Talk:International recognition of Kosovo

Kosovo set to join OIC

During the official visit in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Mecca and Riyadh) Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi dhe DPM Behgejte Pacolli met the King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu. According to the news agency "MENA-FN" from the Middle East, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ihsanoglu has welcomed the application tabled by the Republic of Kosovo to become an official and permanent member of the organization. He told the visiting Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi following a meeting Saturday in Jeddah that the OIC had since 1996 supported Kosovo's right for independence. "Kosovo suffered a lot from injustice and repression under an administration that did not care for the political, religious and cultural rights of the people of the country. Now, after independence and the recognition of 91 countries including 30 OIC members, the organization looks forward to Kosovo soon becoming a member of the UN and the OIC," he said.

Thaçi, on his part, appreciated the continued support of the OIC to his country until it gained independence and said he discussed with the secretary-general all the available means of further consolidating cooperation between Kosovo and the 57 OIC member countries. Thaçi said the policies of his country, with more than 95 percent of its population Muslims, were in conformity with the general political stances of the Muslim countries.[1] [2]

but the official website of the government of Kosovo not mention the memberships [3]...???

Please sign your comments. Kosovo isn't set to join, Kosovo has applied to join; big difference. Yes the Sec-Gen may have welcomed Kosovo's application, but it doesn't mean the non-recognising countries will allow Kosovo's membership. Don't forget Russia's buddies in Central Asia. Pakistan blocked India from joining, a country could easily block Kosovo from joining too. For the time being I suggest we add to the OIC section that Kosovo has applied to become a full member. IJA (talk) 16:38, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

This Telegrafi story quotes Hoxhaj as saying that Kosovo did not apply for membership [4]. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 18:26, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

I've removed the text about the OIC membership application from the article. Bazonka (talk) 18:42, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

Why removed the information about the OIC membership? Artan Behrami, adviser of Minister Hoxhaj (not Hoxhaj) said that Kosovo will apply for membership but in the status of OIC must be UN member. This isn't true because Palestine isn't member of UN, but is member of OIC. fo me Kosovars gov are find excuses. Kosovo will be member of OIC after the membership at UN, this is the position of Prishtina in 2009 declared by President Famir Sejdiu then[5]. Justifications, KS like OIC recognition, investment but for the membership other idea...??? Irvi Hyka (talk) 21:56, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

Syrian National Council recognised Kosovo

Syrian National Council or Syrian opposition officially invited the Republic of Kosovo (Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj) in the meeting of Friends of Syria Group [6] [7]. Syrian National Council is not simple opposition but by some countries is recognised as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Seeing the article International recognition of the Syrian National Council, noted that Libya, France, Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Egypt, Albania and Kosovo recognised SNC as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and other countries have informal relation with SNC. SNC except international recognition has control in one part of the territory.

I propose to restore the information on the invitation they have given to Kosovo as a de facto recognition of Kosovo by Syrian National Council. Irvi Hyka (talk) 17:21, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

While beside states that have recognized Kosovo simply note the fact, beside those that do not there is often extensive details. The justification, I presume, is that it allows users to assess for themselves how likely it is for that state to recognize Kosovo in future. When a regime is as shaky as that of Asad the views of the alternative are clearly important. Hence I support restoring that information.Dejvid (talk) 15:59, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

That seems reasonable to me, but we have a new neutrality problem: We must try not to misrepresent the situation in Syria, or pretend that some spokesperson has stronger official backing than they claim, &c. I would also suggest that we keep such things short; the important thing is the statement of support rather than the exact wording &c. bobrayner (talk) 16:07, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Or we could just wait a few weeks until the SNC is in full control... Bazonka (talk) 16:18, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

While I support mentioning the position of the Syrian opposition, I'm not sure this particular item is notable enough. I see no mention of the SNC recognizing Kosovo the the sources. All I see is that Kosovo attended a meeting of the Friends of Syria Group. Were they invited by the SNC? Does the SNC have control over who attends? Otherwise, I don't see how the info is relevant. TDL (talk) 18:12, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Isn't there something called recentism in WP? Why don't we simply leave Syria alone, until there is a new government in Damascus? Who knows when (maybe tomorrow maybe in weeks or months to come)... --E4024 (talk) 18:17, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I agree. The SNC is not a government, least of all because it controls very little of Syria. The last I had read was that it sits in Istanbul. When and if it constitutes the government of Syria, then it can recognize anybody it wants. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 18:47, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

But we could still put it under the "other actors" section, right?--Yalens (talk) 22:19, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

@TDL The official of SNC led by Ammar Abdulhamid visited Kosovo in April 2012. MFA link SNC representatives said that Kosovo is a state and Damascus will recognise Pristina in the first day of the triumph of democracy (For SNC Kosovo is a state). SNC is an entity recognized by many countries as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people (including 3 permanent member of UNSC). Russia recently accused Kosovo that is training the Syrian revolutionaries. [8] [9] The relations between Kosovo and SNC are friendly. Irvi Hyka (talk) 14:25, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

I think you are mischaracterizing the International recognition of the Syrian National Council. According to that article, only Libya recognizes the SNC as the *only* legitimate representative in Syria. The three UNSC permanent members that you refer to only state that the SNC is a legitimate opposition movement. That doesn't mean that they recognize it as the legitimate government of Syria - the Embassy of Syria in Washington, D.C. and the Embassy of Syria in London still seem to be under the control of the Assad government, even if diplomatic relations have been frozen. So maybe a mention under "Other actors" as Yalens said, but otherwise the SNC is not a country or even a widely-recognized national government (it has about as much international recognition as Northern Cyprus, and technically even less than, say, Abkhasia or Transnistria).Konchevnik81 (talk) 17:06, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Whatever relations (as can be had by the SNC) between the Syrian National Council and Kosovo, the SNC is NOT a sovereign nation-state entity, government-in-exile, or a government in control of part of any country. The SNC could be compared to the Libyan Transitional National Council in the opening days of that nation's civil war; but currently it does not directly control any territory in Syria, nor is based inside Syria (unlike the NTC which was in Benghazi). Certainly it is recognized by some nations as a "partner for dialogue" or an opposition group with which to hold talks with (even China and Russia have at least met with SNC delegations at high levels), but only Libya recognizes them as a government. Worth a mention somewhere here separately from the Syria entry, which should be the Assad reaction (until the time where/when/if the Assad era ends). Where the SNC should go is up to debate. It's not secessionist movement, nor a government-in-exile (The SNC has denied that they want to be classified as such, and usually a gov-in-exile is a group that has been kicked OUT of power, not a whole new group seeking power). It surely is a resistance movement. It fits as a non-state actor. But where to classify them in the context of this article? And certainly we should not bloat this too much either. Ajbenj (talk) 13:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

While the SNC controls little territory, so long as it controls some populated territory outright it can be considered a soveriegn state under some definitions. The key to recognition is either a statement giving recognition, signing a treaty or other official diplomatic document that treats the polity on an even footing in terms of sovergiegnty between signatories, or the acceditation of diplomatic personel (consuls and ambassodors). Whether a states government is based in its own territory is not relevent to its legitimacy, there have been several states throughout history that have had their seats of government outside of the territory of the state, Lichtenstein for instance.XavierGreen (talk) 23:53, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia in the article about Syria, has removed the flag of Assad as the flag of Syria. In the Template:Politics of Syria, the article Politics of Syria changed the flag accepting the new dispute government in Syria. In the article Flag of Syria, the SNC flag replace Ba'atist flag.

Free Syrian Army and Syrian Liberation Army (SNC army) control a large part of territory, including part of national capital Damascus, Aleppo the largest city in Syria.

International recognition of SNC
1 UN member (Libya) recognised SNC as legitimate authority
+2 UN member and 1 UN non-Member (Spain, Albania and Kosovo) recognised SNC as representative of Syrian people
+2 UN member (UK and US) recognised SNC as legitimate representative of Syrian (not an opposition) See the declaration of Clinton [10] and Huge [11]
=6 states recognised SNC
10 UN member (Turkey, Tunisia, Italy, Bulgaria, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, Australia and Austria) reject Assad government

Only Egypt and France recognise SNC as an opposition group or interlocutor.

No double standard for Syria, if in the main article about Syria is reflected the SNC we must take into consideration that, not to ignore SNC. Irvi Hyka (talk) 13:30, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

The SNC is not recognised by the United Nations. We therefore cannot mention it in the UN Member States section. Bazonka (talk) 18:01, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

I havent seen any evidence that any state other than Libya has recognized the SNC as Syria. Being recognized as the legitimate government of a state, or having its diplomatic personel accredited instead of that of the assad regime are the only means which matter hear. Being recognized as a belligerent or as a representative of the people does not equate to being recognized as a soveriegn polity.XavierGreen (talk) 17:45, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Not to get into the weeds too much here, but I think it's worth pointing out that the Syrian National Council is not the same thing as the Free Syrian Army. The former is a political opposition group based in Istanbul, and the latter is a military organization comprised of Syrian army defectors that is engaging in the actual combat in Syria. The two organizations were formed separately, and have a complicated relationship with each other. So to be perfectly honest, it is not correct to even say that the SNC controls any territory or population in Syria: the FSA does.

I actually think the SNC info should be merged into the Syria infobox. As it stands, it is currently a bigger entry than the regular one for Syria, including (in my opinion) a completely irrelevant discussion of what the SNC is. It's definitely not an autonomy or secessionist movement, so probably the SNC info doesn't belong there. It also hasn't actually recognized Kosovo; it has just promised to do so *if* it forms a new Syrian government. Kosovo attended the Friends of Syria conference, but again, as this article is about the official diplomatic recognition of Kosovo, that information is largely irrelevant to this article. Keep the SNC promise if you must, cut the rest of the info and merge it into the Syria box.Konchevnik81 (talk) 15:12, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

Agreed with everything Konchevnik81 has said. The sources don't even support the claim that the SNC invited Kosovo to the FoS conference. It was organized by Kosovo-recognizing states, so Kosovo was likely invited by them. Either way, I don't see how it's relevant to the scope of the article. I do agree that the promise of recognition should be kept. I'll revert to the stable version. TDL (talk) 18:32, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

Israel will soon recognise Kosovo independence

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Danny Ayalon said that the Government of Israel is considering the possibility of recognising Kosovo's independence. He said that recognising the new state of Kosovo by Israel will be not later than next year. [12] [13] Irvi Hyka (talk) 22:35, 3 August 2012 (UTC)

I've added a blurb about this. TDL (talk) 22:29, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

Two countries recognise Kosovo

According the media in Prishtina, informal references by MFA tell that two countries recognise Kosovo. The Togolese Republic and Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia made a decision to recognise the declaration of independence of Kosovo. The verbal note of both countries are in process, but the respective government decisions have been taken. What to do? [14] [15][16] Irvi Hyka (talk) 17:55, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

It's certainly worth noting in their entries, but I don't think we should move them until the MFA announces them. TDL (talk) 21:46, 5 August 2012 (UTC)

Do nothing until there is official confirmation. Otherwise, we're spreading media rumours. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 21:09, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Koha Ditore and most other major newspapers of Kosovo haven't published anything on the matter, so we'd better not add the events until official confirmation.--— ZjarriRrethues — ^talk 21:18, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Ethiopia and Togo have both said they will recognize. Kthimi në Shqipëri (talk) 09:34, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

They can say it as much as they please, but until it's in writing it means nothing. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 20:19, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

Unnecessary Addition

This one. The FM of the RoC declares that they will not recognise Kosovo but they will support its EU integration. Absurd. I would delete it outright but there already is a "beginning" of a kind of edit war there. So I propose to remove that declaration which really does not contribute anything to the article... --E4024 (talk) 20:52, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

At the very least I don't see why we need to say the same thing several times. TDL (talk) 22:16, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

I agree with Dan. And the IBRD membership has nothing to do with this. I heard that they are even planning to send an Hon. Consul to Belgrad... --E4024 (talk) 17:24, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

See Greece's reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence. No double standard, in Greek position is also mentioned that will vote FOR Kosovo's membership on European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Irvi Hyka (talk) 19:44, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

Please see WP:OTHERCRAP. Just because it's mentioned somewhere else doesn't mean we should mention it here. Also, in the case of Kazakhstan, the source doesn't say they supported their membership in the IBRD, it just says they'll think about it. That's not notable. TDL (talk) 20:26, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

Consul in Thailand

This week, the DPM of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, proposed 6 consuls of Kosovo in different countries. In the list of Pacolli approved by MFA is also a consul of Kosovo to the Kingdom of Thailand, Ms Mom Luang Rajadasari Jayankura. We know that officially Thailand don't recognise Kosovo. Is that possible? (Accredit a consul in a country that don't recognised the DOI; How will be handed over credentials to the King of Thailand?) [17] Irvi Hyka (talk) 19:08, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

This person would be an honorary consul. Typically, the states in question do have at least consular relations, if not diplomatic. They do not present credentials. The ministry of foreign affairs of the receiving state issues them an exequatur, which authorises them to perform consular functions. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 02:31, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Northern Cyprus/TRNC and Taiwan/ROC have Consulates/ Representative Offices in the UK yet we don't recognise them. Kosovo already has a representative office in Greece without Greek recognition. IJA (talk) 22:18, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

I imagine that all they are really doing is renting an office room somewhere in the country and paying someone to staff it. It is possible to do this nearly anywhere. The issue here isn't whether Kosovo can open such an office, but whether the Thais recognise it as a consulate or not. Bazonka (talk) 07:09, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't even have to be a rented office. I know of one country whose consular presence in the UK seems to be a UK national, working from home. (In this case the main problem isn't recognition; it's that the country is poor and cannot afford to send ambassadors all over the world). Whether or not somebody at a desk is putting stamps in passports &c (something which doesn't actually involve routine contact with the host country's MFA) is rather separate from the question of formal recognition at a national level. bobrayner (talk) 10:12, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Republic of Mali

Gazeta Express reports that Kosovo today is recognized by Republic of Mali. Someone should add. Digitalpaper (talk) 14:31, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

All the Kosovar media are reporting it. I added it. I'm sure the Foreign Ministry will have it up next week and we can refine anything that requires it, such as the date of recognition. I do not know how to change the "as of" and the statistical coding. Maybe User:IJA would be so kind? - Canadian Bobby (talk) 15:01, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

I've updated it. For future reference, this is changed by amending Template:Numrec/Kos. Bazonka (talk) 16:35, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Danke! - Canadian Bobby (talk) 17:51, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Here's the Note Verbale if we want to use it as the reference [18]. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 20:44, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Kosovo MFA confirms it: [19] Mali is on the list. --Juhan 17:55, 22 August 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Juhan (talk • contribs)

Strange, now it is gone from the list. --90.190.188.77 (talk) 11:07, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry about it. The note verbale shows that it's definitely happened. Bazonka (talk) 17:07, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Mali didn't recognise Kosovo, it is a fake letter according to Mali's President. He is very clear that Mali didn't recognise Kosovo. [20] IJA (talk) 11:01, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

The President will "punish the authors". I think we should hurry to add his words... --E4024 (talk) 11:21, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

I rushed here to post this same link but apparently someone else did so before me. Still: don't forget it's a Chinese website and China is opposed to Kosovo's independence, so maybe it would be better to wait for another source. I've been looking for this supposed statement of Mali's President and I didn't find it on the official Presidency website. But something else is strange: I am French and when I read the supposed note verbale, I was surprised that it was written in such a bad French, with several quite basic grammatical errors. I find it hard to believe a President of a French-speaking country writes so badly. Anyway: we don't know if the document is authentic yet, so my opinion is, wait and see. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.158.219.121 (talk) 12:34, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

The Global Times of China is the only source reporting the story. It's up to you guys if you want to take Mali off the list or not. I would support removing it until the MFA confirms it. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 12:52, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

No, it's not the only source: several Chinese media do so, and media from other countries are quoting them. You can find it if you search for "Kosovo Mali" in Google News. Anyway, as China is against Kosovo I'm not sure if this sort of information is reliable - but keep in mind what I said before: the note verbale looks fake to me. So, I suggest not taking it off the list but at least mentioning the controversy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.158.219.121 (talk) 12:58, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

We have had huge arguments in the past about listing countries and "mentioning the controversy." They always end in disaster, because there is never consensus on whether there should even be a notation and, if there is, how it should read. I would favour an all-or-nothing approach - either list Mali or do not. It would be nice to hear from Pacolli or the MFA on this. In the past, it would be the Serbian media quoting anonymous foreign officials or their own FM, Vuk Jeremic, saying they didn't recognise - I'm sure IJA and the other old-timers here remember Oman and Guinea-Bissau, in particular. We even had those saying the G-B Note looked fake because it was written in French and G-B's official language is Portuguese. This could be a new anti-Kosovo strategy or it could be fact and Mali did not recognize. My own suggestion would be to remove Mali from the list pending confirmation, but that's just my own opinion. We would have to achieve consensus in order to do this. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 13:23, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Oh joy, here we go again... Who knows what's really happened? We either need to list it in the recognisers list, with a comment that explains that there is doubt. Or we list it in the non-recognisers list, with a comment that explains that it may actually have recognised. Since we have no mechanism for us to add comments to the recognisers list, I think our only real option is to move it back to the non-recognisers. Also, because the Kosovo MFA no longer lists the recognition on their website, there is obviously some significant doubt over the authenticity of the note verbale. (I note that someone has already moved Mali from the recognisers list, but not re-added it to the non-recognisers list. I'll fix this.) Bazonka (talk) 19:24, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Pacolli is going back to Mali to receive clarification. [21] - Canadian Bobby (talk) 23:50, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

For those still curious, Pacolli has been posting on his facebook page about the Mali situation. To sum up, he insists the recognition was real and legitimate, but that there is a power struggle between the civilian leadership, which is very weak, and that of the military, which overthrew the last government in a coup. The civilian government extended recognition, but the military intervened and withdrew it. He does say, though that so far as he's concerned, the Note Verbale is still valid and the recognition is thusly valid, as there has been no official communication from the Malian government retracting the recognition. You can read all about it on his page [22] - Canadian Bobby (talk) 20:27, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm having second thoughts about this Mali non-recognition. Due to the attempted coup in Mali not so long ago, Mali consequently has two Presidents, a civilian elected President and a Military President. This article has conveniently "forgotten" to mention which President has stated this and hasn't mentioned any names. The civilian president recognised Kosovo whereas the military president hasn't. Both Presidents claim to be the legitimate President, but which President do you think is more credible in this power struggle? Pacolli has been to Mali since and the Civilian President will reconfirm the recognition of Kosovo by Mali. All other media which is reporting this same story are using www.globaltimes.cn as their reference point. IJA (talk) 17:19, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware Mali doesn't have two Presidents. The President at the time of the coup (Amadou Toumani Touré) was ousted and the military took control. However, in April an agreement was reached with the Military to return the country to constitutional rule. Touré agreed to resign and the civilian President of the National Assembly of Mali (Dioncounda Traoré) would serve as acting president until an election. Traoré (allegedly) signed the original document. However, the denial statement fails to mention any names and uses the phrase "The Presidency" as opposed to "The President".

It seems pretty obvious what's going on here. The military took control in a coup d'état because they were frustrated with the governments handling of the separatist rebellion, which shortly after the coup led to the declaration of independence by Azawad. Given their sensitivities to this separatist issue, it's hardly surprising that they would be opposed to recognizing Kosovo. Since the statement doesn't refer to Traoré, or even "The President", it seems likely that this is an attempt by the Military to discredit the actions of the constitutional government. Of course, this is all my OR speculation... TDL (talk) 18:14, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Hashim Thaçi is claiming that the recognition is legitimate: [23]. Also, similar confusion has surrounded Mali's request for ECOWAS military help, "heightening the perception that the soldiers who led the March coup — but were then pressured into handing power back to civilians — are still calling the shots." TDL (talk) 23:54, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Republic of Fiji

The MFA of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, visits the Republic of Fiji. Hoxhaj meet with the Fiji's Foreign Minister Mr. Inoke Kubuabola. Kubuabola welcomed the first visit of the Foreign Minister of Kosovo in his country and said that the Government and people of Fiji have sympathy for the people of Kosovo, in response to the request of Hoxhaj to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo. MFA of Kosovo — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.78.77.230 (talk) 12:04, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Although the article is missing a Fiji entry, I'm not sure how much can really be used here. A little context for the visit is | here, | here and | here. Kosovo is attending a regional conference of mainly Pacific Island nations along with other invited development partners, including Kazakhstan (!). While it does say something about Kosovo's overall acceptance into the international community that it participates in such events, it's not really related to any specific events or efforts leading to new diplomatic recognitions, and even the quote from the MFA is pretty vague: it's not even a promise to think about recognition. Guam and the Northern Marianas are also invited participants to the conference, but that's not conferring any sort of diplomatic recognition to them either. The MFA page, from what I could see through the link, is just a photo opp.Konchevnik81 (talk) 14:29, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

The article also says that Kubuabola said that Fiji has a very positive attitude regarding the recognition of Kosovo, so I think there is something that we can use here. Although it's not especially informative, it's better than nothing. Bazonka (talk) 16:57, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

He also has a cool shirt. Bazonka (talk) 17:09, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

OK I'm seeing that quote now on the MFA site... I think it was getting scrambled earlier. And indeed, that is a cool shirt.Konchevnik81 (talk) 19:44, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

I wish I had a shirt like that... --E4024 (talk) 11:18, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

A question. You are talking about Hoxhaj's shirt or Kubuabola's shirt? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.78.77.230 (talk) 11:30, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

The short sleeves of course. (The other one is also beautiful but I already have a similar one.) Need my mail address? --E4024 (talk) 11:38, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Kubuabola's shirt is the best. Hoxhaj is just jumping on the snazzy shirt bandwagon. Bazonka (talk) 19:15, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Solomon Islands

The MFA of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, Mr. Clay Forau Soalaoi. Soalaoi, said that his country would consider such a request [recognition of the Republic of Kosovo], expressing strong sympathy for an independent and democratic Kosovo. MFA of Kosovo

Another cracking shirt from the Polynesians. Hoxhaj just can't compete. Bazonka (talk) 19:43, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Too bad Hoxhaj didn't use that opportunity to clear up whether Solomon Islands accepts Kosovar passports or not.Konchevnik81 (talk) 13:23, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

East Timor

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the East Timor, José Luís Guterres said that people of his country always supported indestructible aspirations and will of Kosovo citizens to achieve their main goal, independence of Kosovo. "We have closely watched bitter past of Kosovo population as well as its suffering, and we also have very positive altitude about official recognition of independent Kosovo”, stressed Minister Guterres. MFA of Kosovo — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.78.77.230 (talk) 15:05, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

A positive altitude? He must be high on something. I've added a few words. Bazonka (talk) 16:24, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

Please stop giving comments like that. 79.243.220.136 (talk) 06:30, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

I am wholeheartedly sorry for making a joke based on an amusing spelling mistake. I can't promise it'll never happen again though. Bazonka (talk) 10:49, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm sorry. I missunderstood. I thought you were referring to something else. 79.243.204.252 (talk) 11:37, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Bazonka, IMO your shirt jokes are better though... :-) --E4024 (talk) 11:42, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Guterres' shirt doesn't have as much flair. If this is still the same Pan-Pacific meeting, I have to say that the conference room that they did the photo op in has to be the most depressing office room in all of Fiji.

Back to the subject at hand, it always struck me as a little weird that East Timor has dragged its collective feet on Kosovo so long. Based on similar roads leading to independence you'd think they would have shown more solidarity. They even recognize the Sahrawi Democratic Republic in Western Sahara.Konchevnik81 (talk) 13:23, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

just a guess for why.--Yalens (talk) 17:31, 30 August 2012 (UTC)

Nigeria recognition didn't happen?

Express, being quoted by Telegrafi, is in turn quoting the FM of Nigeria saying they never recognized Kosovo [24]. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 12:06, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

RTS quotes Express too and adds that Guinea-Bissau, Oman, Uganda are also dubious. We list all four without even a hint that there something could be wrong. This is by all means not NPOV.--Avala (talk) 13:05, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Where there is a credible claim that recognition didn't happen then we must definitely mention it somewhere in this article. Credible being the key word. There may be a case to make regarding Nigeria, but we have notes verbale from Guinea-Bissau [25] and Uganda [26], and fairly strong (but not conclusive) evidence of the establishment of Oman's diplomatic relations [27] (and why would they do this with a country they haven't recognised?). So any competing claims must be pretty robust. Bazonka (talk) 17:37, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Serbian TV RTS also claim that recognition didn`t happen. News (on serbian) --Јованвб (talk) 21:36, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

We are not following serbian propaganda. We have clear evidence. 79.243.199.13 (talk) 06:47, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Where is this evidence? A Serbian website that says that it didn't happen, doesn't mean that it didn't happen. The truth is, we don't really know, but notes verbale from Uganda and Guinea-Bissau are fairly good indicators that recognition was made by those countries. Bazonka (talk) 09:16, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Guinea-Bissau, Oman, Uganda, etc. are covered ground. This is about Nigeria. I guess the best indicator would be if the MFA takes it off the list of recognizing states. - Canadian Bobby (talk) 12:51, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Whether something is covered ground in YOUR opinion is not relevant. It's important that we neutrally note all issues in the article and let the readers decide.--Avala (talk) 13:51, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Actually, it's not MY opinion. It was the consensus achieved at the time. We have debated these silly notions endlessly and I see you're wanting to go another round. I can find a site that says the earth is flat - does that mean we have to change the geology articles to include the flat earth opinion? - Canadian Bobby (talk) 19:02, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

It would be interesting to hear what Pacolli says about Mali + Nigeria here if any one can translate. TDL (talk) 23:54, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

I have added a footnote about Nigeria's doubtful recognition. The fact that the Nigerian Foreign Minister himself is quoted as saying that it didn't happen is stroung grounds for doubt. Of course the truth of the matter is still unknown. Bazonka (talk) 21:20, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

Since when are we believing serbian propaganda? 79.243.205.203 (talk) 06:54, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Sigh - I can't do right for doing wrong. If I totally believed this claim, I would have removed Nigeria from the recognisers list. But to maintain neutrality we must show both sides of the argument. In the case of Nigeria, there is significant doubt, but nothing conclusive. Crucially, the report that claimed that the Nigerian Foreign Minister had denied recognition was published in Albanian media, not Serbian. Bazonka (talk) 07:04, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Guinea-Bissau, Oman, Uganda and Nigeria did not recognize Republic of Kosovo. You can see that in Serbian and Albanian news. 178.223.13.69 (talk) 15:13, 12 September 2012 (UTC) Ex-Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has said that Uganda did not recognize the independence of Kosovo, unilaterally proclaimed in 2008, and does not intend to do so in the future. Information that Uganda had recognized Kosovo’s independence was spread by Albanian authorities in Pristina on February 17th - the anniversary of proclamation of independence. At the same time, Vice-Premier of the Government of Kosovo Behgjet Pacolli made reference to an "oral note" from the government of Uganda. Jeremic, refuting Pristina’s statement, referred in turn to a conversation with Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oriemom. According to Jeremic, the authorities in Pristina are yet again out to deceive the public, as was previously the case with Nigeria and the Central African Republic, which, contrary to the Kosovo leaders statements, had refused to recognize Kosovo's independence. 178.223.13.69 (talk) 15:44, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

How do you explain these notes verbale then? [28], [29], [30]. Bazonka (talk) 17:03, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Don't listen to the serbian nationalist. 79.243.215.115 (talk) 19:28, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

It is easy to explain, these "notes" are from Albanian sites and news. This article must be neutral, but it's not. I can find on Serbian sites that these countries did not recognize Kosovo. I'm just telling that you are not neutral. I am Serbian nationalist and proud to be Serb. Бранко Џиновић (talk) 22:00, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

And that is a very bad thing. People like you are the worst thing that can happen to Serbia. 79.243.203.79 (talk) 06:51, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

When Alabian on this pages said that he is proud of it, that is OK. When Serb on this pages said that he is proud of it, it is wrong. When some Jeremeic's statement wasn't true, all Serbian references on this page are treated as lies. When Paccoli's statement was proven as a lie and his "Note Verbal" as a notorious counterfeit, all other his statements, and Albanian sources, are still OK (and in most of cases, the only one, no matter that they are in Albanian on English Wikipedia). Very reasonable, I must admit. Logical reasoning of people who are most influential on this page are just for Nobel Prize. --109.121.1.116 (talk) 21:55, 15 September 2012 (UTC)