Kosovo–Singapore relations

Kosovo–Singapore relations are foreign relations between Kosovo[a] and Singapore.

Kosovan–Singaporean relations

Kosovo
Singapore

History

On 18 February 2008, the Singaporean Foreign Ministry issued a statement through its spokesman regarding Kosovo's declaration of independence: "Singapore is still studying the matter. This is a controversial move that has many complex ramifications around the world. The situation under international law is not clear and the kind of precedent that could be set needs to be carefully assessed. We hope international mediation efforts would continue so that a solution acceptable to all parties can be found".[1] According to the Serbian Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremić, who met with Singaporean officials in August 2008, Singapore does not intend to recognise Kosovo and it considers the unilateral declaration a dangerous precedent which could cause instability throughout the world.[2] On 8 October the representative of Singapore at the UN said that he was sympathetic to the quest of the people of Kosovo, as they, indeed, had suffered terrible treatment in the past and that many countries had expressed sympathy for some form of autonomy for Kosovo. However he said that to date, Singapore had not supported Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, and was concerned about the precedent it could set. He also said that Singapore preferred that the matter be resolved peacefully by the concerned parties.
In a 25 September 2010 meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Kosovo and Singapore, Skënder Hyseni and George Yeo, Mr. Yeo said that Singapore had been awaiting the outcome of the ICJ case before making a decision on recognising Kosovo. Now that the court has made its decision, Singapore is studying it very carefully.[3]
In March 2012, Singaporean Foreign Minister, K. Shanmugam, said that Singapore would reconsider its position on Kosovo's independence in the light of recent developments there, and in the framework of the EU integration perspective.[4] On 26 September 2012, Shanmugam said that Singapore has a very positive attitude to the independent state of Kosovo and would consider the request to recognise it.[5]
In September 2014, Shanmugam said that Singapore considers as positive the developments in Kosovo and emphasised the possibility for recognition of Kosovo, under a process which requires more time.[6]

Recognition

Singapore recognised the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state on 1 December 2016.[7]

Kosovo and Singapore established diplomatic relations on 1 December 2016.[8]

State visits
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, visited Singapore on 23 January 2017.[9]

Notes
a.   ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. MFA Spokesman's Comments in Response to Media Queries on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, 2008-02-18
  2. Singapore to support ICJ initiative Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, B92, 2008-08-13
  3. Minister Hyseni meets Foreign Minister of Singapore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, 2010-09-25
  4. Haxhinasto in Singapore, conclusion on the agreement for the promotion and protection of investments, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, 2012-03-07
  5. Ministri Hoxhaj kërkon njohjen e Kosovës nga Singapori, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, 2012-09-26 (in Albanian)
  6. President Jahjaga met with the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Mr. K. Shanmugam, Office of the President of Kosovo, 2014-09-24
  7. Singapore Recognizes Kosovo as an Independent State and Diplomatic Relations are Established, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, 2016-12-01
  8. The Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the Republic of Kosovo have established diplomatic relations with effect from 1 December 2016. Archived 20 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, 2016-12-01
  9. "Hoxhaj visits Singapore: From recognition towards economic cooperation". Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Republic of Kosovo. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
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