Croatia–Kosovo relations

Croatia–Kosovo relations refer to the bilateral relations of Croatia and Kosovo[a]. Diplomatic relations among two countries were established on June 30, 2008, following Kosovo's declaration of independence.[1] Croatia has an embassy in Pristina, and Kosovo has an embassy in Zagreb. Both countries were part of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 1991. Relations between the two countries are described as very good and friendly.

Croatia–Kosovo

Croatia
Kosovo
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Croatia, PristinaEmbassy of Kosovo, Zagreb
Envoy
Ambassador Marija KapitanovićAmbassador Gëzim Kasapolli

Relations

Croatia recognised Kosovo on March 19, 2008. The two countries established diplomatic relations on June 30, 2008.[2] On November 7, 2008, Croatia upgraded its liaison office in Pristina to an embassy.[3] On February 19, 2010, Kosovo opened its embassy in Zagreb.[4] On April 9, 2015, Croatia and Kosovo signed a European partnership agreement that formalized the framework of their cooperation in the reform of Kosovo's institutions according to the European standards.[5] Croatian and Kosovo state officials meet regularly.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Croatia supported Kosovo at the International Court of Justice's oral debate on the legality of Kosovo's independence.[12] On September 27, 2021 Croatian President Zoran Milanović supported Kosovo's dispute with Serbia over the new law that prohibited Serbian registered car plates to enter Kosovo without a having a temporarily Kosovo licensed car plate that would be registered upon its border with Serbia. Namely he said that: "Kosovo has responded with reciprocal measures to something Serbia has been doing for ten years. If you cannot go to Serbia with Kosovo license plates, then Kosovo can decide that the same applies to cars from Serbia,”.[13]

Military

On July 15, 2008, Croatian Parliament approved Croatia's participation in the KFOR mission. Croatia sent the first contingent consisting of 20 soldiers and 2 Mil Mi-17 helicopters to Kosovo on July 1, 2009. On September 25, 2015, the Parliament decided that Croatia can send up to 35 soldiers and 2 helicopters to Kosovo. The basic task of the Croatian contingent is to transport KFOR forces, cargo, and VIPs.[14] As of 2019, Croatia has 34 troops serving in Kosovo, which is the 30th contingent so far.[15][16]

4th Prime Minister of Kosovo Agim Çeku participated in the Croatian War of Independence as a brigadier in the Croatian Army. He regularly resides in Zadar where he was a professor at a local military school between 1984 and 1990.[17]

People

Kosovo is home to a community of around 300 ethnic Croats concentrated in the villages of Janjevo, Letnica, Šašare, Vrnavokolo and Vrnez. Their ancestors, Croat merchants and miners from Dubrovnik and Bosnia and Herzegovina, settled in the area rich in silver and lead mines in the 14th century.[18] The number of Albanians in Croatia is much larger. According to 2011 census, 17,513 Albanians live in Croatia, mostly from Kosovo and Macedonia.

See also

Notes
a.   ^ The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, it is formally recognised as an independent state by 97 UN member states (with another 15 recognising it at some point but then withdrawing recognition), while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory.

References
  1. "MVEP • Veleposlanstva RH u svijetu • Kosovo, Priština". www.mvep.hr.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Hrvatska otvorila veleposlanstvo u Prištini". www.index.hr.
  4. "Otvoreno veleposlanstvo Kosova u Zagrebu". Dnevnik.hr.
  5. "Croatia and Kosovo Sign Partnership Agreement". April 9, 2015.
  6. "Priština Mesića dočekala kao heroja, a Srbi mu to ne opraštaju". www.vecernji.hr.
  7. "Josipović obećao daljnju pomoć Kosovu". Hrvatska radiotelevizija.
  8. "Kolinda nazočila inauguraciji novog predsjednika Kosova". www.index.hr.
  9. "Predsjednik kosovskog parlamenta: vrijeme sukoba na Balkanu zauvijek je završeno". www.vecernji.hr.
  10. "Hrvatsko gospodarsko izaslanstvo izazvalo izniman interes kosovskih poduzetnika". Hrvatska gospodarska komora.
  11. "Predsjednica Kosova u Zagrebu: Nemamo teritorijalne pretenzije". www.vecernji.hr.
  12. "ICJ Sets Agenda for Kosovo Hearing " balkaninsight.com 08-10-09 Link retrieved 09-10-09
  13. "Is Serbia Preparing to Annex Kosovo's North?". Jamestown. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  14. "MVEP • Hrvatska u mirovnim misijama i operacijama NATO-a". www.mvep.hr.
  15. "KFOR | Contributing Nations". jfcnaples.nato.int.
  16. "MORH: Trideseti hrvatski kontigent upućen na Kosovo". N1 HR.
  17. "Agim Ceku". www.vecernji.hr.
  18. "Sedam stoljeća hrvatske kulture na Kosovu". May 16, 2019.
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