KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 23

Ambassador of Republic of Kosovo to Bangladesh Guner Ureya seeks Nepal's recognition of his country. The Himalayan Times interviewed Ureya via email about his country's efforts to seek recognition from world communities and the prospects of enhancement of relations between Nepal and Kosovo. Excerpts:

Nepal does not recognise your country as a sovereign and independent state. What is your message to the government and people of Nepal?

Unfortunately, Nepal still has not officially recognised the independence of the Republic of Kosovo. Many other countries had not recognised us before as well, but over time they realised that recognising the Republic of Kosovo was the right step. Recognition of Kosovo is important for peace and stability in the Balkan Peninsula, in other words, in Southeast Europe. The independence of the Republic of Kosovo has corrected historical mistakes, ended Serbian occupation and brought peace and freedom to the people.

The independence of the Republic of Kosovo enabled the people of Kosovo to achieve great success in a short period of 14 years. Therefore, as a peace-loving country, it is very important for Nepal and the Nepalese people to recognise Kosovo.

To give an example, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, a South Asian country, recognised us only a few years ago and now we have a very close relationship. We want to maintain similar relations with Nepal as well. It is not enough only to keep communication channels open, we need to develop formal and concrete cooperation.

We have a lot of common experiences and traits to share. Both countries are landlocked. The system of both countries are built on preserving cultural values and the multi-ethnic structures of our societies.

Both countries' people and landscape are stunning. We have a large number of people-to-people and other contacts. But the most important thing will be bringing together our flags to let them wave freely and fraternally side by side on different bilateral occasions.

Diplomats from your country had held talks with political leaders and civil societymembers of Nepal in 2018 to make your country's case for Nepal's recognition of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. Has there been any progress since then?

Since the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo, we have been in contact with a variety of decision makers, influencers and activists such as your country's political leaders, business people, civil society leaders, athletes, journalists, etc. The meetings were also aided by international platforms, of which we are a part. We get to know each other better every day.

Nepal is an independent, sovereign, free and egalitarian country, so it determines its foreign policy preferences.

We all know that countries have their own set of priorities. Our hope is that Nepal officially recognises Kosovo as soon as possible and that the silhouette of the Nepal flag be reflected on the Kosovo government building with the words 'Thank you Nepal'. The next will be even better.

Around 100 countries have recognised your country as a sovereign and independent state but the two veto power wielding nations - Russia and China - have opposed your country's bid to become a sovereign and independent state. How will your country convince China and Russia to recognise your country as a sovereign and independent state?

Yes, more than half of the countries have recognised the independence of the Republic of Kosovo. The majority of these countries are geographically close to our country and they have realised that the Republic of Kosovo case is unique and cannot be used as a precedent for other cases.

In addition, they considered the peace and stability of the region as well as their own peace and stability.

On the other side, the International Court of Justice has ruled that the declaration of independence of Kosovo was not in violation of international law. In contrast, Russia and China are focused more on their own potential opportunities in the equation of relations in the region of the Balkan Peninsula. This is not a correct and healthy approach. Russia, in particular, preferably misinterprets the Kosovo example, thinking that it will be beneficial for Russian interests, which is not true. The way for Russia to develop normal relations with the Balkan countries is to develop relations based on contemporary democratic norms. It is not possible to achieve this with racist, religious, and occupying approaches.

Even if Moscow abandons this understanding, the problems will be over. As I mentioned, the Kosovo case is sui-generis. So, if we solve our fundamental problems in the Balkans, it will not be correct, and it will even be meaningless for the People's Republic of China to continue its objections regarding Kosovo.

In recent years, relations have improved between your country and Serbia, which claims sovereignty over your country. Brussels agreement has further improved relations between Kosovo and Serbia. What is the possibility of Serbia recognising Kosovo as an independent state?

Serbia is attempting to achieve something with its efforts to destabilise Kosovo, although it is aware how unrealistic its claim to sovereignty is.In fact, these efforts are detrimental to everyone. Around 98 per cent of the people of Kosovo are determined to protect the territorial integrity of the country. The two per cent of the population manipulated by Serbia at this stage will sooner or later understand the facts and be fully integrated into Kosovo society. Kosovo will never be Serbia. Kosovo is a country of its people, of Kosovar Albanians, Bosniaks, Serbians, Turks, and others. Of course, we continue our dialogue with Belgrade for normalisation of relations. However, it should not be forgotten that the purpose of the dialogue is to ensure the normalisation of relations between the two sovereign countries, but not to generate unsolvable equations.

It is certain that the Brussels agreements have further improved relations in some practical and particular things, but it is clear that those engagements could not produce a solution to some very crucial issues. With Serbia's recognition of the reality of Kosovo, the ground will be prepared for the resolution of all problems. The day they do this should be declared a fest day in both Serbia and Kosovo. We will put an end to a longstanding issue in our relations. You inquire regarding the possibility of Serbia's recognition: Sooner or later we will mutually recognise each other, and that day will be a very beautiful day.

Does Kosovo want to be a member state of EU?

Sure, the integration of Kosovo together with other Western Balkan countries into the European Union is very important for peace, stability, economic development, and full reconciliation in the region. Our application file is ready. I hope we will get the status of candidate country in the near future.

Is there any possibility of the expansion of trade and other relations between Nepal and Kosovo?

There are numerous opportunities and potentials for cooperation between the two countries. The relations we have developed with Bangladesh in the last five years can also serve as an example for our future relations with Nepal. Following the establishment of diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, agreements were initiated and commercial, cultural, educational cooperation and people to people interactions has been increasing. We can catch the same mood with Nepal.

What is your country doing to promote ties between your country and Nepal?

First of all, we are trying to tell our story to Nepal. We are trying to explain that Kosovars are peace-loving like you, that we have a vibrant population with the youngest median age in Europe and that we can develop both bilateral relations and cooperate on multilateral platforms. So far, personalities from civil society are the biggest promoters of our relationship. The best example of this is the Kosovar climber Flutura-Uta Ibrahimi, known by her nickname Utalaya. She is the voice of Kosovo as well as of the Himalayas and therefore, Nepal, to the rest of the world.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 24, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.