The Albanian head of state thanked his Kenyan counterpart William Rutto for the decision.

“Pleased that Kenya has recognized the state of Kosovo today.  I extend my gratitude to my friend Williams Ruto  for this decision, warmly welcomed by all Albanians,” the President of the Republic Bajram Begaj said in a statement on the social media platform X.

Kenya has formally recognized Kosovo’s independence, marking a significant diplomatic win for Pristina amid ongoing efforts to expand its international standing.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kosovo has been recognized by 118 countries around the world since Prishtina declared independence on February 2008.

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Speaking at a press conference after a regular cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister said that Kosovo expects to join the Council of Europe next year.

She appealed for international support for recognition by the five EU member states.

“During this year, we also made significant progress towards membership in the Council of Europe. Despite lobbying efforts by Serbia and its allies, Kosovo has successfully received backing in the Ministerial Council. Next year, we will continue to work intensively to deliver on Kosovo’s CoE membership, one of the most important bodies not only for the international subjectivity of the Republic of Kosovo, but also for the enforcement of the individual rights of our citizens. Significant progress has been also made in terms of bilateral relations with the EU member states that haven’t recognized Kosovo yet. We have successfully combated Serbia’s de-recognition campaign. The EU countries that have not recognized the Republic of Kosovo are doing so mainly for their domestic political reasons. However, we are aware that in order to convince the states to recognize Kosovo, we also need the support of our partners, friends and allies,” Gërvalla said.

Five EU member states, namely Spain, Cyprus, Slovakia, Romania, and Greece haven’t recognized Kosovo’s independence yet.

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