Kosovo deepening relations 26 years on from its liberation
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Kosovo is a European country with the euro as its only official national currency, but it is not a member of the EU.
Kosovars can travel freely through the EU Schengen Area, but the country is not a member of the free zone.
Kosovo has a NATO peacekeeping mission but is not a NATO member, although it aspires to join the alliance as a peace-loving country.
The EU signed the Stabilization Accession Agreement in 2015, which was the first contractual agreement between Kosovo and the EU. And since Jan. 1, 2024, Kosovo has had a visa liberalization regime with the EU. In December 2022, Kosovo's leadership submitted a letter formally applying for membership of the bloc.
Our military was present in Kuwait in 2021 as part of an international peacekeeping operation in the Inherent Resolve mission. It was decorated with medals in a touching ceremony, for which I had the honor of being present. When the devastating earthquake hit Turkiye in February 2023, Kosovo sent a search and rescue team to help the country's people in their time of dire need. Kosovo, once a security consumer, is rapidly becoming a security provider.
As well as seeking membership of both the EU and NATO, Kosovo has also made progress toward membership of the Council of Europe. One further step is needed in order for it to be a fully fledged member.
Kosovo's society is vibrant, young and European. But at the same time, it shares some cultural values with the Middle East.
Lulzim Mjeku
Kosovo's society is vibrant, young and European. But at the same time, it shares some cultural values with the Middle East. Its most valuable asset is its young and vibrant society, which is emerging in the global market. Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe. The workforce is skilled and multilingual, and English is only just short of an official language. Kosovo has an internet penetration rate of 96.4 percent, making it the most business-competitive country in the Western Balkans.
Kosovo also ranked first in the Western Balkans for real economic growth between 2023 and 2025 and in the rule of law, while in the context of improvement in political rights and civil liberties, it is second in Europe and third globally, according to the World Bank, the World Justice Project and Freedom House. Its advancement has also been noticed by the Henley Passport Index and the Global Passport Power Rank. And in Transparency International's latest Public Perception of Corruption Index, Kosovo was ranked in 73rd place, an improvement of three places from the previous year.
Kosovo, located in the heart of the Balkans, has access to Southeast Europe, Central Europe, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. It is a member of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe Development Bank. Kosovo is the most business-competitive nation in the Western Balkans and business development is easy. The tax burden, including total taxes and contributions on profits, is 15 percent. The corporate tax rate is 10 percent, the time required to start a business is 4.5 days, the average gross domestic product growth over the past eight years was 4.1 percent, and total investments as a percentage of GDP are 36 percent.
Kosovo provides favorable conditions for investment in various sectors due to it having the lowest labor costs in Europe and stable government policies that support the business environment.
A new wave of information technology experts is making the country well known due to their professional success. Some IT applications used in Saudi Arabia were designed in Kosovo and this is an excellent example of the success of our IT sector — which exports 70 percent of its services — in the competitive international market.
The Republic of Kosovo celebrates its 26th Liberation Day on Thursday. In the past, Kosovo was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo had a unique situation, with active civil resistance and an armed uprising against the prolonged occupation. Now, it is an independent country.
A new wave of information technology experts is making the country well known due to their professional success.
Lulzim Mjeku
Kosovo has established friendly relations with many countries based on respect of the UN Charter, mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, peaceful coexistence, disarmament, and opposition to racism.
The issue of recognizing Kosovo's independence gained supreme legal relevance thanks to the unequivocal opinion of the International Court of Justice on July 22, 2010. The Republic of Kosovo and its allies won their case before the UN's highest judicial body when it ruled that the 2008 declaration of independence, adopted by the representatives of the people of Kosovo, did not violate any applicable rule of international law. The declaration of independence and the International Court of Justice ruling have secured Kosovo's statehood. Saudi Arabia supported Kosovo throughout, with a view to bringing peace and prosperity to the whole Balkan region.
With this additional standard, Kosovo has consolidated its status and stepped into the international arena with a proactive foreign policy. This and the country's recognition by many individual states represent a key contribution to regional security. This is the key message of recognition.
Recently, Kenya and Sudan have recognized Kosovo, proving that such moves come from all continents and that this process is irreversible. The process of gaining recognition for Kosovo with regard to Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states has followed the same course. A majority of OIC members now recognize Kosovo. I would like to use this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the OIC, which has approved 15 political resolutions since 2009 calling on its member states to consider recognizing Kosovo.
Kosovo is deepening its relations with all countries, including with Gulf countries. It established an embassy in Riyadh in 2010, followed by Abu Dhabi and Doha in recent years.
Since its liberation 26 years ago and its independence 17 years ago, Kosovo has transformed into a modern state. It seeks to foster its international role by deepening bilateral relations with friendly countries and working to expand its membership of international organizations.
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