Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, on Friday at the “Antalya Diplomatic Forum.” They discussed strengthening bilateral relations and exploring opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
This meeting comes at a time when Serbia claimed that Sierra Leone had withdrawn its recognition of Kosovo’s independence – a claim made public by Serbia’s former foreign minister, Ivica Dačić, on March 3, 2020.
On Facebook, Osmani wrote: “In Antalya, I had the pleasure of meeting the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio. We discussed strengthening bilateral relations between our two countries, as well as specific opportunities for cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.” She added that invitations for official visits were exchanged to deepen friendly ties and open new chapters of cooperation.
This development directly challenges Serbia’s narrative, which had included Sierra Leone on a list of countries that allegedly withdrew recognition of Kosovo. In fact, Sierra Leone had officially recognized Kosovo’s independence on June 11, 2008, while Serbia had been claiming otherwise since March 2020.
During her stay in Turkey, Osmani also held important meetings, including one with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom she praised for always standing by Kosovo in every challenge and success. She also met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss opening new chapters of cooperation between the two countries.
In addition, Osmani met with Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, who is also the Chief Secretary of the Presidential Cabinet. This meeting came shortly after Kenya decided to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Osmani thanked Mudavadi for this move and said it “contributes to peace and long-term stability in our region.” They discussed areas of mutual interest for cooperation, which will be further explored during an official visit to Kenya.
This diplomatic engagement by President Osmani underscores Kosovo’s efforts to strengthen international relations and challenge Belgrade’s claims regarding the recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
