Foreign relations of Kosovo
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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.
On 17 February 2008, members of the Assembly of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. This move was controversial among the international community. International supervision over the direction of the assembly ended in September 2012,[1] and Kosovo became responsible for its own governance.[2] The Republic of Kosovo has been recognised by 110 UN member states, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Cook Islands, and Niue.
The current Foreign Minister of Kosovo is Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz.
Status of diplomatic relations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo has initiated the process of establishing diplomatic relations with all states that have recognised Republic of Kosovo, either by opening new missions or through accreditation of non-resident ambassadors to these countries.[3]
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Kosovo maintains diplomatic list with by date:
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Country | Date[4] |
| 1 |  United States (Details) |
18 February 2008 |
| 2 |  France (Details) |
18 February 2008 |
| 3 |  Albania (Details) |
18 February 2008 |
| 4 |  Turkey (Details) |
18 February 2008 |
| 5 |  United Kingdom (Details) |
18 February 2008 |
| 6 |  Germany (Details) |
21 February 2008[5] |
| 7 |  Austria (Details) |
28 February 2008 |
| 8 |  Denmark (Details) |
6 March 2008 |
| 9 |  Monaco |
19 March 2008 |
| 10 |  Sweden (Details) |
28 March 2008 |
| 11 |  Switzerland (Details) |
28 March 2008 |
| 12 |  Belgium (Details) |
10 April 2008 |
| — |  Nauru (suspended) |
23 April 2008 |
| 13 |  Estonia (Details) |
24 April 2008 |
| 14 |  Italy (Details) |
15 May 2008 |
| 15 |  Slovenia (Details) |
15 May 2008 |
| 16 |  Australia (Details) |
21 May 2008 |
| 17 |  Bulgaria (Details) |
27 May 2008 |
| 18 |  Latvia (Details) |
11 June 2008 |
| 19 |  Czech Republic (Details) |
16 June 2008 |
| 20 |  Hungary (Details) |
27 June 2008 |
| 21 |  Netherlands (Details) |
27 June 2008 |
| 22 |  Croatia (Details) |
30 June 2008 |
| 23 |  Lithuania (Details) |
1 September 2008 |
| 24 |  Norway (Details) |
25 October 2008 |
| 25 |  Ireland (Details) |
11 November 2008 |
| 26 |  Finland (Details) |
2 February 2009 |
| 27 |  Japan (Details) |
25 February 2009 |
| 28 |  Palau (Details) |
25 March 2009 |
| 29 |  Canada (Details) |
7 April 2009 |
| 30 |  Maldives (Details) |
15 April 2009[6] |
| 31 |  Saudi Arabia (Details) |
7 August 2009 |
| 32 |  North Macedonia (Details) |
18 October 2009 |
| 33 |  New Zealand (Details) |
9 November 2009 |
| 34 |  Montenegro (Details) |
15 January 2010 |
| 35 |  United Arab Emirates (Details) |
27 April 2010 |
| 36 |  Mauritania |
14 September 2010 |
| 37 |  Honduras |
2 December 2010 |
| 38 |  Qatar (Details) |
7 January 2011 |
| 39 |  Oman (Details) |
4 February 2011[7] |
| 40 |  Malaysia (Details) |
23 May 2011 |
| 41 |  Luxembourg (Details) |
16 June 2011 |
| 42 |  Saint Lucia |
19 August 2011 |
| 43 |  Andorra |
14 September 2011 |
| 44 |  Malta |
22 September 2011 |
| 45 |  Portugal (Details) |
14 November 2011 |
| 46 |  San Marino |
3 May 2012 |
| 47 |  Iceland (Details) |
15 May 2012 |
| 48 |  Liechtenstein |
28 June 2012 |
| 49 |  Ghana (Details) |
4 October 2012 |
| 50 |  Burkina Faso |
6 December 2012 |
| 51 |  Dominica |
12 December 2012 |
| 52 |  Kuwait |
16 January 2013 |
| 53 |  Niger |
25 January 2013 |
| 54 |  Pakistan (Details) |
27 January 2013 |
| 55 |  Fiji |
13 February 2013 |
| 56 |  Djibouti |
19 May 2013 |
| 57 |  Jordan (Details) |
5 June 2013 |
| 58 |  Guyana |
13 June 2013 |
| 59 |  Afghanistan |
17 June 2013 |
| 60 |  Panama |
28 August 2013 |
| 61 |  Federated States of Micronesia |
17 September 2013[8] |
| 62 |  Costa Rica |
23 September 2013 |
| 63 |  Grenada |
25 September 2013 |
| 64 |  Marshall Islands |
28 October 2013 |
| 65 |  Thailand (Details) |
22 November 2013 |
| 66 |  Senegal |
14 February 2014 |
| 67 |  Gabon |
9 March 2014[9] |
| 68 |  Bahrain |
12 March 2014 |
| 69 |  Tanzania |
2 April 2014 |
| 70 |  Libya (Details) |
5 May 2014 |
| 71 |  Vanuatu |
19 May 2014 |
| — |  Togo (suspended) |
27 July 2014 |
| 72 |  El Salvador |
10 October 2014 |
| — |  Solomon Islands (suspended) |
27 April 2015 |
| — |  Cook Islands |
18 May 2015 |
| 73 |  Comoros |
28 May 2015 |
| 74 |  Somalia |
28 May 2015 |
| — |  Niue |
23 June 2015 |
| 75 |  Sierra Leone |
24 November 2015 |
| 76 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
4 March 2016 |
| 77 |  Belize |
29 April 2016 |
| 78 |  Malawi |
21 July 2016 |
| 79 |  Ivory Coast |
24 August 2016 |
| 80 |  Gambia |
22 September 2016 |
| 81 |  Singapore (Details) |
1 December 2016 |
| 82 |  Tuvalu |
2016[10] |
| 83 |  Brunei |
20 February 2017 |
| 84 |  Samoa |
10 March 2017[11] |
| 85 |  Bangladesh (Details) |
16 February 2018[12] |
| 86 |  Barbados |
9 March 2018[13] |
| 87 |  Chad |
27 May 2018[14] |
| 88 |  Liberia |
27 May 2018[14] |
| 89 |  Guinea-Bissau |
10 June 2018[15] |
| 90 |  Antigua and Barbuda |
24 July 2019[16] |
| 91 |  Colombia |
1 October 2019[17] |
| 92 |  Guinea |
20 February 2020[18] |
| 93 |  Israel (Details) |
1 February 2021[19] |
| 94 |  Timor-Leste (Details) |
9 March 2022[20] |
| 95 |  Tonga |
17 April 2024[21] |
| 96 |  Bahamas (Details) |
19 December 2025[22] |
Consular relations
Membership in international organisations
| International Organisation | Political Entity Represented | Application date | Admission date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| During United Nations administration | ||||
| Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) | UNMIK | [when?] | Observer[24] | |
| South East Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO) | Kosovo*[25][26] | 11 June 2004[27] | Member | |
| Energy Community | Kosovo*[28][29] | 1 July 2006 | Member | |
| European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) | UNMIK | 30 November 2006 | Member | |
| Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) | Kosovo*[a] | 6 April 2006 | 26 July 2007[30] | Member |
| After the Declaration of Independence | ||||
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Republic of Kosovo | 10 July 2008[31] | 29 June 2009[32] | Member |
| World Bank (WB) | Republic of Kosovo | 10 July 2008[33] | 29 June 2009[34] | Member |
| Adriatic Charter | Kosovo*[35] | 29 March 2012[36] | 2012[37][38][39] | Observer |
| European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) | Republic of Kosovo[40] | 2010 or 2009[41][when?] | 17 December 2012[42] | Member |
| Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)[43] | Kosovo*[44][45][46] | 23 February 2013[47] | Member[48] | |
| Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) | Republic of Kosovo | 14 June 2013[49] | Member | |
| Venice Commission | Republic of Kosovo | 13 June 2014[50] | Member | |
| Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) | Republic of Kosovo[51] | 29 November 2014[52] | Observer | |
| South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) | Kosovo*[53] | 23 May 2015[54] | Member | |
| Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) | Kosovo* | 28 January 2016[55] | Observer | |
| Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units | Republic of Kosovo | 1 February 2017[56] | Member | |
| World Customs Organization (WCO) | Republic of Kosovo | 3 March 2017[57] | Member | |
| Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) | Republic of Kosovo | 6 November 2015[58] | 5 January 2016[59][60] | Member |
| European Qualifications Framework Advisory Group (EQF) | Republic of Kosovo | 18 December 2015[61][62][63] | Member | |
| International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) | Republic of Kosovo | 21 February 2017[64] | Member | |
| Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) | Republic of Kosovo | 18 March 2017[65] | Member | |
| Assemblée parlementaire de la francophonie (APF) | Republic of Kosovo | 9 July 2018 [66][67] | Observer | |
| Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) | Republic of Kosovo | 9 October 2018 [68] | 11 October 2018[69] | Associate |
| European Political Community (EPC) | Kosovo* | 6 October 2022[70] | Member | |
| International Commission on Missing Persons | Republic of Kosovo | 19 July 2023[71][72] | Member | |
| NATO Parliamentary Assembly | Kosovo | 24 March 2024[73] | Associate | |
| Board of Peace | Republic of Kosovo | 22 January 2026[74] | Member | |
Ongoing applications
Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs during 2011–14 and 2016–17, stated in November 2013 that the country was considering making applications for membership in three United Nations specialized agencies in the first half of 2013,[75] and that an application for membership of the Council of Europe in 2014 was being prepared.[76] Deputy Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi reiterated the state's desire to join in December 2014.[77] Kosovo is also preparing a membership application for the World Trade Organization.[78] Joining NATO's Partnership for Peace is a priority of the government.[79] Hoxhaj said in 2014 that Kosovo's goal is to be a full UN member state by 2020 and a NATO member state by 2022.[80][81] On 15 December 2022 Kosovo filed a formal application to become a member of the European Union.[82]
| International Organisation | Political Entity Represented | Application date |
|---|---|---|
| Council of Bureaux (CoBx) | Republic of Kosovo | 2011[83] |
| NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) | Republic of Kosovo | July 2012[84] |
| International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) | Republic of Kosovo | April 2015[85] |
| Council of Europe (CoE) | Republic of Kosovo | 12 May 2022[86] |
| European Union (EU) | Republic of Kosovo | 15 December 2022[87][88] |
Names used to represent Kosovo
Kosovo is represented under the name:
- "Republic of Kosovo";
- "Kosovo*" (with an asterisk),
depending on the particular international forum. A list is set out above. The name "Republic of Kosovo" is self-explanatory and is the preferred nomenclature of the Pristina Government. The name "Kosovo*" with an asterisk is used in other fora. Where this name is used, the asterisk is linked to a footnote which reads:
This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on Kosovo Declaration of Independence.[89][90][91]
This "Kosovo*" designation was the outcome of an arrangement agreed to between Pristina and Belgrade in talks mediated by the European Union. This arrangement, which has been dubbed the "asterisk agreement" was agreed in an 11-point arrangement agreed on 24 February 2012.[92]
"UNMIK" is an acronym for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, which has joined several organisations on behalf of Kosovo.
International treaties and conventions
| International treaty or convention | Political Entity Represented | Signature | Ratification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trade Agreement with Albania | UNMIK | 7 July 2003[93] | 1 October 2003[94] |
| Free Trade Agreement with North Macedonia | UNMIK | 2 February 2006[94] | |
| Free Trade Agreement with Croatia | UNMIK | 28 September 2006[94] | 1 November 2006[94][95] |
| Free Trade Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina | UNMIK | 19 October 2006[94] | 1 December 2006[94][95] |
| EU Pan-EURO-MED RoO convention[96] | Kosovo under UNSCR 1244 | ||
| Free Trade Agreement with Turkey | Kosovo | 27 September 2013 | 1 September 2019[97] |
| Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU | Kosovo | 22 October 2015[98] | |
| UK/Kosovo: Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement | Kosovo | 20 December 2019 | |
| EU Schengen Area non-visa agreement[99] | Kosovo | 26 April 2023[100] | |
| 13 agreements and declarations with Albania | Kosovo | 6 July 2023[101] | |
See also
- International recognition of Kosovo
- Membership of Kosovo in international organizations
- List of diplomatic missions of Kosovo
- Membership of Kosovo in international sports federations
- International Court of Justice advisory opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence
- Kosovo–Serbia relations
- Bosnia and Herzegovina–Kosovo relations
- Accession of Kosovo to the European Union
- Kosovo–NATO relations
- Visa policy of Kosovo
- Foreign relations of Yugoslavia
Notes
- Under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo until October 2024.