Prishtina, 8 April, 2024
Today, the “KosovaDiplo365” platform was launched, this initiative is the result of cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, respectively the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, and the Ipko Foundation.
“KosovaDiplo365 is a digital platform that, serving as a connecting bridge for our citizens who live in Kosovo and in the diaspora, furthers this relationship of our country with the world digitally,” said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti , in his introductory speech at the inauguration of the project, which, as he said, sets the narratives on the journey of Kosovo and its citizens in the global digital sphere.
As the government’s priority remains the creation of an environment where our citizens have the opportunity to connect with the world, through different spheres of life, “KosovaDiplo365” offers exactly this environment, contributing to the strengthening of citizen diplomacy and providing an opportunity for all to engage in this journey.
“As the Government, we strongly believe in the role that every citizen can have as a diplomat. Our citizens are the most precious resource of our Republic, and they play a vital role in transmitting the culture, identity, heritage, history and above all the values of Kosovo”, added the prime minister.
In the following, he mentioned personalities of our society inside and outside the country from various fields, through whom the connection of Kosovo with the world is being formed and who have almost unconsciously taken over the responsibility of representing and promoting our state, around the world.
“Examples like Majlinda Kelmendi, Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova, who brought Olympic gold medals; but also Donjeta Sadiku who touched the pedestal in international arenas in the sport of boxing, sportsmen like Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Vedat Muriqi and many others; and young mathematicians who won medals in prestigious world competitions; then our lawyers from the University of Pristina, who stand out among lawyers from internationally renowned universities; professional women from the world of cinematography such as: Blerta Basholli, Antoneta Kastrati, Norika Sefa and Luana Bajrami, who have left their mark through their creativity in the world of film; world-famous stars from Kosovo, such as: Dua Lipa, Rita Ora and Ava Max, who talk about their language, culture and life in Kosovo, promoting our traditions and hospitality; artists such as Petrit Halilaj, Sislej Xhafa, Flaka Haliti and Fadil Berisha; members of our diaspora community, who through their art made Kosovo known internationally. And many, many other outstanding compatriots, for us, for the world, who every day and more, make us proud as part of our society”, said Prime Minister Kurti.
In this launch, he called to join this platform, distribute and expand it, with the aim of transmitting our personal and collective narratives around the world, of values and the halo of knowledge.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Liza Gashi, said that through this platform we aim to strengthen the image of the Republic of Kosovo, positively influencing opinion makers abroad, but also positively on potential guests of Kosovo in the future.
Present to inaugurate this platform were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Liza Gashi, the Executive Director of the Ipko Foundation, Abetare Gojani, co-creator of the KosovaDiplo365 platform, Kushtrim Xhakli, fellows of the Citizen Diplomacy Program, citizens and other diplomats.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Lisa Gashi,
Honorable Executive Director of the Ipko Foundation, Mrs. Primer Gojani,
Dear Mr. Kushtrim Xhakli, co-inventor of the KosovaDiplo365 platform,
Dear fellows of the Citizen Diplomacy Program,
Citizens, diplomats and media representatives,
Thanks to the one-year cooperation and work with the scholarship holders of the Citizen Diplomacy Program, today we inaugurate the project which places the narratives on the journey of Kosovo and its citizens in the global digital sphere.
KosovaDiplo365 is the digital platform that, serving as a connecting bridge for our citizens who live in Kosovo and in the diaspora, furthers this relationship between our country and the world digitally.
As the Government, we strongly believe in the role that every citizen can have as a diplomat. Our citizens are the most precious resource of our Republic, and play a vital role in the transmission of culture, identity, heritage, history, and above all the values and progress of our country and people. So, it is precisely our citizens who enable the strengthening of our connection with the world, but also the recognition of our state for the history it carries.
We all know that before Kosovo was liberated, even before Kosovo declared its independence, we had our emigrants who played an irreplaceable role both for liberation and for independence. Therefore, it is not for nothing that it is said that Kosovo had an embassy before it had a state. This was our exile for decades and years.
The truth is that our society has a growing group of citizen diplomats who have almost unconsciously taken on the responsibility of representing and promoting our country to the world. In other words, the representation they make is more a consequence than their purpose.
Examples like Majlinda Kelmendi, Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova, who brought Olympic gold medals; but also Donjeta Sadiku who touched the pedestal in international arenas in the sport of boxing, athletes like Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Vedat Muriqi and many others; and young mathematicians who won medals in prestigious world competitions; then our lawyers from the University of Pristina, who stand out among lawyers from internationally renowned universities; professional women from the world of cinematography such as: Blerta Basholli, Antoneta Kastrati, Norika Sefa and Luana Bajrami, who have left their mark through their creativity in the world of film; world-famous stars from Kosovo, such as: Dua Lipa, Rita Ora and Ava Max, who talk about their language, culture and life in Kosovo, promoting our traditions and hospitality; artists such as Petrit Halilaj, Sislej Xhafa, Flaka Haliti and Fadil Berisha; members of our diaspora community, who through their art made Kosovo known internationally. And many, many other outstanding compatriots, for us, for the world, who every day more and more, make us proud as part of our society.
The priority of our government, through the dedication and commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, remains the creation of an environment where our citizens have the opportunity to connect with the world, through different spheres of life.
Therefore, KosovaDiplo365 is not just an internet address. It is the platform that offers exactly this environment, and that serves not only in the digital documentation of our history and culture, but also in the protection and cultivation of these. It is an initiative to strengthen citizen diplomacy, which offers everyone an opportunity to engage in this common journey, where we want as many others as possible to join us.
This initiative was realized with the contribution of the diaspora and the will of our government. KosovaDiplo365 comes as a result of cooperation with civil society, specifically the cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora with the Ipko Foundation, which enabled us to bring a new experience to our citizens, but also the very close cooperation with scholarship holders of the diplomacy program public, who are members of our precious exile.
Through KosovaDiplo365, we are shaping Kosovo’s connection with the world through its most powerful voices: citizens inside and outside the country.
Therefore, I invite you to join this platform, share and expand it, with the aim of transmitting our personal and collective narratives around the world, of values and halo of knowledge. Let us transform the true narrative of ourselves into a mental picture of others for us.
Thank you.
Last modified: April 11, 2024