\u200bKosovaPress<\/a>\u00a0that the number of countries recognizing Kosovo\u2019s independence could soon increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThis is a recognition that has been expected since the fall of the Assad dynasty \u2014 a regime that for 40 years was the greatest enemy of its own people. They did not recognize Kosovo, like many other Arab states, because they were close allies of Russia. After the fall of that dynasty and the rise of a new government, I predicted that Syria would be among the first in that part of the world to recognize Kosovo. I also believe Lebanon will follow, as it did not dare to recognize Kosovo due to Syria\u2019s influence \u2014 Lebanon was, politically speaking, a kind of Syrian colony. I also think that Iraq and several Caucasus countries could follow suit, now that the issues that once prevented them from recognizing Kosovo are no longer obstacles. I see no longer any political barriers for Azerbaijan to recognize Kosovo,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Syria, a Middle Eastern country, recognized Kosovo on October 29, becoming the 120th country to do so. President Vjosa Osmani announced that the agreement was reached with the support of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith the support of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, today in Riyadh we reached an agreement through which the Arab Republic of Syria recognizes the Republic of Kosovo. I thank President Al Sharaa for the decision to recognize Kosovo and for his support for our people. The people of Kosovo and Syria have both suffered and sacrificed greatly to achieve freedom. Therefore, this mutual recognition today is not only about state sovereignty but also about honoring the sacrifices of generations who fought to live freely,\u201d wrote Osmani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the recognition, stating that the decision aims to expand cooperation and openness with countries around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nehat Islami, who worked as a correspondent in the Middle East during the 1970s, told KosovaPress that Syria\u2019s position toward Kosovo had long depended on Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is very significant because Syria, under the Assad dynasty, was part of the chain of resistance states aligned with Iran. Iran, for political reasons, never wanted to recognize Kosovo. Since Syria was effectively a colony of Iran \u2014 dependent on its army and economy \u2014 it neither dared nor wanted to recognize Kosovo. But with the new government, as it became clear that the Syrian people had nothing against the people of Kosovo and were interested in recognizing it, the new leadership moved in that direction. It should also be noted that Saudi Arabia and Turkey play major roles in that part of the world. These two friendly states are working more and more with countries that have not yet recognized Kosovo,\u201d Islami explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expert on European integration and former diplomat Alma Lama said Syria\u2019s recognition comes as a result of geopolitical shifts and the new political alignment of official Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis recognition is important because Syria is a key country in the region. These new alignments, in a time of major geopolitical changes, could lead to further recognitions. Let\u2019s not forget Armenia, which seems to be distancing itself from the Russian sphere of influence. We\u2019re not there yet, but more changes could come. I\u2019m convinced that the outcome of the war in Ukraine will bring one of the biggest shifts on the international scene \u2014 if Russia loses, its influence across South Asia will decline, and that could lead to new recognitions of Kosovo,\u201d Lama said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that Kosovo must review its recognition strategy, in cooperation with the United States, and strengthen ties with both the U.S. and the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKosovo needs as many recognitions as possible to strengthen its international standing and escape the \u2018black hole\u2019 status of being outside the UN. While recognitions alone don\u2019t make Kosovo a UN member \u2014 since that\u2019s up to the Security Council \u2014 they do reinforce its international legitimacy. This is especially important when recognitions come from significant states. There haven\u2019t been many in recent years \u2014 only two in the last two years \u2014 but this is good news. The government should continue working to encourage even hesitant countries to recognize Kosovo. Since recognitions are coordinated with the U.S., and as the influence of both the U.S. and Russia changes globally \u2014 especially in Africa \u2014 there is still space to act. A full review of Kosovo\u2019s recognition strategy is needed, in cooperation with the U.S. and friendly nations,\u201d Lama concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kosovo\u2019s Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti expressed gratitude for President Vjosa Osmani\u2019s successful efforts and Saudi Arabia\u2019s support. Albania\u2019s President Bajram Begaj also welcomed Syria\u2019s decision, saying it supports the state of Kosovo and peace and stability in the Balkans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The recognition of Kosovo by Syria is being seen as an important development, as well as an indicator that other countries might take similar steps. This recognition had been expected since the fall of the Assad dynasty, says Nehat Islami, who served as a correspondent covering Kosovo from the Middle East, based in Beirut. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":77698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,296],"tags":[6882,6883,6881],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77699,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77697\/revisions\/77699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}