Constitution and law |
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The Republic of Kosovo is recognised by 112 UN member states, as well as the Republic of China (Taiwan), Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Cook Islands and Niue; 23 of which have opened embassies in Pristina. [1] Other states have retained representation offices.
The Principality of Monaco is a sovereign and independent state, linked closely to France by the Treaty of July 1918, which was formally noted in Article 436 of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The foreign policy of Monaco is one illustration of this accord: France has agreed to defend the independence and sovereignty of Monaco, while the Monegasque Government has agreed to exercise its sovereign rights in conformity with French interests, whilst at the same time maintaining complete independence. Since then, the relations between the sovereign states of France and Monaco have been further defined in the Treaty of 1945 and the Agreement of 1963.
The president of the Republic of Kosovo, is the head of state and chief representative of the Republic of Kosovo in the country and abroad.
William Graham Walker is a United States Foreign Service diplomat who served as the US ambassador to El Salvador and as the head of the Kosovo Verification Mission.
Hashim Thaçi is a Kosovar Albanian politician who was the president of Kosovo from April 2016 until his resignation on 5 November 2020 to face a war crimes tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo and the Foreign minister and deputy prime minister in the new cabinet led by Isa Mustafa, which assumed office on 12 December 2014.
The flag of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo immediately following the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo on 17 February 2008. The flag design emerged from an international competition, organized by an informal group from the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government known as the Kosovo Unity Team, which attracted almost one thousand entries. The winning design was proposed by Muhamer Ibrahimi. It shows six white stars in an arc above a golden map of Kosovo, all on a blue field. The stars symbolize Kosovo's six major ethnic groups: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Romani, and Gorani.
Foreign relations of Kosovo are accomplished by efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo. Kosovo operates 33 embassies abroad and is host to 22 embassies in Pristina. Kosovo has membership in several international organisations.
Kosovo unilaterally self proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008, a move which Serbia strongly rejects. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. However, differences and disputes remain, while North Kosovo is partially under Serbian rule. Initially there were no relations between the two; but in the following years there has been increased dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.
The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is the military of Kosovo. The KSF is tasked with defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo, military support for civilian authorities, and participation in international peacekeeping missions and operations. Since 2018, it is in the process of transforming into the Kosovo Armed Forces.
Atifete Jahjaga is a Kosovar Albanian politician who served as the third President of Kosovo. She was the first female President of the Republic of Kosovo, the first non-partisan candidate and the youngest female head of state to be elected to the top office. She served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police, holding the rank of General Lieutenant Colonel, the most senior among women officers in Southeastern Europe.
Adrian Prenkaj is a public policy consultant, former Kosovo diplomat and former Adviser for European Integration to the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, He joined Jahjaga's Cabinet in February 2012, following three years as First Secretary for Political Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in the United States. Before joining the diplomatic service of Kosovo, he worked as a Senior European Affairs Officer in the Agency for European Integration of Kosovo.
The Qafa e Vishës bus accident occurred on 21 May 2012, at Qafa e Vishës near Himarë, Albania, when a bus plunged 80 metres (260 ft) off a cliff. Most of the victims were students of Aleksandër Xhuvani University of Elbasan. The driver is also believed to have been killed. The students were travelling from Elbasan to Sarandë.
Ismet Hazir Asllani was a businessman, humanitarian and logistic commander. Asllani had during the Kosovo War the responsibility for the brigade 153 of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which was an ethnic-Albanian paramilitary organisation that fought for the secession of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) during the 1990s and the eventual creation of a Greater Albania.
Honorary Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo is the title given to foreign citizens and citizens originating from Kosovo, who have contributed to the national interest of Kosovo, and use their fame to help the recognition of the independence of Kosovo.
Kosovo's Partnership with US Government Agency Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), was established for the first time in December 2015.
The British Embassy in Pristina is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to Kosovo. It is located at 177 Lidhja e Pejës, Pristina, Kosovo. The embassy also represents the British Overseas Territories in Kosovo.