once the
im-plementation plan is signed, with concrete implementation on the
ground can begin. This includes working through domestic
ins-titutions, as well as EULEX and KFOR, and with the active
parti-cipation of the Serbian commu-nity living in Kosovo. The
Kosovo
government is hopeful that the government of Serbia will as-sume
its obligations for the im-plementation of the agreement and
demonstrate that it takes this process seriously. Successful
im-plementation is in the interests of both countries, as well as
the wider region. The head of the Kosovo Delegation Hajredin Ku-çi
emphasised the commitment towards this, saying: “The dele-gation of
the Republic of Kosovo appreciates the role of the Euro-pean Union
and our internatio-nal partners, the United States and NATO in
supporting the im-plementation of the agreement.”
The agreement also came about as a result of the adviso-ry
opinion of the International Court of Justice. This stipulated that
Kosovo’s declaration of in-dependence from Serbia in 2008 was not
illegal under internatio-nal law, and came in response to a
complaint from Serbia that the actions had violated its
territo-rial integrity. Key elements of the Agreement had Belgrade
giving up its parallel institutions in Ko-sovo, especially in the
north, in return for receiving protections for the Serbs proposed
in the Ahtisaari plan. In addition, Bel-grade agreed not to block
Prish-
tina’s progress toward EU (and international) acceptance. An
implementation committee with EU participation is to be
establi-shed.
Initial agreements were achie-ved on:
• Freedom of movement across the administrative border for
persons and cars;
• Belgrade giving Prishtina co-
pies of land registries and docu-ments on births, deaths and
mar-riages in Kosovo;
• Mutual recognition of uni-versity degrees;
• Belgrade acceptance of Koso-vo custom stamps saying «Cus-toms
of Kosovo»;
• End of trade embargoes, al-lowing trade between Serbia and
Kosovo;
• Integrated operations at crossing points in north Kosovo;
• Representation of Prishtina at regional organisations;
•Liaison officers exchanged between Belgrade and Prishtina
stationed in EU missions.
This September, Kosovo ob-tained a unique country code and
reached a deal with Serbia on en-ergy issues.
Nearly 200 participants from around the region and the world
gathered to take part in discus-sions on how to enhance dialogue
and understanding between reli-gious communities. This came as part
of the Interfaith Conference which took place this May in
Pe-ja/Pec, Kosovo. This conference was recognised as an important
landmark for the global interfaith community: there were
partici-pants from countries as far and wide as the UK, the US,
Geor-gia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Opening the proceedings,
Kosovo Deputy Foreign Minis-ter Petrit Selimi thanked the
par-ticipants for coming to Kosovo. He expressed his hope that the
outcome of this important confe-rence would be captured in the
«Peja Principles», a set of com-
mitments recording the discus-sions from the conference. A
lively panel discussion on the issue of «old media, social me-dia
and interfaith relations» was chaired by Noori Bibi, director of
the organisation Young Muslim Voices in the UK. It considered how
developments in media and technology can assist in helpful
dialogue, and how it can also be a barrier when used by extremists
and religious fundamentalists. Panelists included Rabbi Joshua
Stanton, Associate Director of the Center for Global Judaism at the
Hebrew College in the US, who said: «Social media is here to stay,
the question in my mind is what we do?» He also talked about how he
has used social me-dia effectively in his own work to create online
communities.
Other panelists included Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, a columnist
at the widely read website Huf-fington Post; Rizwan Hussain,
founder of the British organisa-tion Jawaab which works with
Pakistani youth; Omer Karabeg, Editor of Radio Free Europe; and Dr
Anna Di Lellio, who currently teaches at the New School in New York
City.
Themes raised during the discussion included how real-time
information overload can distort accuracy and the role of
individuals. Participants raised concerns that some internet
fo-rums have become a platform for disinformation and hate speech
as individuals were able to hide behind their computer screens.
However, the power of social me-dia means that it is important
for
religious and community leaders to engage with online
communi-ties to ensure that there is a posi-tive discussion.
Following lunch-time speeches from imam Sabri Bajgora of the Kosovo
Islamic Community and Bishop Andrej
of the Serbian Orthodox Church, participants went on a tour of
Pe-ja/Pec. They visited historic and religious sites including the
Eth-nological Museum, the Old Ba-zaar, Bajrakli Mosque and the Pec
Patriachate.
Kosovo and Serbia reach a landmark deal. EU insists on
normalisation of relations between the two countries
Kosovo Interfaith Conference brings faith and community leaders
from around the world together to build mutual understanding
The Republic of Kosovo gives significant priority to compliance
with the content and the spirit of the EU agreement
Kosovo Interfaith Conference participants visit Pec
Patriachate
Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi shakes hands with Serbian Prime
Minister Ivica Dačič
-
8 Kosovo’s New Diplomat
The theme and process of European in-tegration has become the
strategic objec-tive for the Western Balkans as the region enacts
the internal reforms necessary for the establishment of sustainable
demo-cracy. This is especially true for Kosovo as a new state:
working towards the ful-filment of the criteria will greatly
benefit its citizens. Every country in the region aspires towards
EU integration, not only for the act itself, but also for the
benefits for their economy and citizens, and the increased peace
and security for the re-gion. In the past year Kosovo has made a
lot of progress. An important step was made towards EU integration
in October 2012, when the European Commission issued a feasibility
study for a Stabilisa-tion and Association Agreement (SAA) between
the European Union and Ko-sovo. The study concluded that Kosovo was
largely ready to open negotiations and underlined the readiness of
the Com-mission to implement such an agreement once Kosovo takes
specific steps in mee-ting some short-term benchmarks in is-sues
such as rule of law, public adminis-tration, the protection of
minorities and trade. Two months later, in December 2012, the
European Council took note of both the feasibility study and the
Com-mission’s intention to propose negotia-ting directives for a
SAA.
The Council called on Kosovo to conti-nue implementing all
agreements in the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue with Serbia
and to engage constructively with the full range of issues. Even
more, it underlined the importance of Koso-vo strengthening its
cooperation with EULEX and respecting the renewed mandate of the
mission. It also welcomed the Commission’s on-going efforts to
ne-gotiate a framework agreement with Ko-sovo concerning its
participation in EU programmes. The Council also noted Ko-sovo’s
membership of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
and the possibility for the European Invest-ment Bank to enhance
its role in Koso-vo. Taking these elements into consi-deration, in
April 2013, the Commission adopted joint report, with the European
Parliament and the Council, on Kosovo’s progress in addressing
issues set out in the December 2012 Council Conclusions. This
report confirmed that Kosovo had
met all the short-term benchmarks for the opening of SAA
negotiations with Kosovo. Furthermore, it confirmed that Kosovo had
taken very significant steps towards visible and sustainable
impro-vements in its relations with Serbia. In this light, the
report confirmed the in-tention of the Commission to submit its
proposal for a Council decision autho-rising the opening of
negotiations for a SAA between the European Union and Kosovo. This
proposal was subsequently accepted by the EU Heads of States and
Governments. This represents the first official step towards the
establishment of contractual relations between the EU and Kosovo,
with a formalised promise of Kosovo’s future accession to the
EU.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo appointed an official
delegation for the negotiation of the SAA. The Mi-nister of
European Integration is chief negotiator and the delegation
consists of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry,
Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Finance, Economic
Development and Justice.
Other Ministers and representatives of institutions will be
invited as needed by specific agenda items. The team will be
responsible for leading the negotia-tions on a political level and
setting up a clear framework for the development of technical
negotiations. Kosovar insti-tutions and the European Commission
have discussed the establishment of three working groups: Trade,
Legal Approxi-mation, and Cooperation Policies. The Deputy Minister
of Trade and Industry, Mr Bernard Nikaj, has been appointed as
negotiator on trade issues, while the Deputy Minister of European
Integra-tion, Mr Gëzim Kasapolli, is taking the lead on legal
approximation and coopera-tion policies issues. It is expected that
the European Commission will send the first draft of the SAA to
Kosovo institutions in late September or early October 2013. This
will enable the first negotiations of the SAA to take place in late
October or early November 2013.
The official visa liberalisation dialogue started in January
2012, and on the 14th of June the first Senior Officials’ Meeting
(SOM) between the government of Koso-vo and the European Commission
took place. In this meeting Kosovo received
the EU’s roadmap towards a visa-free regime with Kosovo.
Following this, in September 2012, Kosovo submitted to the
Commission the first readiness report and their comprehensive
assessment on the approximation of the domestic legis-lation with
the EU acquis. The former provided a comprehensive overview of
Kosovo’s achievements to date in imple-menting each of the visa
liberalisation roadmap criterion. The latter provided a
comprehensive, detailed assessment of approximation of such
legislation within the relevant EU acquis.
Furthermore, in October 2012, an EU fact-finding mission visit
took place. It consisted of experts from the Commis-sion and Member
States, and assessed the implementation of the roadmap. The
findings of this mission were included in the first EU report on
the implementation of the roadmap, which was issued by the EU in
February 2013. This report com-plemented the Roadmap with a number
of recommendations. While implemen-tation of the roadmap criteria
was under way, and in order to better plan activities and measures,
Kosovo developed its Ac-tion Plan on the Implementation of the Visa
Liberalisation Roadmap, which was adopted in April 2013. Since June
2012, Kosovo has implemented and met the ma-jority of these
criteria and recommenda-tions. Having outlined all of the above, we
can say that one thing is for sure: the
Kosovan government’s main concern is undertaking the required
reforms to be in line with the other Western Balkan countries terms
of European integration. We have progressed a lot in the past year,
with some of the steps being very deli-cate and complex. The
process of the dia-logue for the normalisation of relations between
Kosovo and Serbia has invol-ved several meetings and hours of work.
The implementation of the agreements reached between the two Prime
Ministers is of utmost interest for both parties. We need to
believe in what we are doing: we must create as much support as
possible with our own people for the necessity of closing the
chapter of pain between Ko-sovo and Serbia, and instil the desire
for a clean slate of relations based on Copenha-gen criteria of
good neighbourly rapports.
We are very happy to see all our neighbours advancing their way
for a final inclusion into the EU. However, Kosovo has remained in
a deadlock due to several factors. We have a specific re-lationship
with the EU: for Kosovo it has become more of a political issue
than for the other countries, and it’s taking its toll. The passing
grade for us has to be an A+ and any other grade is not acceptable.
In one sense this seems unfair – that double standards are being
applied when it co-mes to Kosovo – but in another sense it helps us
to be prepared for all issues and tasks at hand.
sep t/oct 2013
’THE PATH TOWARDS THE EU’
European
Kosovo Minister of Integration, Vlora Çitaku: Represents the
first official step towards the establishment of contractual
relations between the EU and Kosovo, with a formalised promise of
Kosovoçs future accession to the EU.
-
9Kosovo’s New Diplomat sep t/oct 2013
Kosovo
The International Steering Group (ISG), which was an
organisation formed in ac-cordance to the Ahtisaari Plan
concer-ning Kosovo’s status process, has an-nounced the end of the
supervision of Kosovo. Since it’s 2008 declaration of independence
from Serbia, Kosovo was overseen by 23 European Union coun-tries,
along with the United States and Turkey. Distinguished
personalities such as foreign ministers from Alba-nia and Ghana,
and high-level guests from around the globe, participated in a
series of events. This included a confe-rence with the title
“Closed chapter in the Balkans” hosted by the Prime Minister of the
Republic Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, and
the International Civilian Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith.
This conference was held after the ISG’s decision to remove the
international supervision of Kosovo’s independence. Among the
participants were President Martti Ahtisaari, EU Commissioner
Stefan Fule, Vice-Chan-
cellor of Austria Michael Spindelegger, Ghanian Foreign Minister
Mumini, Ja-panese Deputy Foreign Minister Hama-da, U. S. special
envoy to Kosovo Frank Wisner, and former envoy of the Euro-pean
Union, Wolfgang Ischinger.
American President Barack Obama has hailed the end of
international su-pervision of Kosovo’s independence as a “historic
milestone”. While former Ame-rican President Bill Clinton,
addressing the conference via video link, said that the end of
supervised independence is a key step and a tremendous opportunity
to determine Kosovo’s role in the region, Europe and the world.
Pieter Faith, stated in a press conference: “The supervision of
Kosovo is finished.
The International Steering Group has decided to end the period
of Kosovo’s su-pervised independence”. Ahtisaari for-merly served
as the European Union’s Special Representative (EUSR) and as the
International Civilian Representative in Kosovo. President Martti
Ahtisaari
stated that “The institutions and values that have begun to
develop over the last four years must now be applied. Kosovo must
start to act as the independent, so-vereign state it has become -
not only with the status and dignity of such a state, but with the
maturity and responsibility that statehood implies”.
The President of the Republic of Koso-vo Atifete Jahjaga said
that the conclusion of Kosovo’s supervised independence is an
important and historic moment for Kosovo: “This is an achievement
of the citizens, institutions of Kosovo and in-ternational factors
that always stood by Kosovo in the path of state building,” said
Jahjaga, adding that Kosovo is ready to take on all
responsibilities to continue strengthening of the state and
democracy.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi,
declared that: “the international community gave full support to
the Kosovo Institutions for the conclusion of supervised
indepen-dence. This is a historical and important moment for the
state of Kosovo, which is being reinforced each day”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver
Hoxhaj, said that “the Kosovo case has proven that the process of
state building and institutions together with political transition,
trans-formation and consolidation are three different but
interrelated aspects of a comprehensive process of
democratisa-tion. The Republic of Kosovo represents a clear example
of a state built based on the political will of the majority of its
people”.
End of ’supervised’ independence: Kosovo gains full
sovereignty
Excerpt from key-note speech by Pre-sident Martti Ahtisaari to
Kosovo’s Mi-nistry of Foreign Affairs Conference ‘Chapter Closed in
the Balkans’. Kosovo does not choose the EU, yes or no. Koso-vo’s
choice is between on the one hand a passive, backward-looking
failure to come to terms with its own relationship with the EU, and
on the other hand a dy-namic, forward-looking engagement with the
Union - with all of the challenges and demands that that brings.
Kosovo cannot change the fact that it has a relationship with the
EU; but it can change the tone, and the meaning, and the strength
of that relationship. The granting of full
sovereignty to Kosovo is a clear sign of confidence in Kosovo’s
institutions, lea-ders and people. Excerpt from speech by Austrian
Vice-Chancellor Michael Spin-delegger to Kosovo’s Assembly ahead of
the MFA Conference ‘Chapter Closed in the Balkans’. A transitional
period has ended for Kosovo and a new era starts in earnest, your
path towards the EU. Some day in the not so distant future it will
be Kosovo herself transferring in turn some of her regained
sovereignty to a supra-national authority. The granting of full
sovereignty to Kosovo is a clear sign of confidence in Kosovo’s
institutions, lea-ders and people.
Kosovo must act as an independent state, with the maturity and
responsibility that statehood implies
Quotes from "Chapter Closed in the Balkans" Attendees: U. S.
President Barack Obama hailed the end of international supervision
of Kosovo’s indepen-denceas a ’historic milestone’.
The former U. S. President Bill Clinton, addressing the
conference via video link, said "the end of supervision of
independence is a key step and a tremendous opportunity to
determine your role in the region, in Europe and in the world."
Pieter Faith, former European Union Special Representative
(EUSR) and Interna-tional Civilian Representative in Kosovo said
that ’The supervision of Kosovo is finished. The International
Steering Group has decided to end the period of Kosovo’s supervised
independence’.
President Martti Ahtisaari stated: ’The granting of full
sovereignty to Kosovo is a clear sign of confidence in Kosovo’s
institutions, leaders and people.
The institutions and values that have begun to develop over the
last four years must now
be applied. Kosovo must start to act as the independent,
sovereign state it has become - not only with the status and
dignity of such a state, but with the maturity and responsibility
that statehood implies’.
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, said
that the conclusion of Kosovo’s supervised independence is an
important and historic moment for Kosovo: ’This is an achievement
of the citizens, institu-tions of Kosovo and international factors
that always stood by Kosovo in the path of state building,’ said
Jahjaga, adding that Kosovo is ready to take on all
responsibilities to continue strengthening of the state and
democracy.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Tha’i,
declared that ’the international community gave full support to the
Kosovo institutions for the conclusion of supervised
independence.
This is a historical and important moment for the state of
Kosovo, which is being rein-forced each day’.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver
Hoxhaj, said that ’the Kosovo case has proven that the process of
state building and institutions together with political transition,
transformation and con-solidation are three different but
interrelated aspects of a comprehensive process of
democ-ratisation. The Republic of Kosovo represents a clear example
of a state built based on the political will of the majority of its
people’.
-
10 Kosovo’s New Diplomat
Kosovo
sep t/oct 2013
Prishtina, 15 June 2013 – The Republic of Kosovo has become a
member of the Council of Eu¬rope Development Bank (CEB). The
de-cision was taken on Jnne 15th, at a meeting of the Board of
Direc-tors of the CEB in Malta. 31 out of the 39 mem¬bers voted to
accept the applica¬tion of the Republic of Kosovo for full
membership in this institu¬tion, an autonomous branch of the
Council of Europe (CoE). The Deputy Minister of
Foreign Af¬fairs of the Repub-lic of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi, in a
press confer¬ence, revealed details about the great importance of
the mem¬bership of the Republic of Kosovo in to this financial
institu-tion. According to Selimi, Kosovo may benefit up to 30 or
to 40 mil-lion euros per a year from their membership to this bank,
which is also the largest organi¬sation after the EBRD, who have
already ac-cepted Kosovo with full rights. He
said that Kosovo will benefit main-ly in social projects. “It is
expect¬ed that 30 to 40 million euros per year will be ready in
very afford-able loans intended for social proj-ects dealing with
the strengthen-ing of social equality and projects on displaced
per-sons, homes for the destitute citizens,” Selimi said, adding
that these projects will be main¬ly aimed at the strengthen-ing of
the social component. Se-limi also said that membership to
in the bank has been a priority of the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj, and is the re¬sult
of a long work of partner¬ing ministries. Membership in the
Council of Europe Develop¬ment Bank, which comes just days af-ter
the recognition of Kosovo by some several coun¬tries, is a great
success for the Foreign Ministry at this stage of the strengthening
of the in¬ternational subjectiv-ity of the Republic of Kosovo, as
well as Kosovo’s interaction in the mul¬tilateral
organizations.
Kosovo becomes a sovereign member of Council of Europe Bank
Kosovo became the new sovereign member of the CoE Bank, which
will further support projects of social inclusion
The Government of the Repub¬lic of Kosovo welcomes the deci¬sion
of the European Council to launch negotiations for a Stabi¬lisation
and Association Agree¬ment (SAA) between the Repub¬lic of Kosovo
and the European Union. The decision presents the first of-ficial
step on our path to¬wards European Union member¬ship.
The SAA is the first contrac-tual agreement between the
Repub¬lic of Kosovo and the Eu-ropean Union that provides a clear
per¬spective towards Koso-vo’s full member-ship to the EU, as well
this is the most advanced form of as¬sociation that a po-tential
candi¬date country may have with the European Union.
The Agree¬ment provides a stra-tegic frame¬work for the over-all
social, politi¬cal and econom-ic development of aspiring coun-try
for EU member¬ship. This agreement also pres¬ents a legal framework
which pro¬vides sta-bility and assurance for investors, which in
turn creates a sound ba-sis for foreign direct in¬vestment
and will lead to job gen¬eration. The launch of ne¬gotiations
be-tween the Republic of Kosovo and European Union firmly anchors
the integration pro¬cess of Koso-vo as well fur¬ther consolidating
the interna¬tional legal status of our state. The SAA takes Kosovo
a step closer to achieving status of can¬didate country, which
will
enable the creation of a broader framework for financial
assistance benefits from the EU. This decision to open the SAA
negotiations is to the merit of the all the institutions of the
Re¬public of Kosovo and the entire politi¬cal spectrum. It also
confirms the progress of political, econom¬ic and legal reform
under-taken in the Republic of Kosovo.
The decision presents the first official step on Kosovoçs path
towards European Union membership
Kosovo welcomes the decision of the EC to launch the
negotiations for the SAA
The Prime Minister of Kosovo and the Prime Minister of Serbia
signed the agreement facilitated by EU Foreign Policy Chief
Baroness Ashton.
A meeting of the Board of the Re¬gional Cooperation Council
(RCC) was held today in Saraje-vo. RCC, the main umbrella
organ-isation of regional cooperation in South¬eastern Europe,
numbering 46 members, welcomed Kosovo, by a unanimous decision, as
a new par-ticipant with full powers in this body, which is
considered as the main in-strument of the EU pre-accession and
regional coop-eration. Kosovo
was represented by the Deputy For-eign Minister of Kosovo,
Petrit Selimi. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Enver
Hoxhaj, called today’s decision historic as it opens doors for the
member¬ship of Kosovo to doz-ens of initiatives and funds, while
the participation of Kosovo is equal and without discrimination
vis-à-vis all participating countries. Kosovo’s par-ticipation was
previously lim¬ited by UNMIK, and even after the Regional
Representation Agreement last year between Kosovo and Serbia,
there were attempts of resistance to Koso-vo’s full participation
in the RCC by claims of technical obsta¬cles.
Today’s decision of the Board changed the statute of the
organisa-tion and its found¬ing declaration by withdrawing UN¬MIK’s
reference. Kosovo now will have the vote and will be an
inde¬pendent participant. Today’s de¬cision was welcomed by
countries like the United States, Tur-key, Al¬bania, Sweden,
representa-tives of the EU, and so forth. Deputy Minister Petrit
Selimi thanked RCC’s new director, Go¬ran Svilanovic, and all the
countries which unanimously supported to¬day’s decision stating
that Kosovo’s regional cooperation and inter-neighbourly relations
are a prior¬ity for the people and govern-ment of Kosovo on the
path towards Eu¬ropean integration. Participation in RCC opens up
new opportuni¬ties of membership and coopera¬tion in various
fields. The Deputy Min¬ister during his official visit to Sara¬jevo
met with, amongst others, Stefano Sannino, the Director-General for
Enlargement at the European Com-mission, Go¬ran Svilanovic,
direc-tor of the RCC and diplomats from Albania and Tur¬key. The
RCC was founded after the Thessaloniki Sum-mit, and, along with the
IPA Fund of the EU, it is considered as a means of pre-ac¬cession
and the umbrella organi¬sation of many regional ini-tiatives.
Kosovo’s Petrit Halilaj at the Venice Biennale Kosovo marked its
first official participation at the Venice Bien¬nale with Petrit
Hali-laj’s instal¬lations. Halilaj’s work consisted of intertwining
branches, twigs and rods that transform the
ex¬hibition space into an anomalous spectacle, directly
inverting visi¬tors’ expectations of contempo¬rary art within a
gallery setting. Taking up almost two-thirds of the space was a
gargantuan structure that is de-tached from the ground, recalling
images of some kind of primordial shelter or spacecraft from the
future. The earthy scent of the installa¬tion further intensified
the sen¬sation of being within a tranquil inner realm.
Halilaj introduced a perso¬nal touch to his work by allowing two
of his canaries to live within the in-stallation itself, provoking
the view-er to contemplate the notion of art as habitat.
As with previous projects, Hali-laj pre¬pared for this
installation by en¬listing the involvement of his fa¬mily, friends
and other people close to him. Inspired by his moth-er’s suggestion
to create a structure within a structure, the artist amal-gamated
the collec¬tive experiences of his contribu¬tors to form multiple
narratives on the recent, painful his-tory of his country. At the
same time, his project is reminiscent of a desire to restore the
fragile pu¬rity of nature to the world we re¬side in. The Kosovo
Pavilion will be at the Venice Biennale until 24 November.
Kosovo becomes full-fledged participant of Regional Cooperation
Council
The Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs of Kosovo announced that
proce¬dures for the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the
Europe¬an Bank for Reconstruc-tion and Development (EBRD) are now
complete and that Koso-vo won majority votes for its in-clusion to
this important interna-tional in-stitution. During a press
conference, Deputy Minister Se-limi said that Kosovo’s member-ship
in this insti¬tution is a great victory of Kos¬ovar diplomacy and
economy.“Firstly, Kosovo’s membership in the EBRD is of a great
diplomat¬ic and political im-portance, as it is a result of a
long
struggle of Koso¬vo with part-ner countries and the EBRD itself
to acquire a sufficient number of votes, given the voting system in
the EBRD, which re¬quires the ob-tainment of a two-thirds vote.” In
this context, he also not¬ed there was a very long effort by the
Prime Minister Thaci, Minis¬ter Hoxhaj, Minister of Finance Hamza
and the Minister of Europe¬an Integra-tion, “who for several months
have been engaged to col¬lect the votes one by one to acquire the
neces-sary number for member¬ship in-to the EBRD”.The EBRD is a
bank which was established to help compa¬nies and countries in
tran-
sition, has investment capital of 10 billion euros annually.
With its membership, Kosovo, will benefit from bilateral aid and
low interest loans for various business¬es and initiatives. Prime
Minister Thaci has also scheduled for next week a meeting with the
Economic Coun-cil and state actors involved in the economy.
Partici¬pants will dis-cuss the modalities of establishing the body
which will help business-es in developing seri¬ous projects and
forms and differ¬ent method-ologies that will enable the entry of
capital and liquidity of the EBRD in the Kosovar economy and
enter-prises as well as in vari¬ous banks.
Kosovo becomes a sovereign member of EBRD
-
11Kosovo’s New Diplomat
Cultural Diplomacy
“Being invited to contribute to the realisation of Kosovo’s
first appearance at the Venice Biennale is a great privilege for
me, all the more so, due to the symbolic significance attached to
the decision that Kosovo be represented at the Venice Biennale for
the very first time. The invitation comes with a high degree of
responsibility, which I would have been more anxious about, were it
not for the artist Petrit Halilaj, who has been chosen to represent
Kosovo in Venice this year.
Petrit Halilaj’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in a
constant search of what reality is and how reality might be
represented through art. His memories of a rural childhood, his
personal experience of war, destruction, exodus and displacement
are the very basis of his reflections on life and the human
condition. The artist moves back and forth between different
countries, between Kosovo, where he
grew up and where his family and many friends are; Italy, where
he studied; and Berlin, where he temporarily lives. This
transnational way of life not only adds to his experience but is
also representative of Petrit Halilaj’s specific way of exploring
art and reality, and of his continuing attempts to translate or
even transform the one into the other. His art can be seen as
building bridges between different worlds and realities,
ideologies, different generations and phases of life.
Petrit Halilaj’s art is unique, but this kind of transnatio-nal
existence and experience that is at the core of his work, is not.
On the contrary, to a varying extent it is an increa-singly
contemporary reality of
everyone’s life and thus all the more radical, a starting point
for Kosovo’s first appearance at the Venice Biennale.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Petrit
Selimi, will be among the attendees of the Biennale.
—Kathrin RhombergPetrit Halilaj was born in
1986 in Kostërrc (Kosovo). He lives and works between Kosovo,
Berlin and Bozzolo, Italy. Recent solo exhibitions include Who does
the earth belong to while painting the wind?!, Kunst Halle Sankt
Gallen, St. Gallen (2012); Art Basel Statements with Chert, Berlin
(2011); Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck (2011); Back to the Future,
Stacion, Prishtina (2009); and Petrit Halilaj solo exhibition,
Chert, Berlin (2009). Recent group exhibitions include SUPER
Visions – Zeichnen und Sein, Museum Schloss Moyland (2013); New
Public, Museion, Bolzano (2012); 30 Künst-ler 30 Räume,
Kunstverein
Nürnberg, Albrecht Dürer Ge-sellschaft (2012); Temoraneao, Nomas
Foundation, Rome (2011); Ernste Tiere, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn
(2011); Ostalgia, New Museum, New York (2011); STRUKTUR &
ORGANISMUS, Marillenhof – DestillerieKausl, Österreich (2011);
Maladresses ou La Fi-gure de l’idiot, the Institute of Social
Hypocrisy, Paris (2010); Based in Berlin, Atelierhaus Monbijoupark,
Berlin (2011); and 6th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Berlin
(2010). Upcoming solo exhibi-tions are in program at Wiels,
Brussels (2013); National Gallery of Kosovo (2013); and Museum
Fridericianum, Kas-sel (2014).
The Kosovo entry in the Venice Biennale is made pos-sible thanks
to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of
Kosovo (www.mkrs-ks.org).
Official Kosovo Pavillion web-site coming soon:
www.kosovo-pavilion.com
Kosovo marks its debut with a Pavilion at the Venice
Biennale
sep t/oct 2013
Petrit Halilaj Kosovo Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale of
Art
Follow us onTwitter @MFAKosovo
Petrit Halilaj, Kostërrc (CH), 2011. Sixty tons of Kosovoçs soil
transported to Basel, Switzerland. Courtesy the artist and Chert,
Berlin.
-
12 SEP T/OCT 2013 Kosovo’s New Diplomat
Photo CollageCultural Diplomacy
Nathan Coley was listening to Radio 4 when he heard a phrase.
The next moment, he was dar-ting up and down his Glasgow flat
looking for a pen and paper so he could write it down. The date was
11 September 2011, and the station was broadcasting the memories of
people who had been caught up in the 9/11 New York attacks. Coley,
who was shortlisted for the 2007 Turner Prize, tells me this a year
to the day afterwards, as we sit on the steps of the university
libra-ry of Pristina, a glorious piece of Soviet architecture.
Across the park – between the new government education offices, the
Kosovo Art Gallery, and the half-built, half-ruined Orthodox church
raised by Slobodan Mi-losevic in the 1990s – the phrase that so
struck Coley is writ large, picked out in lightbulbs and mounted on
a scaffolding frame seven metres tall: «A PLACE BEYOND BELIEF.» It
is the latest in a series of found-text sculptures by 43-year-old
Coley. Placed here, the phrase loses its original context and goes
out into the world to find a new life. The setting is mid-way
between reconstruction and ruin: students hurry past between
lectures, and newly planted trees grow in spite of the drought. At
the same time, the church – a symbol of Serbian op-pression to the
majority Muslim, ethnic Albanian population – is gradually
decaying, weeds fil-ling its cracked brickwork. Tim Judah, a writer
and Balkans ex-pert, remembers the church in the immediate
aftermath of the 1999 Nato bombing campaign against the Serbians.
Inside the shell of the empty building, Bri-tish troops were
encamped «to stop it being destroyed. Of all
the things I saw at that time, it was perhaps the most surreal:
soldiers watching EastEnders, the Sun on a coffee table – a sort of
British living room, in a tent inside this ruin.»
Coley’s A Place Beyond Be-lief officially opened earlier this
month (in September, 2013), in the presence of diplomats and
politicians including Martti Ahtisaari, the Finnish ex-pre-sident
and Nobel laureate who drew up Kosovo’s indepen-dence plan. These
were «the black cars and the grey suits», as Coley puts it, who
gathered in the capital to mark another step on Kosovo’s road to
mature nation-statehood: the end of supervised independence, the
system by which, since 2008, Kosovo’s political institutions have
been overseen. This is ap-propriate in a young country that has its
problems: a deeply
fragile relationship with Serbia; unanswered questions about the
future of its minority Serbian population; corruption and
or-ganised crime. The idea of pla-cing Coley’s sculpture here for a
month came from Petrit Selimi, Kosovo’s deputy minister for
fo-reign affairs.
At just 33, he is one of four ministers in Kosovo’s govern-ment
under 35; the president herself is only 36. When, in the early
1990s, Serbia banned ethnic Albanians (about 90% of the Kosovan
population) from holding state jobs, and closed Albanian schools
and its uni-versity, he and his peers were educated by a sort of
shadow state, a parallel underground system. Selimi was politicised
early: he made his debut aged 13, speaking at a youth confe-rence
in Vienna. He talks about art with a fluency that is rare
in a British politician. «A Place Beyond Belief is multivocal,»
he says, «it could even be read as antagonistic. At the same time,
sited by the church that Milose-vic started to build, it stands as
a testimony not to religious belief, but the misuse of religious
be-lief. It is also next to the library: between a beacon of hope
and a beacon of destruction.» The Kosovo Art Gallery, which
orga-nised the installation, is run by Erzen Shkololli, another
young man educated in this parallel system. «I was 11 when
Milose-vic came to power,» he says. «I was of the generation who
saw the protests and watched Alba-nian soldiers returning from the
war. I’ve been the witness of so many things that sometimes I feel
66, not 36.» Until a year ago, Shkololli was working in Berlin, a
successful artist whose work had been shown internationally.
«But if you survive all this, if you get through all these
traumas, in the end you want to be here, to contribute here,» he
says. His role now is to try to nurture a Kosovan art scene:
bringing in artists from outside, showing their work alongside that
of Balkan artists. Coley’s work represents a significant step
forward: recent bits of public sculpture in Pristina include a
bronze of Bill Clinton who, in the manner of social realist So-viet
sculptures, waves benignly in Bill Clinton Boulevard. It’s a
reminder of how much he (and Tony Blair) are revered in Ko-s
![Nick Feamster - people.cs.uchicago.edufeamster/cv/cv-mar2020.pdf[25] Nick Feamster, Ramesh Johari, and Hari Balakrishnan. Stable Policy Routing with Provider Inde-pendence. IEEE/ACM](https://img.pdfslide.net/doc/110x75/5edd77ddad6a402d666892e3/nick-feamster-feamstercvcv-mar2020pdf-25-nick-feamster-ramesh-johari-and.jpg)
