Copyright: All content in this book has been collected as documentation in the project KStalksEU, a public diplomacy initiative supported by FCO UK, Kosovo MFA and Norwegian MFA, implemented by British Council Kosovo

Title: This Is How We Do Soft Power: A Practical Guidebook in Public And Digital Diplomacy Of A Small Republic

© All Rights 2014: British Council Kosovo & Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo For Publisher: Petrit Selimi, MFA Kosovo Editors: Arjeta Emra, Petrit Selimi, Gent Salihu Design: Zero Pozitive Publicis

Front Cover: Image of an art piece by Turner-prize nominee Nathan Coley, installed in Kosovo on the occassion of the End of Supervised Independence. The art performance was enabled through the public diplomacy programme of Kosovo Foreign Ministry, financed by the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo. © Nathan Coley

ISBN: 0-240-80588-7 Printed in the Republic of Kosovo Republika e Kosovës Republika Kosova-Republic of Kosovo Qeveria e Kosovës-Vlada Kosova-Government of Kosova

MINISTRIA E PUNEVE TE JASHTME MINISTRASTVO INOSTRANIH POSLOV MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS I was late to join the social media, having opened a Facebook page only in 2013. Yet I always had a special respect for the power of the New Media, having led the first guerrilla war in the era of the Internet.

The Kosovo war and liberation made an enormous impact in the global audience and the sights and sounds of the unfolding tragedy of Kosovo—especially in 1999, the dreadful “ethnic cleansing” became synonymous with my country’s name.

Classical diplomacy failed in the beginning to stop the conflict. Dictator Milosevic would not yield to diplomatic pressure by the US, EU, or even Russia. Not only was self-determination out of the question, but a systematic campaign to “solve once and for all” the Kosovo question was transforming an apartheid-like system to a more vicious repeat of Srebrenica genocide. It was not so long time ago, but many people forget that there was quite a debate in the world about the NATO intervention to save Kosovars. Hashim Thaçi Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo

II From hippie communes, to serious leftist thinkers, to the far-right anti-Muslim groups, to sometimes just worried citizens of Europe or America who had sons and daughters in NATO uniforms, intervening militarily to stop and reverse Milosevic policies was an objectionable policy in many circles. This was the time when you could see that far more diverse response to the crisis was needed then the original conferencing. Actions of NATO had to be justified with frequent press conferences, and NATO spokesman Jamie Shea became a figure of angelic proportions for giving courage to the refugees. Internet pages were being set-up to connect families disbursed in massive refugee camps in Albania and Macedonia. NGOs became a fundamental segment in the conflict landscape, either through humanitarian assistance or through long term democratization efforts.

Kosovo’s birth as a free republic is thus rooted in the principle tenets of public diplomacy as foreign audiences had to become involved in a dialogue so they could be influenced in supporting intervention on behalf of a fatigued people that had neither oil nor territory to boast. Fifteen years have passed since that year that changed our destiny as a people.

We owe a lot as a society to the global engagement by the great coalition of governments, development agencies, security organizations, freedom of speech NGO’s and many others. People like President Vaclav Havel declared Kosovo to be a landmark moment in history when the rights of a people – the Kosovars – have unequivocally come first. From Christopher Hitchens to President Clinton, strong arguments were built to support the Kosovo cause, while Sweden was even speaking of how “the collective conscience of mankind demands action.” Later on, an Independent Commission set up by the Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan recommended that Kosovo be granted conditional independence already in the year 2000, a conclusion endorsed by President Nelson Mandela who wrote the foreword to the findings.

III This being said, a different task awaits Kosovo in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century. We are not anymore a subject of public diplomacy efforts but rather a state that needs to explain the reason of its existence to the sceptical part of the world, we must entice interest and investments from businesses, and we must engage and cooperate with allies so we can become a member of the Euro-Atlantic family of nations.

I am very proud of the young women and men, Kosovo’s first generation of digital diplomats as well as cultural and civic pioneers that have helped improve our country’s image and engage more creatively with the world. This type of engagement has supported the formal process of recognition, but it has also increased interaction with global audiences, demonstrating that Kosovo has grown and is more than old war images that still echo in the global media.

Because Kosovo has in the past been subject to intense hostile propaganda, which at the time it was unable to counter, prejudices remain in certain circles hostile to its aspirations to be a normal, democratic society integrated into Europe. In this context, our work in cultural, public, and digital diplomacy to present the reality of how far we have come—and without pretending that we do not have more progress that we need to make—is immensely important. A coalition of the Kosovo Foreign Ministry, British Council, and civil society organizations has done an outstanding job in promoting Kosovo. I congratulate Ambassador Ian Cliff of the UK, Arjeta Emra of the British Council, and Petrit Selimi of the Kosovo MFA for a very successful partnership that has become a model of cooperation between classical diplomacy and new digital diplomacy.

IV Petrit Selimi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Arjeta Emra Director of British Council Kosovo We are in the business of increasing the global footprint of Kosovo’s voice

A Conversation with Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi and British Council Director Arjeta Emra

Two of Kosovo’s foremost experts on public diplomacy, the Director of the British

Council in Kosovo Arjeta Emra and Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit

Selimi reflected on a joint public diplomacy project—KSTalksEU (“Kosovo Talks

EU”)—which they lead. This collaborative effort of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo and the globally known British charity, in partnership with the UK

Embassy in Kosovo and other donors, launched initiatives that included a wide array of stakeholders, including civil society organizations and cultural activists.

KSTalksEU became a vehicle for public diplomacy outreach of the fledgling nation.

How does a 6-year-old country, recognized by more than half of UN members, engage with the world that vaguely remembers “Kosovo” from the former Yugoslav wars of 1990’s?

V Could you briefly tell us about KSTalksEU Project? What is the aim of this long partnership between Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry, UK’s FCO and the British Council?

Arjeta Emra: KSTalksEU can best be described as an umbrella project that seeks to employ cultural and public diplomacy to engage with publics of the countries that have not recognized Kosovo yet. By organizing visits, exhibitions, events we have focused on making Kosovo more known in Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Greece and Cyprus. We believe that by promoting Kosovo and its ties with these 5 EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo yet, we support Kosovo’s overall progress in its EU integration path, while encouraging establishing bilateral ties between Kosovo and all EU countries.

Petrit Selimi: This project was formulated by the British Council to start with, and received support in matching funds by both Kosovo Foreign Ministry as well as the British FCO, later also joined by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. It’s been going now for over 3 years and has played an amazing role in advancing Kosovo’s diplomatic cause, not only from strictly political point of view, but also in terms of promotion of tourism, investments, and cultural exchanges.

In the immediate years after the Declaration of Independence in 2008, Kosovo focused on the process of bilateral recognitions and the focal point was interaction with countries within the margins of UN meetings in New York. We researched and took a strategic decision to also reach out to the publics of non-recognizing countries, to support easier decision-making by these governments.

In the meantime, this public diplomacy project grew and expanded to cover several “black holes” in Kosovo’s communication with outside world. There are a number of prejudices and even malicious propaganda against Kosovo and its to build a successful, secular republic entrenched in EU and NATO. Hence we expanded portfolio of activities to several pillars: Exchanges with the “EU Five”, Digital Diplomacy, Interfaith Kosovo Initiative, cultural diplomacy and Advocacy Fund. The aim was to increase the global footprint of Kosovo’s voice.

VI You have worked under challenging circumstances. Kosovo is not anymore in the front pages of global newspapers and the country still suffers an image problem related to past but also present challenges of transition. How can you change that?

A. Emra: It’s true that Kosovo is not a top diplomatic priority, but that’s why it’s important we work on other channels of communication. Parliaments, political parties, artists, civic activists, journalists are all important stakeholders when building good relationships between countries and societies. By focusing on organizing exchanges and projects with non-traditional actors, we increased the overall visibility of Kosovo in these countries, sometimes from a virtual zero level of interaction.

P. Selimi: It’s true that we really started from zero in some of the countries. Our project initially got 5 top experts from “EU Five” to tell us more about the intricate rationale behind non-recognition of Kosovo – legal, political and cultural-historical reasons. In Kosovo, we usually divided the world in those that “support us” and “those that support Serbia.” This type of dichotomous thinking, including worse theories based on the Huntingtonian “clash of civilizations,” is an invalid argument that cannot stand as a foreign policy principle, or any policy principle. We are aiming to become EU and NATO members, which means becoming friends with all other members and candidates. KSTalksEU broke the ice with establishing innovative channels of communication. We also burst the balloon of some of the misconceptions about Kosovo in Romania or Slovakia, for example, or a number of other countries.

VII What are some of the main misconceptions about Kosovo?

P. Selimi: Some misconceptions are very extreme. The Norwegian mass-murderer Andreas Breivik mentioned Kosovo dozens of times in his Manifesto published on the day of his terrorist act that disturbed the world. According to him, Kosovo is a “bridge for Islam to conquer Christian Europe.” This is the extremist interpretation of Kosovo but in many European countries, even for far more benign political players in the landscape, wonder what to make of the fact that Kosovo as an EU aspirant, is 90% of the Muslim faith. By contrast, we must also explain to our leftist friends or Arabic guests that the fact that our boulevards are named after Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, George W Bush, Javier Solana, Bob Dole and Wesley Clark doesn’t mean we are “Western, capitalist or neoliberal stooges.” Kosovo is amazingly diverse, rich in tradition, vibrant, and is a melting pot of influences. German techno DJs, Sufi and Sunni preachers, young foreign-educated entrepreneurs, digital pioneers, all have their own strata of society in Kosovo and this is the Kosovo we must show. Neither the ethnic story nor the war story, but the story of what Kosovo can become; a factor of stability and maybe even a beacon of progress in the series of less successful attempts at nation- building in recent decades.

A. Emra: There are few groups of misconceptions: one is related to safety here and the war background; second is related to issues related to crime and corruption in the modern era; third is the fear of ideological extremisms. Some misconceptions are just there due to complete lack of information from Kosovo beyond the newspaper clippings; some other misconceptions draw from the old divides between East and West. We believe that by bringing people to Kosovo, most of whom are opinion-makers, we can show the true face of Kosovo: warm, welcoming, and keen to move

VIII What are some of the projects that you have initiated, which have had an impact in softening this image of Kosovo? What are the main activities?

A. Emra: We have implemented dozens of projects of various sizes, from large-scale conferences and film festivals, to more intimate exchanges of visits and information between Kosovo authorities and their European counterparts. Forums like the Germia Hill Conference and the Interfaith Kosovo Initiative have brought to Kosovo almost 500 participants who are all distinguished members of their communities and diplomatic circles. If we count smaller grants and conferences, we have over 800 recorded individual visits to Kosovo, mostly from non-recognizing countries. The impact has been amazing and the results are visible in terms of recent softening of the stance of some of these EU countries.

P. Selimi: The activities are planned to address the crux of the identified challenges in various communications or outreach. Special tools are used for different countries, especially considering that the “EU Five” is not really a unified block of countries against Kosovo but rather their stance is a result of diverse circumstances. We have organized ground-breaking parliamentary visits from Kosovo to Romania and the Slovak Republic, as well as civil society visits to Greece and Cyprus and further exchanges between chambers of commerce. Several publications and web-portals have been established or supported by KSTalksEU, equipping Embassies of Kosovo with reading material for in- depth interaction with some of these countries. Some of activities are to combat propaganda that is out there, starting from the pages of Wikipedia to negative media reports. It’s important to highlight that progress have been noted in several of these communication platforms with new content produced and added across the media landscape, both online and paper format. Competitions, such as the Instagram National Competition for best Kosovo image or the DigitalKosovo initiative have also engaged thousands of people in our public diplomacy efforts.

IX What worked best in terms of outreach and outputs? What are the cases of something succeeding and other things not?

P. Selimi: What works definitely best in people-to-people diplomacy is bringing people to Kosovo. Visits play two roles: they both educate and surprise guests to Kosovo as they genuinely find the country fascinating and generally in far better condition than they would expect. Using cutting edge technologies is also useful – we have seen great traction with the website www.digitalkosovo. org that we have set up together with a local tech NGO. I think precisely because people expect Kosovo to be a place of strife and conflict, organizing events dedicated to promotion of global interfaith dialogue and promoting Kosovo’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity also brings added value to making Kosovo a contributor in the global peace-making discourse. Two of the best articles in the New York Times written on Kosovo last year were based on projects we supported – the Kosovo pavilion show at the Venice Biennale for contemporary arts and Facebook’s recognition of Kosovo that even made it trending in the BBC twitter feed. Countries such as Kosovo must be able to implement projects quickly and undeterred by bureaucracy. It shouldn’t take weeks and months to set up Twitter accounts for leading government ministers. We learned a lot in this process that we will utilize in many other fields of interaction between Kosovo and the rest of the world.

A. Emra: What works depends also on the team and the partners. As many of our public diplomacy projects were implemented through local and international NGOs, it depends on the capacity and professionalism of the sub-contractors and partners. Some projects had massive media outreach and made it in the global headlines also because of the involvement of heavy-hitting “digital stars” like the Deputy Minister Selimi or Minister Citaku who are big in digital communication. By contrast, some other projects had less media attention, but they helped Kosovo increase visibility, like some of the micro-grants we gave to artists traveling to countries from Brazil to Cyprus. Our public diplomacy work with Latin America, which started only last year, did have some positive traction too, despite not being in the immediate priority.

X Is Kosovo dependent on public diplomacy in order to change perceptions about the country? What is the difference between these efforts and the marketing campaigns promoting Kosovo, such as the Young Europeans campaign?

A. Emra: I think it’s fair to point out that our project is not an advertising campaign nor do we engage in propaganda. In all of our events and publications we try to be earnest and show both Kosovo’s bright sides and its challenges. Marketing is good for high and broad impact of showing images of Kosovo on CNN or weekly magazines, but it doesn’t help Kosovo increase understanding. Our efforts are tailored to provide more in-depth understanding of Kosovo. In other words, we would rather invite an international journalist visit Kosovo and risk he may also write something negative, than buy a whole page ad in a newspaper. As we are trying to change perception of the public about Kosovo, we focus on influencing the opinion-makers and other high profile actors who can help Kosovo’s EU integration agenda.

P. Selimi: It’s true that there is no point for sugarcoating Kosovo’s story. I sincerely believe in the power of Kosovo’s charm, imperfections included. “The Young Europeans” campaign that kicked off after independence was very good in introducing Kosovo via massive media outreach and advertising, but beyond that, we still have to tackle the issue of helping Kosovo be recognized, which means we must focus the target of our messaging and interaction. Our public diplomacy is based on principles we genuinely cherish and on a progressive political agenda. It is our duty to advance and disseminate not only the official message from the Kosovo government, but also the individual voices of Kosovars who want to become a part of the European family of nations. By increasing the overall network of links between Kosovo and other countries, we also help Kosovo bridge the digital and other divides with the modern world. As a result, our projects are not only outward looking but also play an important role for promoting internal discussions about our priorities as a society.

XI

THIS IS HOW WE DO:

01 People-to-People Diplomacy

02 Digital Diplomacy

03 Regional Cooperation

04 Global Issues

05 Issue-Based Initiatives Digital footprint of Kosovo’s Digital Diplomacy

The out-degree parameter, which indicates the amount of ministries with whom one ministry has contact, is of paramount importance in this network as the higher a ministry’s out-degree score, the greater its ability to disseminate information throughout the network. Kosovo ranks high in this field due to explosion of Twitter usage by the Ministers of Kosovo government. The country with the highest out-degree is Iceland followed by Sweden, Israel, Norway, Russia, Poland, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Brazil and Peru. (from a study by Ilan Manor, Twiplomacy)

1 2 1 People-to-People Diplomacy Through civil society fuelled diplomacy, Kosovo has seen

extraordinary progress in opening communication channels

of interaction and influence across five EU countries—Cyprus,

Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain—that still hesitate

to recognize Kosovo as an independent and sovereign

state. A multi-track approach to diplomacy has provided a

functional space for Kosovo’s citizens, civil society, academia,

and policymakers to interact with their counterparts in the

absence of established diplomatic relations. In conjunction

with the British Council and British Embassy we have

launched “Kosovo Talks EU,” a people-to-people diplomacy

initiative, with the expectation that cooperation without

recognition between different layers of our societies will

eventually smoothen the political stance of non-recognizing

states to the benefit of Kosovo.

5 Harnessing Kosovo’s vibrant civil society to expand communication channels in countries that have not recognized Kosovo yet

Through our civil society partners, the MFA, British Embassy, and British Council have facilitated the exchange of over 300 diplomats, journalists, activists and MPs from Kosovo and the five EU non-recognizing countries in the past two years. Civil society-led delegations visited Greece, Romania and Slovakia. Visits by civil society representatives created the space for follow-up visits of Kosovo MPs to Slovakia and Slovak MPs to Kosovo. Exchange visits between representatives of Kosovo and the five EU countries will continue to take place in the future.

6 Slovakia The Kosovo Centre for Security Studies and Slovak Foreign Policy Association organized a series of events with Kosovo and Slovak civil society representatives and business leaders in Bratislava in 2012, with the purpose to foster bilateral cooperation and build partnerships between two countries. In the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the trip was an opportunity to discuss and agree on models of engagement that would bring Slovakia and Kosovo socially, economically, and politically closer. “Cooperation without recognition” was the formula of engagement. The aim of the Kosovo delegations was to engage with Slovak counterparts and yield tangible results in areas of mutual interest that do not necessarily have political implications. An uninterrupted stream of exchange visits between non-political actors set the scene for eleven Kosovo assembly members to visit Bratislava and for 12 Slovak assembly members to visit their counterparts in Prishtina in March 2013. Through civil-society fuelled diplomacy, public debates have been organized, op-eds in Slovak press have appeared, workshops in Slovak universities have been conducted, and position papers on Kosovo-Slovak relations have been written.

7 Slovakia’s High Tatra mountains have 17 peaks over 2,500 metres. The first European cross-border national park, between Slovakia and Poland, was founded here.8 Kosovo MP Albert Kinolli of the United Roma Party shakes hands with Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak during the visit 9of the Kosovo delegation to this EU member country that has yet to recognise Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. On the civil society front, Kosovo representatives On the relations between Kosovo and Slovak stressed the need for a constructive approach by businesses, during meetings with the Slovak Agency Slovakia within Kosovo’s path of European Union for Investment and Trade, American Chamber of accession, suggesting tangible initiatives that Commerce in Slovakia, and upcoming director of would bring the two societies closer to each other. International Visegrad Fund, Kosovo representatives The interaction between non-political actors in presented a favourable space for economic changing perceptions and raising awareness of cooperation and attractive investment opportunities the Slovak society on the positive developments in Kosovo. These meetings also served as a basis in Kosovo was seen as a necessary initiative to for Kosovo to explore future opportunities to apply bring the two societies closer. A panel discussion for funds of the Slovak Aid Agency and International during the visit, consisting of Juraj Maruŝiak (Slovak Visegrad Fund. Academy of Sciences), Vladimir Bartovic (Institute for European Policy in Prague), Ivo Samson (Slovak The Kosovo delegation also held informal meetings Association for Foreign Policy), Pëllumb Kallaba with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (KCSS) and Engjellushe Morina, discussed the role of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak and the Director for of Slovakia towards Kosovo’s integration process in Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid the European Union and the prospects of the wider Department at the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Western Balkans within the EU. Diplomatic mission Karla Wursterova. The visit of Kosovar civil society representatives to Bratislava also attended this and business community representatives was event. covered by the Slovak TA3 television, focusing on the need for constructive engagement between Kosovo and Slovakia within the E.U. context. Engaging with the media has been a stepping-stone towards a more realistic portrayal of positive developments in Kosovo by the Slovak media.

10 11 Deputy Minister Petrit Selimi speaking at the GLOBSEC Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia. Through civil-society fuelled diplomacy, public debates have been organized, op-eds in Slovak press have appeared, workshops in Slovak universities have been conducted, and position papers on Kosovo-Slovak relations have been written.

An uninterrupted stream of exchange visits public debate to the benefit of Kosovo-Slovakia between non-political actors set the scene relations. Following the success of informal for eleven Kosovo assembly members to visit meetings, the landscape of engagements Bratislava in March 2013. Kosovo’s diverse group between the two countries expanded. Kosovo’s of MPs held meetings with country officials, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Petrit Selimi including their MP counterparts, the Chairman of attended Central Europe’s leading foreign policy Foreign Affairs Committee, the Minister of Foreign and security forum, the GLOBSEC Conference Affairs, representatives of all political parties, in Bratislava. During the conference in 2013, opinion makers, experts on topics pertinent to Deputy Minister Selimi joined a panel along EU integration, and representatives of the media. with Mikulas Dzurinda, Slovakia’s former Prime Kosovo MPs particularly contributed towards Minister, Stefan Fule, European Commission’s cultivating a network of Slovak MPs interested Enlargement Commissioner, Nikola Poposki, in Balkan issues. Subsequently, a cross-party Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sonja Slovak delegation of MPs visited Prishtina, Licht, Serbia’s renowned political activist. During which was an opportunity to hold meetings the panel discussion, Kosovo’s Deputy Minister with the Chairman of the Kosovo Assembly and announced the agreement reached between members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia on and Committee for European Integration. During the normalization of relations between the two this visit, Slovak MPs reiterated their country’s countries, while sharing his insights on broader support of Kosovo on its EU accession path. discussion topics pertinent to EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. The exchange visits The engagement of civil society representatives to Slovakia demonstrated that civil-society and members of parliament underscored fueled diplomacy can serve as an icebreaker for Kosovo’s tactical approach of undertaking effective cooperation between different layers of incremental, yet result-oriented actions towards the society and eventually bringing closer the shaping Slovakia’s political discourse and political leadership of the two countries. 12 Greece The Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) organized a visit to Athens and Thessaloniki in 2013 for a select group of Kosovo civil society, business, and media representatives. As the first country from the Balkans to join the European Union, Kosovo institutions and society can learn a lot from Greece’s developmental path. Following the successful visit of Kosovo civil society, business, and media representatives, an additional delegation comprised of business owners and private sector development policymakers and advocates visited Thessaloniki, Athens, and Piraeus in March 2014. During this visit Kosovo’s Chamber of Commerce held B2B meetings and signed memorandums of understanding for prospective collaboration with the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Institute of International Economic Relations in Athens. While in the case of Slovakia, the civil society served as an opener of communication channels for the political leadership, in the case of Greece, the civil society’s engagement helped deliver a more positive Kosovo narrative in front of the Greek public opinion, including potential Greek investors

13 The Pantheon:the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. 14 Kosovo representatives met with their KIPRED and ELIAMEP also organized counterparts and senior policymakers on an discussions with students and professors array of formats. The Kosovo delegation held of various universities in Thessaloniki and meetings with representatives of two main Athens, reflecting upon Kosovo’s achievements political parties from the governing coalition, and challenges ahead while discussing the in which the two sides reiterated the need Western Balkans’ future prospects of EU to strengthen the ties between Kosovo and accession. At the University of Macedonia, Greece. Within the context of the EU accession a roundtable discussion was held on the process, Kosovo representatives met with topic “Contemporary Kosovo: Perspectives Ioannis Smyrlis, Secretary of International from the Media, Civil Society, and the Arts.” Affairs from the New Democracy Party Participants included Venera Hajrullahu, and with Gerasimos Georgatos, European Executive Director of Kosovo Civil Society; and Foreign Policy representative of the Veton Nurkollari, Artistic Director of Kosovo’s Democratic Left Party (DIMAR). premier documentary festival, DOKUFEST; Shpend Kursani, Senior Researcher at KIPRED; and Ana-Mari Repic, Deputy Director of the Radio Television of Kosovo.

15 The panel discussion at the University of In Athens, the delegation participated in a public Macedonia coincided with two parallel events. event on Kosovo’s future, titled “The Future of At the American College of Thessaloniki, a Kosovo: Views from the Civil Society, the Media, panel discussion was held on the topic “Civil and the Business Sector.” The panel, consisting Society, Media, and Business in the Balkans.” of Ilir Deda, Berat Rukiqi, Ana Mari Repic, and Participants included Flaka Surroi, Executive Flaka Surroi, was moderated by ELIAMEP’s Director of KOHA Group; Ilir Deda, Executive head of South-East Europe programme, Dr. Director of KIPRED; Armend Muja, Head of Armakolas, while Ambassador Mallias (ret.) Research and Programmes of QKSS; and Berat shared his views on the future of the Balkans. Rukiqi, General Secretary of Kosovo Chamber An additional ELIAMEP discussion followed, of Commerce. At the International Hellenic which focused on the social impact of the University, a discussion was held on the current economic crisis in South-East Europe. “Views fromPrishtina on the Future of Kosovo.” Throughout the visit, Kosovo representatives Kosovo’s delegation also had an audience with also had the opportunity to share their views the students and professors of the National and with Greek media. They gave interviews for Kapodistrian University of Athens. Thessaloniki’s TV station and 100.6 Radio, as well as Athens’s MEGA TV Channel, and Paron, Ta Nea and To Vima newspapers.

16 Following the successful visit of Kosovo civil The delegation also had discussions with society, business, and media representatives, Mr. Spyros Pengas who is the City Council an additional delegation comprised of business Member and Appointed Counselor to the City owners and private sector development of Thessaloniki for tourism and international policymakers and advocates was sent to relations, as well as with the President and Thessaloniki, Athens, and Piraeus in March 2014. CEO of the Metropolitan Development Agency. The purpose of this trip, organized by ELIAMEP, Visits at SEVE and TCCI served as opportunities was for Kosovo businesses and policymakers to hold B2B meetings between members of the to further strengthen communication channels Kosovar delegation and Greek businessmen. A with their counterparts, while informing them memorandum of understanding was also signed about the business enabling environment between the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and steps that Kosovo has taken to attract foreign SEVE. investors. In Athens, the delegation was briefed about In Thessaloniki, the delegation met with the the current financial situation in Greece, and Greek International Business Association (SEVE) the Hellenic country’s political and economic and the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and presence in the region. The Head of the Crisis Industry (TCCI). SEVE is the largest association Observatory at ELIAMEP Dr. Dimitris Katsikas of exporting companies in Greece, consisting talked on “The Greek Economy: the course of more than 610 company members, whereas towards the crisis and recovery plan,” while TCCI is the second largest chamber of commerce Dr.Ritsa Panagiotou and Anastasios Valvis in Greece, consisting of 20 thousand active presented on “the impact of the crisis on the members representing 50% of Greek exports for economic and political position of Greece in Thessaloniki and the greater region. the Balkans.” During their visit in Athens, the

17 delegation met with representatives of the Greek business representatives expressed their Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research intention to discuss with delegation members (IOBE), including Director General Nikos Vettas, about future cooperation. The delegation also with whom the fiscal consolidation in Greece received media coverage from established and future implications were discussed. In newspapers, including The Aggelioforos in Athens, in addition to B2B meetings held with Thessaloniki, The Naftemporiki in Athens, and members of the Institute of International Capital.gr. While in the case of Slovakia, the civil Economic Relations, a memorandum of society primarily served as communications understanding was also signed, outlining future channel opener for the political leadership of cooperation opportunities between Greek and Kosovo and Slovakia, in the case of Greece, the Kosovar businesses. civil society’s engagement in Greece helped deliver a more positive Kosovo narrative in front Finally, the delegation visited, Piraeus, a of the Greek public opinion, including potential port city in the region of Attica, where B2B Greek investors in the Kosovo market, which has meetings were held with the Piraeus Chamber had prior limited access to Kosovo’s unreported of Commerce and Industry and, subsequently, positive developments. a memorandum of understanding was signed. The delegation was also acquainted with the importance of instituting efficient supply chains during their visit at the Piraeus Port Authority and COSCO Shiping Agency.

18 Romania The Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS) and Global Focus Centre (GFC) organized a visit to Bucharest for civil society representatives to meet with a wide array of stakeholders, including civil society organizations focusing on areas from foreign affairs to judicial sector reform, Balkans experts, journalists, representatives of Albanian and Serb communities in Romania, prominent MPs and MEPs, foreign diplomats, and business representatives interested in investing in the Balkans. Successful visits conducted by civil society representatives set the scene for Kosovo assembly members, representing all political parties in Kosovo, to visit their counterparts in Bucharest in March 2014.

19 Victor Brauner (1903-1966)

Brauner was a surrealist painter and follower of the Dada art movement.

20 Through this visit, we aspired to strengthen KFOS and GFC organized a debate with multiple channels of interaction across the National School of Political and civil society, media, official institutions, Administrative Studies, bringing together academia, and business. Given the civil society representatives and students traditionally good relations between to discuss on “Building Statehood in Kosovo Romania and countries of the Balkans, the and Stability in the Balkans. What Role dialogue at the civil society level particularly for the EU?” This discussion included high aimed at understanding the subtleties attendance and interest, where the audience behind Bucharest’s views on Kosovo and interacted with Kosovo representatives its approach towards cooperation with the on Kosovo’s non-recognition stance by entire region. The discussion also brought Romania and Kosovo’s European future in to the attention of Romanian audiences the context of Romania’s commitment to the historically good relations between EU accession for the Western Balkans. Romanians and Albanians, which are largely unknown in Romania.

21 The Foreign Policy magazine in Romanian The delegation also held high-level published a supplement on Kosovo, which meetings in different fields, including illustrated Kosovo’s positive evolution with Romania’s political leadership within while charting a possible road ahead for the European integration framework, recognition. This supplement focusing MEPs Norica Nicolai and Adrian Severin, on Kosovo included interviews with the and President of the National Anti- Romanian Legal Expert Laura Mercean who Discrimination Council Csaba Asztalos; worked in Kosovo on the reconstruction of business representatives, including the the judiciary under Bernard Kouchner as President of the National Export Council Special Representative of the UN Secretary Mihai Ionescu; and policy institutions, General, with Serb expert Sonja Licht on including the European Institute of Romania an inclusive and positive perspective for in order to get acquainted with Romania’s the Balkans, with former Italian Foreign EU pre-accession experiences. The Kosovo Minister Franco Frattini, and with current delegation also had the opportunity to Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bidt who attend a closed-door, high-level meeting argued for greater involvement of Romania of the Club of Romania, which is a regular in the Balkans. The publication also discussion format designed to bring outlines the main historical events leading strategic issues to the attention of the to Kosovo’s independence, as well as recent Romanian elite. developments in Kosovo’s relation with Serbia and with the EU.

22 Successful visits conducted by civil society the political and civil society interactions representatives set the scene for Kosovo between the two countries and on the assembly members, representing all strengthening of the judiciary and the rule political parties in Kosovo, to visit their of law. Two additional discussion panels counterparts in Bucharest in March 2014. focused on Romania’s antidiscrimination The main purpose of this delegation and ethnic minority policies and the visit, which was organized through the country’s experience in good governance. Romanian Centre for European Policies Parliamentarian Diplomacy, through the (CRPE), was to strengthen the dialogue visit of a cross-party delegation of Kosovo between Kosovo and Romania between MPs to Romania, demonstrated that political representatives, thereby moving opening potential channels of cooperation forward from grassroots engagement to beyond the civil society layer is successful the political level. Discussion panels were in the absence of diplomatic relations. held, under Chatham House Rules, on

23 Besides successful visits of political and social society representatives trying to strengthen the cooperation, best DJs from Romania visit Kosovo regularly and are now part of line-ups in best Kosovo clubs.

24 Cyprus The Kosovar Centre for Security Studies and the NGO Support Centre in Cyprus organized the visit of Kosovo’s delegation of civil society representatives in March 2014. The NGO Support Centre, based in Cyprus, focuses on implementing projects in the field of active citizenship, peace and reconciliation, development, and human rights education. The majority of the meetings held focused on Cyprus’s EU accession path and its experience in implementing the EU acquis communautaire in the country. The process of EU integration requires an exchange of views and experiences with all EU members, including Cyprus.

25 Kourion was a city in Cyprus from antiquity until early Middle Ages. 26 Unlike in the case of Greece, Romania, and This visit of civil society representatives served Slovakia, opening communication channels of as an opportunity to narrow the knowledge interaction and influence in Cyprus required gap about one another. Within this framework, additional efforts. While in other non- the Kosovo delegation networked with their recognizing countries, civil society visits helped counterparts and identified areas for future prepare the landscape for future political visits cooperation. The visit of the civil society to follow, the purpose of civil-society fuelled delegation demonstrated that it is possible to diplomacy in Cyprus was the very establishment establish functional communication channels of civil society links in the first place. While with a wide array of stakeholders in Cyprus, our public diplomacy aims towards Cyprus has despite initial reluctance of Cypriot authorities been more modest, we set high expectations, to interact with Kosovo representatives due to expecting that sustained interactions between the absence of diplomatic relations. Following civil society representatives would sustainably the visit of the Kosovo delegation in Nicosia, a pave the way for higher-level meetings to Cypriot delegation is expected to visitPrishtina. follow and bilateral relations to strengthen.

27 Upcoming Exchange Visits

Acknowledging the powerful impact of people-to-people diplomacy in non-recognizing countries, exchange visits will expand in the future. We will continue to support the British Council in organizing visits to non- recognizing countries that include a wide array of stakeholders, including civil society representatives focusing on diverse areas, business owners, members of parliament and politicians from all political parties, artists, and journalists. In spring 2015, more visits are planned from Romania,

Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus delegations that include politicians, activists, journalists, etc.

28 The Kosovo Advocacy Fund

29 Encouraging Kosovo citizens to build long-lasting friendships with citizens of countries that have not recognized Kosovo yet

The Kosovo Advocacy Fund has been established by the

MFA, British Embassy, and British Council to support Kosovo’s

community of artists, athletes, and academia with their

grassroots projects whose mission is to bring citizens of non-

recognizing countries and Kosovo together, expecting that these

exchange activities will foster better understanding between our

peoples in the presence of asymmetrical political relations. We

have supported a diverse array of projects that reinforce Kosovo’s

wider recognition agenda.

30 We supported all top cultural festivals that screened hundreds of documentary and short films, brought music bands, dozens of journalists and organized many theatre performances from four continents, as means to enhance interaction between Kosovo and non-recognising countries

31 Documentary film festival participants watching one of the award-winning films screened in the old city of Prizren. 32 The central theme of the 12th DokuFest festival edition that we supported was

“Breaking Borders,” hoping to serve as a catalyst for discussing challenges that

Kosovo citizens, especially the youngsters, face for traveling freely beyond Kosovo

borders. A large number of 231 documentary and short films that came from 53

countries mirrored the central theme. Over 10,000 tickets were sold during the

duration of this weeklong festival.

Through the Kosovo Advocacy Fund, we supported the attendance of a Spanish

journalist from one of the most prestigious Spanish magazines, a Spanish

filmmaker whose film won the DokuFest’s best international short documentary

film, a Spanish festival jury member, and a Slovak radio journalist. We also

supported PlayDoc festival representatives from Spain in order to encourage joint

projects with Kosovar artists, as well as a Punto De Vista Festival representative

with whom DokuFest representatives signed a mutual agreement for catalogue

exchange, and agreed on initiating joint filmmaking projects that would bring

Kosovo and Spain closer.

33 One of the open air cinemas of the DokuFest Festival was erected on the river passing through the centre of Prizren.34 35A DokuFest press conference was held in Prizren’s Ottoman-era Hammam, built in 1563. We supported and endorsed DokuFest’s mission not only because of its internationally acclaimed reputation, but also because of its demonstrated record of attracting unique visitors. In the last festival edition, the festival secured the attendance of numerous guests from countries that have not recognized Kosovo, primarily from Spain and Slovakia, with the expectation that they will serve as promoters of Kosovo’s culture back in their countries. DokuFest’s engagement with non-recognizers includes bringing the prominent Spanish photographer Pep

Bonet with his “One Goal” exhibition to Kosovo. As a cultural promoter of ours,

Pep Bonet brought regional photographers together through a workshop and photo-shoot sessions to create a visual story of Kosovo that would be exhibited regionally and internationally.

36 37 We supported International Students Film and Theatre Festival in bringing top performers as well as media to follow Kosovo’s fledgling contemporary and student art scene.38 The Skena Up is one of Europe’s more unique festivals as it brings film and theatre

produced by students, in one setting. The 10th edition brought 100 short films

and 11 theatre performances to a local and international audience. As one of

the larger student festivals of this type in the Balkans, students also have the

opportunity to attend interdisciplinary workshops pertinent to theatre, film, and

music, such as this year’s “Music for Silent Movies” workshop.

The festival gathered 150 international guests, film and theatre students,

professors, producers, and lecturers. The Skena Up also attracts artists from

countries that have not recognized Kosovo yet, an opportunity for them to present

their work to a wider audience and an opportunity for us to establish bonds of

friendship. Through the Kosovo Advocacy Fund, the attendance of aspiring artists

from non-recognizing countries has been made possible.

39 The SkenaUp Festival attracted an eclectic crowd of film and theatre supporters in one setting.40 We provided over 100 small grants for people-to-people exchanges of Kosovars with countries that are yet to recognize Kosovo - from 28 young table tennis players, to Kosovo skydiving champions.

41 Fatri Jusufi posing with the Kosovo flag after his parachuting jump in Seville, Spain.42 Table Tennis Youth Camp

The Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo organized a week-long training

camp, from 23rd to 30th December 2013, for young table tennis players

throughout which they had the opportunity to get trained and acquire

new techniques by two ethnic-Romanian table tennis coaches Nicolae

and Lorencio Lupulesku. During daily four-hour intensive training

sessions, twenty-eight young tennis players debuted at the Federation’s

“Junior League” pilot project.

43 Skydiving in Spain

We supported a representative of Kosovo’s Skydiving and Wingsuit Flying team to participate in an international event in Seville, Spain.

Fatri Jusufi had the opportunity to promote Kosovo sports and network with other fellow athletes. Due to a large presence of Pan-European skydivers, this event served as an opportunity for Jusufi to delve into future skydiving events in Europe. Jusufi will be participating at a forthcoming international wingsuit flying festival for King’s Day in Texel, The Netherlands, in which he will represent Kosovo along athletes from over fifteen countries.

Through the Kosovo Advocacy Fund, we have also supported the debut of Kosovo’s award-winning film, The Return, at the Sarajevo Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a visit of a Kosovo writers’ association to Slovakia, the organising of Prishtina Architecture Week in Kosovo, as well as the presentation of Kosovo art in Greece, Romania, and South Africa.

44 Supporting evidence-based, open content research on Kosovo’s position in the international landscape

45 Sonja Biserko and Srdjan Dizdarevic, and moderator Agron Bajrami at the “Kosovo Calling” International Conference, deconstructing Serbia’s and Bosnia’s political stance towards Kosovo’s independence.46 The “Kosovo Calling” International Conference: The Launch of Position Papers

47 The focus of the “Kosovo Calling” International Conference was the launch of position papers on Kosovo’s relations with EU and regional non-recognizing countries. Considering Kosovo’s vision to join the European Union, building a solid base of communication with EU’s five non-recognizers, including Bosnia and Serbia as future members, is crucial.

In order to analyse the reasoning behind the political attitudes of each non-recognizing state, leading members of the academia and civil society in each country were commissioned to write tailored position papers. Each paper presents a detailed overview of the countries’ positions prior to and following Kosovo’s declaration of independence, while evaluating the impact of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in their respective policies towards Kosovo. Authors also provide conclusions and recommendations towards furthering bilateral relations.

48 49British Ambassador Ian Cliff delivers his welcoming remarks to participants at the the “Kosovo Calling” international conference. The “Kosovo Calling” International Conference served as a platform for civil society leaders, diplomats, elected representatives, and authors of the position papers to discuss the findings. Conference participants included also diplomats from Europe’s non- recognizing countries, including Chief of Mission Henrik Markus of the Slovak Liaison Office, former Chief of Cabinet Lucia Klapacova of Slovakia’s Deputy Foreign Minister’s Office, and Ambassador Dimitris Moschopoulos of the Greek Liaison Office inPrishtina.

These publically available position papers help Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs understand the obstacles that stand in Kosovo’s way as it seeks to attain closer and constructive relations with each country. Ultimately, understanding the policies of each non- recognizing country in the EU helps Kosovo channel its resources more effectively towards accelerating its EU integration process.

50 51 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Council on Foreign

Relations launched a Visiting Fellows Program for Kosovo’s foreign policy professionals, students, and researchers to conduct research in one of ECFR’s offices in Madrid, London, Warsaw, Sofia, or Paris.

The fellowship was named after the former Finnish President and

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, who is known for his invaluable contribution towards the establishment of a multi- ethnic, democratic Kosovo. The fellowship has been sponsored by

Kosovo’s MFA, British and Norwegian Embassies, and the Kosovo

Foundation for Open Society. Through the Ahtisaari Fellowship,

Kosovo young professionals conducted research and analysis on foreign policy issues relevant to Kosovo, while using this opportunity to network with other researchers who share common interests and experience working in a premier foreign policy think tank.

52 The overall experience as Ahtisaari Fellow has not just simply met my expectations, but it has exceeded them in many ways. The working environment at ECFR has been exceptionally encouraging and professionally rewarding. From policy calls that gave me an insight into day-to-day activities leading up to the delivery of policy briefs and reports, to Black Coffee Morning (BCM) discussions with the world’s leading foreign policy experts — every engagement was instrumental in helping me get a better understanding of not only ECFR’s “ work as a leading think tank, but also of the advocacy, networking and organizational support behind the number of activities shaping each event. I will be forever grateful to everyone at both ECFR London and ECFR Berlin for the opportunity and for the help that I was generously offered during my tenure in both offices, as well as for the lively discussions and great friendships I have made along the way. Importantly, I am beyond thankful to the donors—Kosovo MFA, British Council in Kosovo and Norwegian MFA—for making it all possible. Convinced of its many benefits, I remain hopeful that the Fellowship will continue in the future, giving young researchers in Kosovo the same opportunity I was granted.

Marigona Uka Ahtisaari Fellow in ECFR London and Berlin offices”

In the context of aspiring democracies, sound policy analysis and healthy interaction between relevant stakeholders becomes crucial to setting policy agendas, while guaranteeing a firm and informed policymaking. As Ahtisaari Fellow at ECFR, I had the privilege to analyze the ongoing relationship between actors involved in decision-making processes, both in the domestic level and in the larger European framework. Debates addressed domestic affairs, but were informed by the larger European framework of ideas and aspirations, “ which I found to be the most inspiring work done by ECFR. I was challenged to analyze aspects of Kosovo’s foreign policy within this analytical framework and present it in front of influential policy makers and opinion shapers. It has been a rare and rewarding experience, for which I am grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo, and the British Council in Kosovo for organizing the fellowship and providing essential support. I remain greatly indebted to Olaf Boehnke, Stefan Meister, and Felix Mengel at the ECFR office in Berlin for their indispensable contribution.

Arbër Kuçi Ahtisaari Fellow in ECFR Berlin ”

53 Kosovo’s wide scope of people-to-people diplomacy initiatives—

including civil-society fuelled exchange visits, grassroots projects

launched by artists and athletes, and expert research conducted

on particular foreign policy issues—ensure that Kosovo’s wider

recognition agenda is fortified. MFA’s diversified portfolio of

activities should also help smoothen present barriers that our ” citizens may face when interacting with people in countries that have yet to recognise Kosovo. With the support of our international

and civil society partners, the MFA has demonstrated that through

creative strategies and with limited resources, Kosovo is able to

circumvent bottlenecks inherent to the country’s current position

in the international landscape. Depending on the foreign policy

objectives of a given country, other little countries should be able

to adjust our public diplomacy interventions to their needs in ” order to deliver value to their respective stakeholders.

54 2Digital Diplomacy Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is proactively engaging in advancing Kosovo’s digital diplomacy agenda, focusing on securing Kosovo’s recognition by the global Internet infrastructure. Kosovo, unlike other countries with UN membership, faces particular barriers towards positioning itself in the digital sphere. In order to undertake actions that would circumvent current challenges, we analysed the online landscape and, subsequently, designed a strategy on digital diplomacy for concerted action. This strategy encompasses a comprehensive and diversified portfolio of initiatives that is strengthening Kosovo’s overall online presence and quality multimedia content. Turkish magazine Yeni Diplomasi awarded the Kosovo Strategy for Digital Diplomacy as 4th best in the world after UK, US, and Israel. We are teaming up with civil society and citizens to advance Kosovo’s standing in the digital landscape.

57 58 Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its civil society partners such as IPKO Foundation, STIKK, etc, initially identified gaps regarding Kosovo’s inclusion in the online marketplace and then launched online platforms whose demonstrated impact has also caught the attention of major media outlets, including The New York Times.

DigitalKosovo.org is a digital platform that supports This web portal has been designed and developed Kosovo citizens to lobby for greater Internet inclusion. by IPKO Foundation, with the backing of the Kosovo This online engine provides online advocacy tools— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, British Council, and including well-written, tailored E-mail templates— Norwegian Embassy. Through the Digital Kosovo to every Kosovo supporter in order to persuade platform, we aim for the delivery of hundreds of international websites to include Kosovo in their E-mail messages per month from Kosovo citizens platforms, menus, and options. and supporters to companies and institutions that have not recognized Kosovo yet. With one click, Kosovo citizens and supporters can transform into Digital Diplomats.

59 PARIS — Ever since little Kosovo proclaimed itself an independent state five years ago, it has failed to win all the recognition it so craves. Neither the United Nations, which confers legitimacy, nor all the European Union, whose members are divided on the question, much less Serbia, from which Kosovo broke away, recognize the birth of a new European nation.

But after a campaign waged by an army of devoted Kosovars and strategically placed allies, Kosovo is hailing a grant of legitimacy by a new arbiter of national identity: Facebook.

Last month, Kosovo declared victory, after its officials said Facebook approved a number of changes, including giving users registering from the diamond-shaped area on the Balkan Peninsula the option to identify themselves as citizens of Kosovo, rather than the decidedly less attractive option for many there, Serbia. They can also use the Facebook function that allows users to “check in” on the website from locations within Kosovo, like a cinema or a bar.

It is not as if Kosovo has joined NATO. But in an era when accumulating “likes” may top a seat in the General Assembly, at least for many young opinion leaders online, Kosovo’s leadership is hailing a change on a social media site as a diplomatic coup worthy of Talleyrand.

“Facebook has grown to 1.2 billion users in eight years, faster than the growth of Islam, Christianity and the Internet itself,” said Petrit Selimi, Kosovo’s 34-year-old deputy foreign minister and the leader of the government’s digital diplomacy.

He said that having Kosovo fully included on Facebook had been a priority, along with the still-elusive goals of having Kosovo compete in the Eurovision song contest and in the European Champions League in soccer. “Being recognized on the soccer pitch and online has far greater resonance than some back room in Brussels,” Mr. Selimi said. ...

It rallied citizens to write messages on Twitter and bombard Facebook with thousands of emails. Kosovar ministers said they also lobbied Facebook officials in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, and enlisted Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, whose longstanding support of Kosovo led the country to name a street after him.

Mr. Selimi, the Kosovar deputy foreign minister, said he hoped Facebook’s global reach would bolster Kosovo’s image. The country has a teetering economy and widespread corruption and remains associated with the brutal ethnic wars of the 1990s. The government recently held Instagram boot camps in Pristina to train people how to use social media to upload images of Kosovo such as medieval churches, new highways or its wine country.

“As a prime minister of Kosovo, I found it difficult to accept that I have to declare myself as being from Serbia,” Mr. Thaci said in an interview by telephone and email. “Being listed by Facebook was like being recognized by a global economic superpower. It has enormous impact.”

December, 2013 60 Our recent successes include Kosovo’s recognition as a nation by LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Kosovo’s digital diplomacy efforts, in general, and Facebook’s recognition of Kosovo, in particular, have been recently featured in The New York Times. An article, titled “Kosovo Attains Status (on Facebook) It Has Sought for Years: Nation,” stresses the hard work of Kosovo’s digital diplomats: “after a campaign waged by an army of devoted Kosovars and strategically placed allies, Kosovo is hailing a grant of legitimacy by a new arbiter of national identity: Facebook.”

The Turkish Yeni Diplomasi also recognized Kosovo’s activism and innovative approach to digital diplomacy in a number of categories in its international digital diplomacy annual review in 2013. Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi was chosen as the Digital Diplomacy Team Leader of the Year, sharing this prize with UK’s Foreign Office Digital Transformation Leader Adam Bye. Furthermore, DigitalKosovo.org won the best portal for digital engagement along the US State Department digital diplomacy website, Conx.state.gov. Finally, Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Facebook page was listed as the most successful page in engaging online audiences.

Kosovo’s recognition by social networking websites, online retailers, and other website powerhouses is not only a matter of identity. Through Facebook’s advertising engine, for example, companies are in a better position to target Kosovo’s consumer market. When major international websites include Kosovo in their dropdown menus, the living standards of our citizens also improve. Kosovo citizens should encounter fewer barriers for conducting online shopping, completing online applications to attend international events abroad, using online check-in services when travelling abroad, or engaging with a host of other services that are increasingly found only online. The concerted efforts of Kosovo’s civil society actors and citizens, transformed into digital diplomats, means that each citizen is taking a stake in the digital recognition of Kosovo.

61 RevistaBalcanes.com is a news portal on Balkans affairs targeting Spanish speakers. Kosovo’s MFA is supporting Probalkanes, an NGO based inPrishtina, with the purpose to raise awareness and deliver news from the Balkans from the perspective of those who live, work, and travel to the Balkans, targeting Spanish speakers interested to know more about the current affairs in the Balkans.

KosovoDiaspora.org is a news source on Kosovo for the large Kosovo diaspora scattered all over the world. More than 1/3 of Kosovo’s population lives abroad, serving as social capital for Kosovo’s image abroad. Features of this portal, such as Kosovo Diaspora blog, highlight and celebrate achievements and successes of individuals, groups, and organizations that are related to Kosovo. Considering Kosovo’s diverse population, this online platform is built on the premise that all individuals related to Kosovo contribute to the cultural, linguistic and historical richness of the country.

62 Through #InstaKosovo competition and Wikipedia training camps for young Wiki-editors, we are rallying Kosovo citizens to share their Kosovo with the rest of the world.

63 City of Gjakova as seen in winter. One of the competing images in the national #InstaKosovo competition.64 #InstaKosovo

Recognizing the powerful impact of social media platforms in transmitting information, serving as common sites for people to share anything they find interesting, Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an online photo competition with the goal to encourage Kosovars to post beautiful images depicting Kosovo’s lifestyle, art, and nature. Stamped with the #InstaKosovo hashtag, the competition attracted over eight thousand pictures. Given the diverse set of beautiful images collected about Kosovo’s people, sights, and traditions, selecting the winners was a challenging task for the professional jury. The carefully selected pile of amateur images representing Kosovo’s multiple narrative layers has been presented in a monograph format. The competition’s positive externality was the enrichment of the online landscape with over eight thousand images from and about Kosovo, aggregated under a single, easy-to-remember #InstaKosovo hashtag.

65 Arben Llapashtica Second Independence Anniversary Celebrations: “New Times, New Flags” Prishtina, 17 February 2010 66 Besnik Hasanaj The Kosovo Police Escort of US Vice-President Joe Biden Prishtina, 21 May 2009 67 Shkëlzen Rexha Cultural Harmony: Divine Harmony of Harsh Winter Days Gjakova, 2012 68 Beni Cufi Prishtina City Stadium: “Freeze the Moment” Prishtina 69 Fisnik Dobreci The Road from Brod to Restelica Dragash, 2011 70 Artan Zeneli Hotel Gracanica Gracanica 71 Sara Rodiqi Camping at Ngom Fest Prizren Prizren 72 Orgesa Arifi A sister SHKA Prizren 73 Majlinda Hoxha TClosing Night of DokuFest 2014 Prizren

74 Launching offline initiatives with online results is one way to combine new data on Kosovo’s political and economic progress with the online tools of communication.

75 Participants in Wikipedia Academy, implemented by IPKO. Foundation.76 AppCamp

In conjunction with the Ipko Foundation, Royal

Norwegian Embassy, British Council, and Innovation

Centre Kosovo, we organized The App Camp Kosovo

Competition, bringing together young innovators

and application developers to build Apple and

Android compatible applications on Kosovo’s cultural

heritage, tourism and economy, and Kosovo-related

entertainment games.

77 16 teams of 120 individuals that entered the race generated, prototyped, and presented over 20 fresh mobile application concepts that can promote Kosovo.

The winning mobile application of the grand prize—The Highland Lute—was also voted as the second best app in a global competition organized by the Global Challenge. The Highland Lute, based on Gjergj Fishta’s Albanian epic poem “Lahuta e Malcís,” is an adventure game that features mythological characters and scenery from Kosovo. Game players are able to pass through higher levels only if they have demonstrated sufficient knowledge about Kosovo’s culture and traditions acquired in previous levels.

78 AppCamp Kosovo was one of the biggest challenges that I have faced after starting to learn about mobile application development. Together with my team we participated in this competition with an Android Mobile App called ‘Pristina Street Style.’ The idea was to create an app that would aggregate the latest fashion design trends inPrishtina, which is a great way to illustrate the lifestyle of Europe’s youngest capital to both domestic users and international fashion “ enthusiasts. Through our hard work we managed to win the ‘Best App’ prize.

Blerta Thaci App Camp Participant”

My team and I built an android application that would serve as a ‘Guide forPrishtina.’ Although I study computer science, application design was an unknown field to my team. Yet, we were excited about this challenge, especially considering that we had one week to conceptualize our app idea and learn how to build it. We encountered difficulties in the beginning, but the available mentors and IPKO Foundation staff helped us overcome any challenges ahead of us. It was a great feeling to complete a functioning “app within 48 hectic hours. Even though my team did not win, we acquired a skillset that we can use for building other apps in the future. Moreover, we also had the opportunity to participate in discussions and attend lectures of international speakers who shared their experiences with us. This kind of experience in not something you learn in schools or universities.

Alban Asllani App Camp Participant ”

79 ”

”

80 Wiki Academy

While our offline efforts advance Kosovo’s digital diplomacy agenda and demonstrate that we are a digitally switched-on state, both the App Camp Kosovo and Wiki Academy competitions have equipped Kosovo’s youngsters with necessary digital skills instructive to their own individual success in school or workplace. Through these civic-driven campaigns, we can utilize better the potential of Kosovo’s young citizens, while enriching Kosovo’s online information basin.

We also supported The Wiki Academy, which is a series of boot camp sessions to train young Kosovars to edit and write fresh Wikipedia content on Kosovo. Wikipedia is considered one of the most visited sites on the Internet and one of the primary sources of information for anyone interested in an unknown subject. By improving the quality and quantity of online content, the aim of the Wiki Academy has been to create a better image of Kosovo globally, as well as to increase the information base on Kosovo for global Internet users.

81 Over 200 young activists posted 57 new Wikipedia articles and published over 1,400 new images

Kosovo’s Wiki Academy brought together active online citizens and content experts from across Kosovo, helping them develop into skilled editors able to write high quality articles and source high quality photos on Kosovo in a diverse array of categories. Through our group of over 200 young activists, we succeeded in posting 57 new Wikipedia articles related to Kosovo, focusing on Kosovo’s culture, history, government and justice system, as well as published over 1,400 new images from different parts of Europe’s newest country. Winners of this competition included an article on Kosovo’s information technology, classical music, and archaeology.

82 Attending Wiki Academy Kosovo has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life so far, because I met a lot of interesting people and contributed towards an important cause: improving Kosovo’s online presence by enriching Wikipedia with objective content on Kosovo. Our goal was, for the first time, to present Kosovo online for what it really was. From the beginning, I was interested in writing about Kosovo’s archaeology in order to raise awareness about our wealth of cultural history. Kosovo, even though small, “ is geographically located in the crossroads between the great empires of Europe and Asia and, as a result, it is an archaeological gem. The presence and preponderance of sites and artifacts made the writing challenging, yet rewarding. From the first day I attended the Wiki Academy, it felt as if I was attending a congress of minds, all passionate of a certain subject, all present to give their best to write about Kosovo.

Atdhe Prelvukaj Wiki Academy Participant”

Being a member of the team writing content on ‘Monuments of Kosovo’ has been a formative experience. We started conducting research by identifying and reading articles and books found both in Kosovo’s libraries and online, and interviewed many people. Subsequently, we wrote together an outline of the article and separated the workload in four parts. While working as a team, we learned a lot from our mentors who came from all over the world and whose guidance was instrumental during the writing process. We were “ very excited that our work was going to be published online and that people interested in Kosovo had a larger information base. Our article was selected as one of the best articles, making our team effort mirror the following quote: ‘Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.

Narona Ahmeti Wiki Academy Participant ”

83 ”

”

Selected Wiki Academy participants listening attentively to one of the sessions about the nature and importance of Wikipedia in the online world.84 on Kosovo Digital Diplomacy

Progressive Nation Building in the Age of Digital Diplomacy

Digital Diplomacy is not just about public on critical policy issues, benefiting “communications” and broadcasting both diplomats and citizens alike. In a messages. It is about countries and non- digital world the size of your country state actors using digital platforms to matters less than the impact of your achieve strategic policy goals by building digital engagement. This panel will relationships and creating communities. explore what’s working, what’s not, and lessons learned. With the creation of these communities, governments are directly engaging the

85 Panel discussion Moderator: featuring:

Gokhan Yucel James Barbour Co-founder & President of YeniDiplomasi.com Minister Counselor, Press and Public Diplomacy at the European Union Jimmy Leach Delegation in Washington Digital Consultant and Senior Associate at Portland Communications, formerly Head of Digital Diplomacy at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Joakim Edvardsson Reimar Head of Digital Diplomacy for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Petrit Selimi Deputy Foreign Minister, Government of Kosovo

86 on Kosovo Digital Diplomacy

Pushing the Boundaries of Digital Diplomacy in Kosovo By Jeffrey Marlow

GOOGLE “KOSOVO”, AND Petrit Selimi “Things on Google were all bad,” Selimi knows exactly what you’re going to see: notes, “but Kosovo has moved way dry, diplo-speak scouting reports at best, beyond this in terms of nation building.” and depressing references to past conflicts Two glaring issues of the country’s at worst. It’s not exactly the promotional internet presence were the nature of the buzz a fledgling country with sights set content and a general lack of material on global integration would hope for*. To with which to counter decade-old news Selimi, Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Secretary pieces. To start the digital offensive, and a pioneer in Digital Diplomacy, this is a Selimi initiated “Wikipedia camps”, at major problem. which teenagers would learn the basics of researching and writing articles while

87 creating novel contributions about Kosovar Kosovo’s borders on stock maps of the arts, culture, or sports – subjects slightly Balkans. They persuaded Facebook, more removed from the third rail of politics Twitter, and LinkedIn – after persistent and recent history. The camps served a phone calls and online petitions – to dual purpose for Kosovo’s government, recognize Kosovo as an independent bolstering favorable content and seeding country. Spain may not have diplomatic a crop of web-savvy young programmers. relations with Pristina, but you can “check Camp graduates have gone on to develop in” from Kosovo on Facebook. If billions apps centered around street fashion, of web-users view Kosovo as a dynamic, tourism guides, and language translation. independent country, the thinking goes, then their governments may follow suit. While newly competent Wikipedia authors It’s a “hearts and minds” approach, were bolstering Kosovo’s reputation from a charm offensive well executed by the ground-up, Selimi and his team worked the former PR maven who famously with multinational social media and news convinced a mobile phone company to outlets. They convinced the Weather sponsor a 50 Cent concert in the national Channel and Washington Times to include football stadium.

88 Selimi’s digital ambitions are limited only One glaring question remains: have by the country’s manpower, and he’s willing these Digital Diplomacy victories led to take a different tack when it comes to to any real change in more official thwarting unfavorable impressions ossified diplomatic circles? The answer is muddy, from years of click-based heritage. He is difficult to measure, and – perhaps most intimately familiar with search engines’ interestingly – increasingly irrelevant. formulae, and while he doesn’t go into “The lines between classical diplomacy specifics, there are ways to get around and the ‘new diplomacy’ will blur the system. “Yes, those are the dark arts,” to an extent that you cannot really he says conspiratorially, with a sly grin. distinguish,” Selimi contends. “It’s as “Generally those algorithms are populist, much about digital dissemination as it based on what was clicked before, but is about classical means.” He recalls the that’s not what’s really here, things are viral #Kony2012 and #bringbackourgirls changing so fast in Kosovo. There are some Twitterverse calls to action, hashtag things that we try to do…” diplomacy that has shaped governmental responses if not sustained lasting consciousness of the underlying issues.

89 “Nowadays, diplomacy is about nation here, will always work to improve. This is branding,” says Selimi, “and we can’t just a tiny little country that’s trying to allow others to depict us.” He is find a place under the global sun.” particularly sensitive about the external impression of Kosovo as a hotbed of *Perhaps the third category of Kosovo Muslim fundamentalists; the population search engine hits tackles the question is 95% Muslim, yet churches are scattered of sovereignty. As of writing, 108 nations across the country, and “we are a bigger (including the US and most of the EU) supporter of U.S. foreign policy than U.S. recognize Kosovo as an independent citizens are,” he exclaims. nation, while many globally relevant players do not. As Selimi ponders his next move – a Eurovision entrant, a country code web address suffix – he clearly relishes the underdog role, the David vs. Goliath dynamic that largely defines the Kosovar identity. “People will always try something

90 on Kosovo Digital Diplomacy

Facebook recognises Kosovo as a region By BBC Trending

Kosovo has had the ultimate status update citizens of Serbia. The tiny territory has on Facebook - it has been recognised as not been recognised by around half of a distinct region by the social network, the the world’s nations, including veto- after a sustained campaign by thousands wielding UN Security Council member of volunteer “digital diplomats”. Russia.

Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, Petrit Selimi, a deputy minister in and has since been recognised by some Kosovo’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, says European countries and the US. But until he is “ecstatic” over Facebook’s move. It the recent change, an estimated 200,000 represents the culmination of “a major Kosovan Facebook users had to register as part of the diplomatic efforts of a young

91 republic”, he says. Selimi, a prolific Tweeter content and third-party sources,” a who regularly has heated discussions company spokesman tells the BBC. with other users, put the recognition down to their successful “National But does it matter? Facebook’s stamp of Digital Diplomacy Strategy”, under which approval counts because, says Selimi, thousands of volunteer “digital diplomats” Facebook, has grown to 1.2bn active (Kosovo has 75% internet penetration) users in eight years, and is “growing repeatedly appeal to Facebook and other faster than Christianity or Islam.” And web companies to list Kosovo. Facebook recognition can bolster local businesses in a market in which social While confirming the move, Facebook has media is increasingly important. talked down its political ramifications - saying it was the result of response to UGC Online platform “recognition” is rather than a company policy decision. becoming an increasingly live issue for “Locations that are suggested for check-ins territories with disputed sovereignty. and ad targeting are based on information Google incurred the wrath of Israel’s we have received from user-generated Foreign Ministry for changing the

92 tagline for the Palestinian edition from “Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine.” Selimi acknowledges the Facebook move over Kosovo was not political, nor linked to wider efforts to achieve UN membership. He says that to many ordinary people, having your state listed on Facebook, being recognised by the Eurovision song contest, or having a team in the Champions League are just as important markers of identity as having a traditional passport document.

Reporting by Michael Hirst

93 94 on Kosovo Digital Diplomacy

Kosovo can’t get recognition from the UN, but it can get it from Facebook By Nate Tabak

Kosovo’s capital still doesn’t have running Kosovo’s capital, last year. It brews water 24 hours a day, but you can get a American-style ales, including a delicious great beer thanks to the Sabaja Craft IPA. “It’s the only beer of its kind in Brewery. Kosovo,” according to Alex Butler, a New Yorker who owns the brewery with his The microbrewery opened up in Pristina, partner, Etida Zeka.

95 Selling beer in Kosovo isn’t easy: The says. country ranks near the bottom of Europe in Kosovo finds itself in a tricky position. terms of economics and per-capita alcohol While its statehood has legitimacy, consumption. But Sabaja is managing to with the backing of the US and most make it work. industrialized nations, Kosovo is not a member of the UN. That isn’t likely to The brewery leans heavily on Facebook change anytime soon, because Russia to promote itself, which got a lot easier doesn’t recognize the country’s 2008 in 2013 when the social networking giant declaration of independence from effectively recognized Kosovo as a country. Moscow’s ally, Serbia. The decision allowed users to set Kosovo So Kosovo is turning to digital diplomacy as the place where they live. Before that, instead, led by Petrit Selimi. He’s Kosovo’s they had to settle for different options, like deputy minister of foreign affairs and the Albania and Serbia. author of a forthcoming book on digital diplomacy, “This is how we do soft power.” “Now when we [promote] a post we can actually select Kosovo as a market,” Zeka “National identities these days, they’re

96 not so much based on memberships to was Kosovo’s biggest diplomatic success these old world organizations like the UN to date. and Council of Europe,” he argues, “Those still matter, no dispute about that. But if you And while Selimi may be the pioneering don’t have a team in Champions League in force behind the government’s digital football; if your country is not on Facebook; diplomacy, ordinary Kosovars have if you don’t have a song in the Eurovision been lobbying for digital recognition of song contest, then are you a real country?” their country for years, especially for its When Selimi, who’s now 35, was appointed inclusion on dropdown menus and digital in 2011, the government was doing next maps. (Ironically, when we were writing to nothing on digital diplomacy. The prime this story for PRI.org, our own tags system minister, Hashim Thaci, didn’t even have a didn’t have Kosovo as an option.) Facebook account. “I knew from day one we could count on armies of digital diplomats,” Selimi But for Selimi, being on Facebook is an recalls. important part of Kosovo’s ability to define itself as a country. The site’s recognition Those efforts, however, were scattered.

97 That changed with the arrival of Digital These kinds of stories, Selimi complains, Kosovo, a website supported by Selimi’s overshadow the good ones. He’s ministry and the Norwegian and British persuaded prominent government governments. On Digital Kosovo, you can leaders to start taking Twitter seriously, send ready-made petitions to websites, and his own feed is especially active — which to date have netted 76 recognitions, and known for sometimes getting into including big names like Apple and Google. heated debates.

Beyond getting recognized in the digital “We have to make sure that the bad news world, Selimi has pushed hard to raise out there, which isn’t true, is addressed, Kosovo’s image. The country gets a lot of is immediately reacted upon,” Selimi negative press with stories about ethnic says. “One of the important ways to do tensions and corruption, and a 2010 report that is for us to be part of the debate.” from the Council of Europe even linked Prime Minister Thaci to organ trafficking, Wikipedia, too, serves as an important — an accusation Thaci has denied. digital battleground for Kosovo. The entry on Kosovo itself has been subject to

98 countless back-and-forth edits, particularly This is not the same thing,” Nimani says. on the issue of statehood. “People need more in the physical world.” “We constantly add things to that article, and Serbian users constantly try to edit For example, he says, a number of online that article. It’s back and forth. It’s a like a retailers now allow Kosovo to be selected digital clash from users from other sides,” as a shipping option. But that can be says Celik Nimani, a blogger and the CEO meaningless in practice because parcels of a Kosovo tech company, Appsix Mobile. and mail addressed to Kosovo often end up in Serbia, and Serbia doesn’t forward Nimani says while Selimi and the Foreign them. Ministry deserve credit for elevating Kosovo’s digital stature, he thinks the Selimi acknowledges that digital government has leaned too heavily on diplomacy has its limitations. Even the digital diplomacy, and not enough on the Facebook recognition was partly the traditional kind. result of traditional diplomacy, including phone calls from members of the US “You cannot measure the recognition from Congress. Germany, from the recognition of Facebook.

99 “We have to give space for traditional diplomacy — which actually means meeting some people, having some results, having some chats — before we amplify the message or amplify the effects of traditional diplomacy using digital means,” Selimi says.

Update: A previous version of this story One of the next things on Selimi’s list is didn’t include a tag for Petrit Selimi getting Kosovo a top-level web domain — because our tagging system didn’t those two-letter country codes, like .uk recognize his name. And that illustrates or .ca. But ICANN, the organization that the challenges that Kosovo and Kosovars assigns the codes, ultimately takes its have in getting digital recognition. Even cues from a list maintained by the UN. So our CMS didn’t recognize Kosovo as a for Selimi, this very digital problem will country. require a very traditional diplomatic push.

100 101A Wiki Academy participant receiving advise from one of the project mentors. The Way Forward

We continuously strive to address structural challenges ahead in the digital sphere, including the inclusion of Kosovo in the country list of UN Statistics Division, attaining an ISO code for Kosovo, and securing a top-level domain via ICANN. We will intensify our work towards accurately portraying Kosovo’s narrative to maintain the support of our allies and partners, to positively influence the attitudes of non-recognizing countries, and to increase Kosovo’s overall presence in the online sphere. 76% of Kosovo households have broadband Internet connection, which is an asset that must be further utilized.

102 Ambassador Adam Ereli Former Leader of US Public Diplomacy at State Department

103 Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry is “on the cutting-edge of public diplomacy.

As this ground-breaking publication details, its digitally- savvy diplomats have successfully married social media and communications with people-to-people exchanges and thought leadership to strengthen alliances and demonstrate that emerging democracies can provide the political and social space for diversity of thought, belief and expression.

As a former leader of America’s public diplomacy apparatus, I commend the authors for their innovative and far-sighted use of soft power to advance our common interests.

Petrit Selimi, Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of the country’s public diplomacy program, represents one of Europe’s brightest young public diplomacy pioneers. As a keen observer of history and a child of the digital age, Mr. Selimi understands the ineffable yet ineluctable link between communication, public attitudes and policymaking. As his nation’s Deputy Foreign Minister, he leveraged social media, academia, the arts and international thought leaders to establish Kosovo as an exemplar of tolerance and openness. Thanks in large part to Mr. Selimi’s vision, support for people-to-people exchanges and skillful use of information technology, Kosovo has become a leader in demonstrating that emerging democracies can provide their citizens the political and social space for diversity of thought, belief and expression. ” 104 Ambassador Ian Cliff British Ambassador to Kosovo

Ambassador Adam Ereli Former Leader of US Public Diplomacy

105 Diplomacy is increasingly “ operating in a changed world.

It is a world where, as Foreign Secretary William Hague has underlined, relations between states are no longer monopolised by Foreign Secretaries or Prime Ministers. There is now a mass of connections between individuals, civil society, businesses, pressure groups and charitable organisations which also form part of the relations between nations, and which are being rapidly accelerated by the internet. ”

106 As one of the world’s newest countries, Kosovo has a pressing need to make its foreign policy identity known. Public diplomacy is a tool to communicate with the public in other countries and explain the country’s thinking to them. As such, it is a key way of projecting a more positive and confident image of Kosovo as a vibrant, democratic, multi-ethnic state.

Given our strong support for Kosovo’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, the British Government was particularly keen to help Kosovo establish or enhance its communication channels with European Union (EU) Member States which have not yet recognised Kosovo’s independence. Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain have all affirmed the European Perspective of the Western Balkans through the Thessaloniki principles in 2003, but because of their individual positions on Kosovo and in some cases, a lack of representation in-country, it was challenging for Kosovo to reach out. So my Embassy formulated a joint project with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the British Council entitled “Kosovo Talks EU” to look at boosting contacts between people, civil society and institutions.

107 I believe that this project has had a positive and transformative effect on these relationships. One example of engagement we have been able to support is the successful ‘Gërmia Hill’ conference series, which brought together over 100 top foreign and security experts from around the world. It was interesting to hear the reflections of the group of Slovak MPs the project brought to Kosovo for the first time in October 2013. And I was encouraged to hear about the Memorandum of Understanding that the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce has signed with its Greek counterpart on a recent trip funded by the project.

The British Embassy was also pleased to support the secondment of a UK diplomat to assist the Ministry draft its first digital diplomacy strategy. This has helped Kosovo be at the forefront of digital engagement, an area which is constantly evolving and transforming how foreign policy is carried out. We have also given our support to the groundbreaking work of Interfaith Kosovo.

This publication provides a valuable overview of Kosovo’s innovative public diplomacy activities over the last few years. The UK looks forward to continuing our excellent cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many more.

108 Dren Maliqi ”HOPE” Acrylic on canvas 70x120cm

From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project Mehmet Behluli ”La Vie est Belle” (1996-2012) Mixed media Dimensions variable

From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project 3 Regional Cooperation Closer regional cooperation is a prerequisite for countries that aspire to join the European Union. Fostering closer relations between countries in the Balkans and Southeast Europe at-large means intensifying trade, encouraging free movement of people and ideas, and collaborating towards the overall pursuit of common objectives. Regional cooperation in areas of mutual interest lies in the program of many government streams, including MFA’s public diplomacy portfolio.

113 ND “Chapter Closed E E O C F in the Balkans” N S

E U

D KOSOVO P Conference E

N 10-11 September 2012 R

E 2012

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P In order to mark the end of Kosovo’s supervised

I E

S

E

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D independence, corresponding with the formal I N closing of the International Civilian Office, an international conference was organized on September 11, 2012. The conference celebrated the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CHAPTER ON THE END OF SUPERVISED INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO successful implementation of the Comprehensive CLOSED IN AND THE FUTURE VISION FOR BALKANS THE BALKANS Status Proposal negotiated by Nobel Laureate 10 — 11 SEPTEMBER 2012 PRISHTINA, KOSOVO President Martti Ahtisaari to ensure that the independent and sovereign state of Kosovo is democratic and multi-ethnic in its core. The conference offered an opportunity to take stock of lessons learnt from the international involvement in helping the Government of Kosovo to implement Ahtisaari’s proposal, while mapping out visions for the future of the Balkans in the decade ahead.

114 Former Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaci and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari during the celebrations of the end 115of supervised independence. The former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari was also present at the conference. Other prominent speakers and participants in the conference included President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, EU Office in Kosovo Head Samuel Zbogar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana Muhammad Mumuni, Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Phil Reeker, journalist Tim Judah of The Economist, professor Daniel Serwer of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Dimitar Bechev of the European Council on Foreign Relations. This landmark international event was organized in conjunction with the International Civilian Office and our civil society partner, the Balkan Institute.

The conference highlighted Kosovo’s transformational progress in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, rights of communities and their members, and rights of refugees and internally displaced persons. As foreseen by the Comprehensive Status Proposal, Kosovo’s achievements were also highlighted in the field of local self-government and decentralization reform, preservation of religious and cultural heritage, enhancement of the judicial system and procedures for appointing judges and prosecutors, and the new country’s guarantees for ensuring free and fair elections.

116 Distinguished friends and supporters were present in Kosovo as the new country marked a historic milestone on the occasion of 117the closing of the International Civilian Office on September 10, 2012. 118 A Future Security Architecture for Southeast Europe: Framing the Issues 20 June 2012

The prestigious Aspen Institute Berlin, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized a high-level, two-day conference in June 2012 on the security architecture of Southeast Europe. President Jahjaga of Kosovo who had previously served as deputy-director of Kosovo’s national police and held the highest police rank, Major General, among women in Southeast Europe opened the conference.

119 The first panel of the conference explored whether ethnicity and identity remained factors of insecurity. This session developed ideas on how a more regional approach emerging from within can put an end to ethnic and identity based thinking, while exploring the roles of external actors. The second session focused on the role of non- traditional security threats, discussing energy security, organized crime, and international terrorism, as well as assessing their impact on the future security architecture for Southeast Europe. The third session unpacked the practical side of the regional security debate, focusing on the security priorities and policies of regional and external actors. The final session served as an opportunity to discuss short-, mid-, and long- term scenarios for regional security, while exploring joint approaches to regional security.

In addition to the conference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also cooperated with the Aspen Institute on the publication of a book on regional security. A Future Security Architecture for Southeast Europe includes conference papers and proceedings of Aspen Germany’s two- year project on the security architecture of Southeast Europe. Along Kosovo’s MFA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania and Montenegro, respectively, also supported the book. The German Federal Foreign Office, through the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, sponsored the Aspen Southeast Europe Program 2012-2013.

120 Rüdiger Lentz Executive Director Aspen Institute Germany

121 We have enjoyed working with Kosovo’s

Foreign Ministry in our program for the “Western Balkans. The Aspen Institute Germany encourages all Western Balkan

Foreign Services to continue working with

leading European think-tanks and NGOs

to ensure that their voice is heard in

the Euro-Atlantic security and economic debate. ”

122 Chevening Regional Leadership Conference 22 March 2013

Recognizing the leadership potential of Foreign Commonwealth Office Chevening Scholars to drive forward democratic process in the Balkans, Kosovo’s MFA joined the British Embassy and British Council to organize a regional conference in Prishtina for the Chevening scholars of Slovakia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. The conference focused on enhancing the European perspective of the region, by identifying best practices and exploring the network’s potential to foster further cooperation. The conference also served as an opportunity to develop an action plan for structured cooperation among Chevening scholars of the region.

123 Discussing success stories in the region: Adrian Baboi-Stroe and Suzana Dobre from Romania, Stefan Vukotić from Montenegro, and Jehona Gjurgjeala from Kosovo.124 “Empowering the Balkans” Conference 25 March 2012

Kosovo’s MFA collaborated with British Council’s Transatlantic Network 2020—a sustainable network of young leaders from Europe and North America tasked with developing new ideas and creative approaches to shared challenges—to organize a three-day summit in Prishtina in 2011. Young people from the Balkans were brought together to discuss critical issues in four areas: policymaking, business, civil society, and media. Through a series of interactive workshops and presentations, this diverse and talented pool of participants had the opportunity to network with one another and leverage their combined skills, passions, and expertise to develop creative approaches to shared challenges in their home countries in the Balkans and beyond.

125 The Economist correspondent Tim Judah opening the regional conference “Empowering the Balkans”.126 A conference participant posits a question during the proceedings of a regional conference organized by the 127European Forum Alpbach and Kosovo’s MFA. “Shaping the Future of Southeast European Countries” Regional Conference April 2012

The Initiative Group Alpbach Kosovo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the European Forum Alpbach, co-organized a conference in Prizren. This regional conference addressed specific issues to the Southeast European region, including assessing the impact of regional policies in the country-level, unpacking some of the lessons learned from SEE countries that have already joined the EU, which are valuable lessons for countries that are in the process of joining the European family of nations, and discussing future challenges and development scenarios for South East Europe. During this regional conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi shared the perspective of Kosovo’s institutions on regional cooperation to a young audience from countries of the region, as well as to members of government and civil society. Regional conferences are an integral part of the European Forum Alpbach (EFA), promoting European values and encouraging exchange of experiences between conference participants.

128 Building Kosovo’s human capacities for better engagement with regional cooperation initiatives:

“Enhancing Kosovo’s Regional Representation and Participation” Project

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, British Embassy, and British Council supported the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) through a project that aimed at enhancing Kosovo’s representation and participation in regional initiatives, while promoting good relations with neighbouring states by developing the human capacity within the civil service and the media industry.

KCSF published a Kosovo-tailored manual on regional cooperation in South East Europe. The practical guide outlines the rules and procedures of 20 regional cooperation initiatives. The toolkit depicts a priority list of 10 regional bodies where Kosovo government aims representation or is already a member, and 10 other regional initiatives selected upon the five priority areas of the Regional Cooperation Council with the purpose to foster greater cooperation among South East European states.

129 Through this project, KCSF was also commissioned to prepare a needs assessment report for training needs (TNA) of civil servants and media representatives so that subsequent workshops for civil servants and journalists are tailored to these two groups and, subsequently, generate greater impact. Two sets of questionnaires for training needs assessment were prepared, and interviews with senior civil servants and editors-in-chief of media outlets were conducted. Civil service respondents stemmed from departments focusing on regional cooperation, whereas journalists selected report on regional cooperation initiatives.

KCSF, subsequently, organized three workshops. The first workshop for both civil servants and media representatives outlined regional cooperation structures and explored avenues for Kosovo’s participation. Furthermore, the second workshop, which gathered 30 civil servants across the central government, focused on regional experiences in the field of inter-institutional cooperation. The RCC national coordinators of Macedonia, Croatia, and Albania were invited to share their best practices and their experiences regarding inter- institutional coordination between countries of the region. The topic was chosen based on TNA findings that stressed for greater inter-institutional coordination for enhanced presence in regional organizations and initiatives.

Finally, the third workshop, which gathered 20 media beneficiaries, focused on the experiences of media in reporting on regional cooperation. TNA findings revealed that regional cooperation matters are not covered enough due to their technical nature, as well as lack of finances, knowledge, and regional languages. KCSF invited Brussels correspondent of the Koha Ditore and Jutarnji List, along with the RCC spokesperson and senior political adviser, and two editors-in-chief of main Kosovar daily newspapers, to share their best practices and challenges they encountered while reporting on regional cooperation issues. The tailored workshops expanded the knowledge basin of civil servants and journalists on the complex web of regional initiatives and stakeholders, while advancing their core negotiation and communication skills when engaging with matters pertinent to regional cooperation initiatives.

130 Kosovo – Montenegro Friendship Forum, “Radovan Zogovic” 3-4 June 2013

Kosovo’s government, along with Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministries of Culture of Kosovo and Montenegro, the British Council and the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society supported the Association of Montenegrins of Kosovo to launch a friendship forum with Montenegro, marking the excellent neighbourly relations between the two countries. The forum has been named after Montenegrin-born poet Radovan Zogovic who lived in Kosovo and wrote on Serbian army atrocities towards the Albanian population in the region. As both Montenegro and Kosovo are firmly committed to joining the European Union, this multi- stakeholder, annual platform will serve as an opportunity for both countries to exchange views on issues of mutual interest. During the inaugural session, topics discussed included cross-border cooperation, economic cooperation, city-to-city cooperation, minority integration, and culture.

131 Minister of Culture Memli Krasniqi speaking about the importance of enhancing Kosovo-Montenegro relations through cultural projects.132 Regional Seminar: Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans September 2011

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the Research Institute of Development and European Affairs (RIDEA) in organizing a regional seminar that focused on the political, economic, and security aspect of regional cooperation. RIDEA is an independent think-tank that is devoted to promote and improve the quality of the debate and analysis on development and European affairs in Kosovo and the wider Balkans. During this event, Deputy Minister Selimi spoke about Kosovo’s successes and challenges ahead in regional cooperation initiatives and advancement of bilateral relations with countries in the Balkans.

133 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the Research Institute of Development and European Affairs (RIDEA) in organizing a regional seminar that focused on the political, economic, and security aspect of regional cooperation. RIDEA is an independent think- tank that is devoted to promote and improve the quality of debate and analysis on development and European affairs in Kosovo and the wider Balkans. During this event, Deputy Minister Selimi spoke about Kosovo’s successes and challenges ahead in regional cooperation initiatives and regarding the advancement of bilateral relations with Kosovo’s neighbours and other countries in the Balkans.

Subscribing to the assertion that a stronger Kosovo also means a stronger Balkans, RIDEA, in cooperation with Oxford’s Centre for International Studies, organised a regional seminar on “Consolidating Kosovo Statehood.” The purpose of this event was to convene key stakeholders from across academia, government, and civil society in order to produce viable conclusions that can address Kosovo’s emerging matters ahead from the process of recognition, accession to regional and international organisations, and the integration of non-majority communities throughout Kosovo.

134 International Conference on Public Diplomacy in service of cross-border cooperation September 2013

This international conference in 2013, which focused on public

diplomacy as a tool of cross-border cooperation and communication

with global audiences, gathered some of the top thinkers in the field

of public diplomacy and communication. The conference served as

an opportunity to map out effective methods that can be utilized to

ensure that Kosovo and the entire Balkans region project positive

developments into more positive reporting from the Balkans in

Western media and societies.

135 Former Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Former Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj speaking about the role of public diplomacy in enhancing Kosovo’s foreign policy.136 Conference participants also included the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 137Public Diplomacy, US Ambassador Adam Ereli, and other senior diplomats. The conference particularly focused on improving cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, identifying concrete public diplomacy projects that would help accelerate the trickle down process of results coming out of Kosovo-

Serbia dialogue. Overall, the discussion was divided in two parts: the role of public diplomacy in promoting foreign policy objectives, on the one hand, and the identification of cases studies of public diplomacy that advance cross- border cooperation, on the other. Conference participants included US Ambassador Adam Ereli who is the Principal

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department for

Public Diplomacy, Adam Bye who is the UK Foreign Office’s

Digital Transformational Leader, and Tim Judah who is the

Chief Balkans Correspondent for The Economist.

138 Nathan Coley, Contemporary artist and Turner Prize Nominee

139 “I was impressed by the efforts of Kosovo’s

foreign service and their public diplomacy, “combining references to contemporary art and culture with the narration of nation-

building. I can say that with a bit more

support, Kosovo can truly change the

image it has abroad as a former war-

torn society into a place of cutting-edge cultural initiatives” ”

140 From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project Nathan Coley Contemporary artist and Turner Prize Nominee 4Global Issues Kosovo has undergone an extraordinary political and economic transformation, from a country in war to a young, liberal democracy that is working very hard to join the European Union. Kosovo’s policymakers, with the support of the international community, have strengthened Kosovo by ensuring that its statehood is founded upon internationally acceptable norms, while tailoring best practices on democratic governance to foster a civic-based, inclusive, multiethnic society.

Our demonstrated endorsement of transformational rather than incremental solutions places Kosovo in a leading position in the Balkans to discuss governance and foreign policy affairs. Given the dramatic events in the Middle East and the shift of the focus of international attention to common international challenges, the Western Balkans has been sidelined from the spotlight of international politics. Within this landscape, by sharing a wealth of accumulated experience with other regions of the world, Kosovo 4 has the potential to become a vital contributor beyond the Balkans. The Gërmia Hill Forum

145 In order to place Kosovo at the forefront of foreign policy making, Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the European Council on Foreign Relations, launched the Gërmia Hill Forum. The Gërmia Hill Forum aims at maintaining international awareness of the various regional issues, while providing a rare opportunity for the Western Balkans to engage with the rest of the world and look beyond its regional problems. Kosovo’s premier foreign policy forum helps place the Western Balkans closer to the mainstream of foreign policy debates.

146 2011 / First day

147 President Jahjaga of Kosovo during the inaugural meeting of Kosovo’s premier foreign policy forum, along with Prime Minister Thaci, Foreign Minister Hoxhaj, then-Foreign Minister of Slovenia Zbogar, Foreign Minister of Albania Haxhinasto, former Hungarian Prime Minister Bajnai, former Finnish Foreign Minister Par Stenback, and ECFR’s Dimitar Bechev.148 South East Europe in a Multipolar Era

The inaugural international conference in 2011 was the first, large-scale event of its kind in Kosovo since the country declared its independence in 2008, in which a majority of countries of the European Union were represented. The forum was also successful in bringing together for the first time in Kosovo foreign policy thought leaders from Georgia, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

In the course of this two-day event, the debate focused on how EU’s internal crisis is affecting its foreign policy in general and towards South East Europe, in particular. Over a hundred distinguished participants joined a range of panel discussions on the challenges that EU foreign policy faces in a multipolar setting and on the prospects for European security and EU’s cooperation with NATO.

149 Prime Minister Thaci and Foreign Minister Hoxhaj meeting with Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Zbogar and Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Mladenov.150 Diplomacy today is very innovative in finding new ways “ how to fulfill its historic tasks.

When I was invited to the Germia Hill Conference, as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, I have seen the new-born Kosovo offering the world some very inspiring ways of using public, digital, and cultural diplomacy. Now, working and living in Kosovo as EU Special Representative and Head of EU Office for my third year already, this impression has grown even stronger. I have seen many good projects and events organized or supported by Kosovo Ministry for Foreign Affairs, from the Inter-Faith Conference through putting Kosovo on the Facebook map to very successful presence of Kosovo artists at global events, such as the Venice Biennale. All these smart ways have one thing in common: they really help promote Kosovo’s international agenda with the touch of the 21st century.

151 ” Samuel Zbogar EU Special Representative/Head of the EU Office in Kosovo & former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia

152 Press Conference by Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi and British Council 153Kosovo Director Arjeta Emra on the launching of the Germia Hill Forum. 154 Kosovo is little, but lessons on transatlantic cooperation that came out of Kosovo are grand

155 The Future of Transatlantic Relations: South East Europe and Beyond

Following the inaugural Gërmia Hill Conference, the second annual Gërmia Hill Conference firmly placed Kosovo in the European foreign policy calendar. The second Gërmia Hill Forum, “The Future of Transatlantic Relations: South East Europe and Beyond,” attracted participants from Denmark, Germany, UK, France, Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, USA, and Kosovo for two days of debate on transatlantic relations. Convened in the wake of Secretary Clinton and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton’s tour of the Balkans, and President Obama’s reelection, the forum kicked off with a panel titled “A post-American Europe?”

156 157Few minutes before the start of a panel discussion titled “A Post-American Europe?” 158 159Foreign Minister Hoxhaj and President Jahjaga opened the second annual Germia Hill conference. Debates focused on the compelling reasons for the EU and the US to cooperate on a number of areas and issues where coordination makes a real difference – in the Western Balkans, across the Arab world, and the joint engagement of Turkey as a regional power. A consensus was reached from a Balkan perspective that despite the Eurocrisis and the shift of US attention to Asia, the EU enlargement process and NATO are still the main anchors for South East Europe. Media throughout the region were alerted, and articles and commentary on issues discussed appeared in international blogs, journals, press, and media outlets.

Inspired by the success of Kosovo’s annual Gërmia Hill Forum, the Ministry Foreign Affairs launched The Gërmia Hill Talks, a spin-off series of topical seminars with thought leaders covering events in the Balkans from a wider international experience. The inaugural talk brought together James Rubin, State Department’s spokesperson during the Kosovo war, Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s Prime Minister, and Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program. The panel discussion, moderated by The Economist’s Tim Judah, focused on comparing and contrasting the international community’s engagement in Kosovo with humanitarian intervention in the post 9/11 context.

The Gërmia Hill Forum aspires to maintain what Daniel Korski, ECFR Senior Policy Fellow, said: “It was refreshing to see how a country that used to be only a policy consumer is now becoming a policy producer.”

160 Albania should learn from Kosovo in this field. “ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, through its digital and public diplomacy efforts, has revolutionized foreign policy making in the Balkans with its innovative and cutting-edge initiatives. I am happy that a new country, such as Kosovo, has achieved so much with scarce resources to promote Kosovo in the international arena. ”

161 Ditmir Bushati Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania

162 From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project Farija Mehmeti “Portraits of Roma Women” (2012) Egg tempera on paper 29x42 cm 5 Issue-Based Initiatives 5 Utilising Kosovo’s progressive constitutional framework as competitive advantage Recognizing the demonstrated record of the people of Kosovo in nurturing close ties between different faiths—peaceful relations between Albanian Muslims and Catholics, the preservation of Serb orthodox heritage, and the protection of the Jewish people during WWII—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the lead in reaching out to faith leaders by launching a series of initiatives intended to foster interfaith dialogue between faith communities, civil society, and ecumenical and academic institutions. This artillery of initiatives is also instructive towards normalizing interfaith relations locally, which have been weakened during the past decades.

167 To mark the initiation of a series of interfaith activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the American University in Kosovo, Tony Blair Faith Foundatioan, and British Council, organized the “Milvian Bridge” Conference in 2012, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the victory of the Emperor Constantine in the Milvian Bridge battle, which has been considered a key historical precedent for the establishment of monotheism in the Roman Empire. Attended by a wide array of religious leaders and academics, from Kosovo to Indonesia, this conference focused on the historical dimension of coexistence between different faiths.

Subsequently, we supported the Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo, Institutes of History and Albanology, and the University ofPrishtina to organize a three-day symposium to mark the anniversary of the Edict of Milan, which was issued in February 313 by Augusti Constantine and Licentius, granting rights to all believers of any religion throughout the Roman Empire. The Symposium was followed by an exhibition of historic maps that gave insight into the old cartography related to Constantine and the Edict of Milan.

168 169 Fostering a neutral space for genuine interfaith dialogue between faith communities.

Having established a strong support base of all religious community leaders in Kosovo, we were in a good position to launch an annual gathering— an international conference on interfaith dialogue. Through the first international conference, titled “Faith and Reconciliation: What is the Future of Interfaith Dialogue?,” we aimed at focusing on the multifaceted nature of interfaith dialogue, increasing the level of public debate while delineating the contemporary landscape of faith and dialogue.

The inaugural international conference, held from May 24th to May 26th 2013, contributed to the wider global interfaith dialogue, while encouraging reconciliation within Kosovo and the wider Balkans. We chose the beautiful city of Peja—the setting of the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the crossing point of Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox communities— to launch this international conference.

170 Leaders of the Muslim Community of Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Protestant Evangelical Community of Kosovo, and the Jewish Community of Kosovo supported the conference. Head Imam Sabri Bajgora of Kosovo Islamic Community, Bishop Andrej of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and Monsignor Dom Lush Gjergji of the Catholic Church delivered keynote speeches in front of an international audience on the lessons learned during the conference’s four panel discussions.

Following the opening of the inaugural conference by the President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga, along with a video statement by Tony Blair, former UK Prime Minister and founder of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, the first panel focused on the theory and practice of dialogue, exploring the nature and importance of dialogue for sustainable peace. Panellists included civil society leaders, such as Dr. Ibrahim Al Naimi, Chairman of the Doha International Center for Inter-Religious Dialogue (Qatar) and Professor Marshall Breger, Vice-President of the Jewish Policy Center (USA); academics, such as Professor Robert Eisen from the George Washington University (USA) and Professor Hans Kochler from the University of Innsbruck (Austria); and religious representatives, such as Gunnar Stalsett, Bishop Emeritus of Oslo (Norway) and Alberto Quattrucci, Secretary General of Peoples and Religions of the Community of Sant’Egidio (Italy).

171 The discussion base built during the first panel advanced further during the second panel, which explored the modalities of interfaith dialogue in the public realm, scrutinizing the relationship between interfaith dialogue and the struggle for power in the public life. The second panel consisted of a diverse group of civil society leaders, such as Dr. Douglas Johnston from the International Center for Religion and Democracy (USA), Dr. William Vendley from Religions for Peace (USA), and Marwan Muhammad from Combating Islamophobia (France); legal scholars, Justice Kadri Kryeziu from the Constitutional Court of Kosovo (Kosovo); and religious activists, Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, Secretary of the Arab Group for Christ (Lebanon).

Understanding the intricacies of the public realm, the third panel focused on finding ways to foster a “shared space” and instil practical multiculturalism among those who are resolute to exercise their beliefs in parallel to those of others. Panellists included Victoria Finlay, an interfaith journalist and author (USA); Antti Pentikainen, Executive Director of the Finn Church Aid (Finland); Dinn Syamsuddin, President of Muhammadiyah (Indonesia); and, Daisy Khan from the American Society for Muslim Advancement (USA).

172 Interfaith conference panel discussion on the malleable nature of the social media artillery to both encourage and discourage harmony between different faith communities.

The final panel shifted grounds to discuss the malleable nature of the social media artillery available to both encourage genuine interfaith dialogue and spread religious fundamentalism.

Panellists included Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Associate Director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College (USA); Stephen Schwartz, columnist for the Huffington Post (USA); Rizwan Hussain, Founder and Director of Jawaab (UK); Omer Karabeg, Editor of Radio Free Europe (Bosnia); Anna DiLellio, Professor at The New School (USA); and Petrit Selimi, Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister.

The success of the conference reflects the hard work of a coalition of organizations and institutions that worked together to actualize this ambitious project. British-based charity “Soul of Europe” and the Balkan

173 Institute coordinated the implementation of the conference, while Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the British and Norwegian embassies, Tony Blair Faith Foundation, UNDP, and British Council supported and sponsored the event. This hybrid partnership between Kosovo’s government, civil society, and international donors ensured that conference discussions and outcomes were objective and fair to all participating guests.

The impact of the inaugural interfaith conference exceeded the landscape of interfaith dialogue. The contribution of the conference towards greater stability in Kosovo was mentioned in a UN Security Council meeting on Kosovo, commending the Kosovo government for organizing this conference that “included leaders of all faiths in Kosovo, including the Serbian Orthodox Church.”

Following the success of the inaugural conference, the second international conference on interfaith dialogue will be held on May 2014. With the support of the Community of Sant’Egidio and Tony Blair Faith Foundation, this year’s conference—“Religion and Politics: Enhancing Interfaith Dialogue as a Means of Democratic Development”—will go beyond the impact of interfaith dialogue in bringing faith communities closer. The conference will be a venue for thought leaders to analyse the wider role of faith in the public sphere of democratic societies. The 2014 conference proceedings will also serve as an opportunity to establish a Kosovo-based “International Center for Interfaith Dialogue,” a network that will be able to carry the work of Interfaith Kosovo forward on a long-term basis.

The second annual conference will be held in the historical city of Prizren, the host of five faith communities. The Sinan Pasha Mosque, the Orthodox Church of St. George, the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, numerous dervish lodges known as tekkes, and the headquarters of the Kosovo Jewish community all stand side-by-side. Building on Kosovo’s long tradition of coexistence, the Interfaith Kosovo Initiative is in a favorable position to promote faith as a unifying force.

174 175 176 The Week of Tolerance and Reconciliation: engaging global audiences, bringing domestic faith comunities closer

177 Along with the interfaith conference, we launched the Week of Tolerance and Reconciliation as a coinciding set of activities to provide a wider context for global audiences to engage while intensifying faith community relations domestically. Over 200 guests from 50 countries visited Kosovo to attend the inaugural Interfaith Kosovo along with the events organized during the Week of Tolerance and Reconciliation. In addition to the international interfaith conference, three major events took place during this week of reflection: the Stone for Peace Ceremony, the South East European Breakfast Prayer Ceremony, and the Unveiling of the Holocaust Memorial.

178 Stone for Peace Ceremony

Under the auspices of the President of Kosovo,Prishtina received the Stone for Peace from Hiroshima along 100 other cities, which is a symbol of hope and reconciliation from Japan. Since 1991, representatives of the Stone for Peace Association of Hiroshima travel around the world to share cobblestones from Hiroshima streets that had witnessed the A-bomb blast in 1945. Senior political leaders around the world attend ceremonies meant to promote peace and tolerance globally. President Jahjaga of Kosovo, Japan’s Ambassador to Kosovo, and representatives of Hiroshima and the Stone for Peace Association attended the ceremony of mounting the stone of peace. The event marked an important moment in reaffirming Kosovo’s commitment to harmony amongst its own diverse communities and with its neighbours in the region.

179 180 Atifete Jahjaga President of the Republic of Kosovo

181 Kosovo holds a unique tradition of interfaith tolerance and co-existence, and this tradition— expressed in our cultural heritage, in the objects “ of worship, in the architectural values across Kosovo—is the best testament that we lived together for centuries. The Interfaith Kosovo Initiative has helped highlight and promote this sense of multiculturalism, ecumenical dialogue, and a culture of peaceful coexistence and reconciliation. ”

182 183 184 South East European Breakfast Prayer Ceremony

The Kosovo Assembly organized the 10th annual South East European Breakfast Prayer Ceremony. This event follows the example of the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States, which is a gathering of world leaders in politics, diplomacy, and business with the intention of forging bonds between the United States and world leaders through the promotion of values of peace, belief, and tolerance. Governments of countries in the Balkans have endorsed this model of gathering since 2003. Kosovo was honoured to host the 10th Anniversary of the South East European Gathering, bringing together lawmakers, diplomats, executives, and faith leaders from Europe, the United States, and beyond. Special guests had the opportunity to meet and network with Kosovo leaders from all parties and communities with the purpose to promote reconciliation in the Balkans.

185 186 The Unveiling of the Holocaust Memorial

Finally, under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, a Holocaust Memorial to remember Kosovo Jews that died during WWII was unveiled. The history of Jewish presence in Kosovo mirrors that of the Jewish people in the rest of the Balkans. Jewish families settled in Kosovo as they fled from Spain in the 15th century. While Albanians have saved many Jewish families during the Nazi occupation in WWII, dozens of Kosovo Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. The war of 1999 further decimated the number of Jewish people as they shared the fate of their fellow Kosovars, leaving the country on a permanent basis to Israel. To commemorate the Kosovo Jewish victims of the Holocaust, the following message was engraved in the memorial plaque of the Holocaust Memorial:

This is the place where the last Synagogue of Kosovo stood until 1963. This plaque is raised in memory of Kosovo Jews that perished in Nazi camps during the Holocaust. The people “of Kosovo will never forget them.

The commemorative plaque was unveiled on behalf of the people of Kosovo to remember Kosovo Jews that died in the Holocaust, as well as to serve as a modest beacon of gratitude for the eternal friendship between the people of Kosovo and Israel. Present at the wreath laying” ceremony included the President of Kosovo, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, Ambassador of Israel in Belgrade, members of Righteous Families from Kosovo, head of the Kosovo Jewish Society, and representatives of the Islamic community, catholic church, and Serbian orthodox church.

187 188 Tony Blair Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation

189 I fully support the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tony Blair “ Patron of the Tony Blair in their important work on Faith Foundation interfaith dialogue.

Wherever we look, religion is a powerful force shaping the world around us. Many of the most challenging public policy issues facing countries relate to the role of religion in political and social affairs. To build peaceful coexistence and protect minorities, religious, secular and political people need to talk to each other. By making this a priority Kosovo has shown other governments how this is possible. ”

190 Sabri Bajgora Grand Imam of Kosovo

Faith communities in Kosovo, and our believers, must find the strength and courage to overcome any disagreements.

“We should look into the future, but we should also not forget the past so that future generations learn that hatred and animosity between people must never be repeated again. Our Mission is to cultivate love and respect among people,

because this duty derives from our holy Books, the Quran and Bible, which we read in our prayers and masses. ” 191 Don Lush Gjergji

I congratulate Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for launching the Interfaith Kosovo Initiative, and for providing opportunities “ to faith communities for interacting with each other.

We must work together for greater national and religious awareness and responsibility. Harmonizing nationalism and religion as two complementary elements requires cultivating and respecting them both, without entangling or singling them out, without overestimating or underestimating them, thereby ensuring our society’s progress.

Religious communities should cooperate better for the common good of all, because goodness, justice, and truth are fundamental privileges for all, they are not “owned” by anyone. Religion can contribute towards addressing prejudices and building new bridges of integration through pluralism, interethnic and interreligious dialogue, through coexistence ” and cooperation founded upon the power of truth and inspiration of love. ” 192 Celebrating the Jewish Heritage of Kosovo

As part of Interfaith Kosovo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs celebrated Kosovo’s long Jewish heritage with a film screening and panel discussion.

Jakov Sedlar, a renowned Croatian director and producer, premiered his documentary film inPrishtina. Entitled “Fate did not let me go,” the film illustrates the true story behind a Jewish mother’s letter to her son written just days before her death in a concentration camp in 1942. Inspired by Valli Ollendorff’s letter to her son Ulrich, the story for Sedlar demonstrates “a mother’s unconditional love for her child, but also forgiveness and faith in God.” Jakov Sedlar was accompanied on this visit toPrishtina by Valli Ollendorff’s grandson, Mr. Stephen Ollendorff, who is also the Founder and Director of the Ollendorff Center for Religious and Human Understanding in the United States.

To coincide with this event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the British Council, also hosted a panel discussion on “Jewish Heritage in Kosovo and the Importance of Interfaith Dialogue.” Panellists included Mr. Sedlar and Mr. Ollendorff, alongside Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi, Croatia’s Chief Rabbi Luciano Moshe Prelevic, and Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander, who is editor of the online “Easy-to-Read Talmud” - Judaism’s revered scriptures.

193 The Interfaith Kosovo event on Kosovo’s Jewish heritage was also joined by British Ambassador Ian Cliff, Norwegian Ambassador Jan Braathu, Kosovo’s Grand Imam Sabri Bajgora and a family representative of Arsllan Mustafa Rezniqi who was honored as “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Holocaust memorial centre at Yad Vashem.194 Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander who visited Kosovo from Tel Aviv during the panel discussion pointed how “religion is a major factor in the motivations of Peoples; hence religion must be a major factor in making peace. Governments can arouse people to wage wars, and governments can sign peace treaties, but just as people have to be convinced that it is right to wage war - so must people be convinced that it is right to make peace…that it is against the wish of God to wage war. Thus, interfaith understanding and cooperation is an indispensible element of 21st century diplomacy.”

During his visit in Prishtina, Jakov Sedlar also announced his intention to make a documentary film on the Jewish people and their heritage in Kosovo. The untold story of the rescue of the Jewish people during World War II by Albanians in Kosovo and Albania is becoming increasingly well known. The rescue of Jewish families by the Albanian people has been recently featured in the documentary film “Besa: The Promise,” depicting Albanian courage and interfaith cooperation.

195 Deputy Foreign Minister Selimi and Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander from Israel speaking on the importance of interfaith dialogue in bringing different faith communities closer.196 Jakov Sedlar, Croatian Director and Producer

197 Kosovo is a new country and the world still has to learn a lot about you. It is important for you to talk about traditional “ Kosovar hospitality and about Kosovars who welcomed many people throughout centuries, including the Jewish people. ”

198 199Summer school participants listening to a short history introduction of the Decan Monastery by Father Sava. Religion and Foreign Policy Summer School

As part of Interfaith Kosovo efforts, academic engagement has also been utilized as a viable tool to explore further the interconnection of religion with other elements of public life. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tony Blair Faith Foundation, in collaboration with the Balkan Institute and University ofPrishtina, organized a two-week Summer Program in 2013 on “Faith and Foreign Policy: Investigating the Role of Religion in Conflict and Post-conflict Transformations.” The Program welcomed 26 participants from 15 countries as far and wide as Morocco, China, and Ukraine.

Renowned experts covered themes pertinent to religion in the context of post conflict reconstruction and the role of religion, culture, and identity in the Balkans. Speakers included professors Miroslav Volf and Ivo Banac from Yale University, Ambassador Zamir Akram who is the former Pakistani ambassador to the UN and lecturer at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, and Professor Obrad Savic from the University of Singidunum, Belgrade. The program included a weekend trip to Racak to visit the sight of the mass killings of Albanian civilians by Serb security forces in 1999 and to Prizren where they visited the city’s cultural heritage of mosques and churches standing side-by-side, including the Sinan Pasha Mosque and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

200 Religion can be both a cause of “ conflict and an inspiration for reconciliation.

In bringing debate about faith into the public domain, Kosovo’s government acknowledges the importance of interfaith dialogue in society and not only in the private lives of people, while encouraging religious communities to participate in building a society with respect and tolerance.” ”

201 Knut Vollebæk Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

202 Enver Hoxhaj Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo

203 Kosovo has become an “ epistemological hub of discussing today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges.

At the heart of Kosovo’s foreign affairs we have set practicing smart power as a strategic and pragmatic choice of implementing our foreign policy of recognition, international membership, and external consolidation of our statehood. While soft power entails the

ability to influence the preferences of others to fulfill our intended goals, smart power is a more pragmatic idea, which is about making choices based on the available resources and capacities, and the likelihood for success. I congratulate Kosovo’s public diplomacy pioneers in delivering impressive results with limited resources in making a name for Kosovo through creative soft power. ” 204 Remembering the past, so that it serves the reconciliation process between different faiths

205 The Destruction of Islamic Heritage in the Kosovo War 1998 – 1999

The documentation of the destruction of Islamic heritage in Kosovo

came immediately after the war in 1999, when the Islamic Community

Council, headed by mufti Rexhep Boja, set up a commission to take stock

and assess the damage done to Kosovo’s heritage. Grand Imam Sabri

Bajgora, who has been collecting data on Kosovo’s Islamic heritage

since the 1980s, was part of this commission. Following the findings of

this commission, in 2000, Grand Imam Bajgora published a book with

photos documenting the destruction of Kosovo’s Islamic heritage. The

original publication is now enriched with new content.

206 In September 1999, the commission completed their report

revealing that of a total of 560 mosques in Kosovo, 218 had

been burned down or otherwise seriously damaged during the

war, including some of the oldest Islamic buildings in Balkans.

In addition, four madrasas (Islamic religious schools), including

the newly-built Alauddin Madrasa of Prishtina, numerous tekkes

(dervish lodges), old Turkish baths, dozens of shops owned by

the Islamic community as its endowment (waqf) property, were

also destroyed and looted. Among the worst damaged was the

northwestern part of Peja, where each of 49 Islamic sites were

attacked, while the city of Prizren escaped important damages.

The Central Historical Archives of the ICC inPrishtina were also

destroyed, along other Islamic religious libraries and archives in

Kosovo that included irreplaceable manuscripts and old printed

books.

207 This updated and revisited version of the book of Grand Imam

Bajgora has been edited by Dr. Robert Elsie and Deputy Foreign

Minister Petrit Selimi. “The Destruction of Islamic Heritage in the Kosovo War 1998-1999” also includes new images and texts by Andras Ridelmeyer from the Aga Khan Program for Islamic

Architecture at Harvard University who conducted a survey of cultural destruction in Kosovo. The images in this edition capture the beauty of Kosovo’s heritage and they recount the story of each mosque. The purpose of this edition, which is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international donors involved through Interfaith Kosovo, is to document the past so that it serves the reconciliation process between different faiths.

208 209 Interfaith Kosovo events kick off in-person conversations InterfaithKosovo.org nurtures them

The Interfaith Kosovo Portal is the digital and social media arm of the Interfaith Kosovo Initiative whose purpose is to regularly update our domestic and international stakeholders on our national efforts to promote and strengthen interfaith dialogue, as well as inform them on current interfaith affairs at-large. This multi-language (Albanian, Serbian, English, French, and Arabic) web portal dedicated to interfaith dialogue is actively supporting the interfaith agenda with reports, blogs, news items that cover issues of faith, tolerance, and reconciliation in the Balkans.

210 Muslim Mulliqi “The Conquest of New Areas” (1970) Mixed media 70x58cm

From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project Muslim Mulliqi “The Labourers” (1970) Mixed media 88x68cm

From the collection of art works donated by Norwegian Embassy to National Gallery of Kosovo via KSTalksEU project Concluding Remarks

This report presents the initiatives of Kosovo’s nascent public diplomacy portfolio, focusing on three active years of concerted efforts to advance Kosovo’s national interests. Our soft power supports the wider objectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including consolidating Kosovo’s statehood, promoting regional cooperation, enhancing Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration, and strengthening bilateral relations with Kosovo’s allies and partners.

The overarching mission of our soft power is to present Kosovo as it is and emphasise positive developments in the Balkans at-large. Kosovo dominated the front pages of global newspapers during the Yugoslav wars of 1990s. Although Kosovo has been sidelined from the international spotlight since then—due to transformational developments in Kosovo and the shift of international attention to current pressing global matters—Kosovo’s war still dictates the country’s image. Within this context, enhancing Kosovo’s public diplomacy outreach became a vehicle of addressing the image of this fledging nation.

Improving Kosovo’s image for us did not entail launching advertising campaigns that present a unified, official Kosovo narrative. What we did, for instance, is we rallied Kosovo citizens through the social media to share their images and stories of Kosovo. We deployed grassroots representatives to interact with their counterparts in countries that have not recognised Kosovo yet. We invited international opinion- and decision-makers in Kosovo as an opportunity for us to share Kosovo’s multi-layered narrative and for them to conduct in-depth analysis that also takes into account the country’s challenges.

Only in four years, Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and British Council, with the support of its partners, succeeded in cementing five public diplomacy pillars encompassing a wide range of activities. For us, public diplomacy is about People-to-People Diplomacy, targeting a diverse pool of stakeholders in non-recognizing countries, from civil society activists to members of

213 Concluding Remarks

Expanding our audience reach for greater impact required active online engagement. So, public diplomacy is also about Digital Diplomacy, targeting online audiences in order to strengthen Kosovo’s online presence, quality multimedia content and, ultimately, spread a more positive narrative.

Furthermore, public diplomacy is about enhanced Regional Cooperation, because a stronger Balkans also means a stronger Kosovo.

But, public diplomacy is also about gathering thought leaders to discuss and find solutions toGlobal Issues that exceed the scope of pressing matters of the Balkans.

Finally, public diplomacy is about utilising Kosovo’s progressive political landscape as competitive advantage, furthering Issue-Based Initiatives, such as Interfaith Kosovo, for which Kosovo is in a favourable position to deliver value to its citizens and the wider international community. State Department and United Nations both highlighted positive aspects of Kosovo Interfaith Initiative in advancing the agenda of tolerance and reconciliation.

Through a diversified set of initiatives, Kosovo’s public diplomacy has reached a worldwide audience of millions of people. Global media such as New York Times, BBC and Huffington Post have reported on the projects delivered by the young team in Kosovo engaged in soft-power promotion of the young republic.

Our public diplomacy outreach will continue to expand and strengthen, aspiring to expose further this young, optimistic country of 1.8 million citizens in which 1.2 million locally-tailored macchiato drinks are sold daily.

214 Interested in publications supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

215 • Kosovo’s New Diplomat—Bi-monthly newsletter of the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo;

• #InstaKosovo—a publication of best photos from Kosovo in

social media. ISBN: 978-9951-595-01-8;

• The Destruction of Islamic Heritage in the Kosovo War 1998-1999, by

Sabri Bajgora. Robert Elsie and Petrit Selimi (editors).

ISBN: 978-9951-595-02-5;

• Kosovo in the International Court of Justice. ISBN: 978-9951-595-00-1;

• New Literature from Kosovo—a publication introducing Kosovo authors,

translators, and publishers with the purpose to reach out to foreign publishing

houses and all those individuals and institutions that are interested in Kosovo

literature. ISBN: 978-9951-8829-3-4;

• “Kosovo Calling”—a publication of position papers on Kosovo’s relations with

E.U. and regional non-recognizing countries;

• Manual: Regional Cooperation Initiatives in South-East Europe.

216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 Special thanks to our implementing partners and supporters:

British Council

British Embassy in Kosovo

Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo

IPKO Foundation

Tony Blair Faith Foundation

European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

Aspen Institute

American University in Kosovo

Balkan Institute

Digital Kosovo

Global Focus Centre

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)

Innovation Centre Kosovo

231 Initiative Group Albach Kosovo

Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK)

Kosovo Diaspora

Kosovo Center for Security Studies (KCSS)

Kosovo Civil Society Foundation (KCSF)

Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED)

Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS)

ProBalkanes

Research Institute of Development and European Affairs (RIDEA)

Slovak Foreign Policy Association

Soul of Europe

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

University of Prishtina

232 With contributions by: Tony Blair, Atifete Jahjaga, Hashim Thaci, Knut Vollebaek, Ditmir Bushati, Samuel Zbogar, Rudiger Lentz, Nathan Coley, Astrit Ibrahimi, Samir Karahoda, Fisnik Dobreci, Jetmir Idrizi and many other friends.

Republika e Kosovës Republika Kosova-Republic of Kosovo Qeveria e Kosovës-Vlada Kosova-Government of Kosova

MINISTRIA E PUNEVE TE JASHTME MINISTRASTVO INOSTRANIH POSLOV MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS