Kosovo's ambassador to Bangladesh, Guner Ureya, has been serving in Dhaka since 2021. With a distinguished background in diplomacy, international relations, etc Guner Ureya has represented Kosovo's interests in Bangladesh with dedication and has a wealth of experience in diplomatic service. 

Prior to assuming the role of ambassador to Bangladesh, Guner Ureya have held positions of responsibility in Kosovo's government, foreign affairs ministry, and in other international organizations.

In a recent interview with Security World Guner Ureya shared insights on the bilateral relations between Kosovo and Bangladesh. The interview provided an opportunity for Guner Ureya to articulate Kosovo's foreign policy priorities and its engagement with Bangladesh on matters of mutual interest, including security cooperation, trade, and cultural exchange.

During his tenure in Bangladesh, Guner Ureya was known for his efforts to strengthen the ties between Kosovo and Bangladesh, promoting cultural understanding, and advancing mutual interests. He leaves behind a legacy of, which have contributed to deepening the friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

As Ambassador prepares to depart from Dhaka, he expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality and support received during his time in Bangladesh. He looks forward to the next chapter of his diplomatic career, carrying with him the experiences and relationships forged during his diplomatic mission in Bangladesh.

While Guner Ureya bids farewell to Bangladesh, he will continue to serve Kosovo in his next assignment, bringing his expertise and diplomatic acumen to further Kosovo's interests on the global stage.

The following is an excerpt from the interview: 

For a diplomat, working in this significant South Asian country is an excellent opportunity. The environment is suitable for diplomatic activities. In general, there is a friendly atmosphere and diplomats are well received. Obviously, when you are surrounded by positive energy, you strive to do something extra for your country and for bilateral relations. I worked for enhancing the bilateral relations in every field with Bangladesh. Besides this, as a diplomatic mission we accredited for the Maldives. Through Dhaka I also tried to create bridges with non-recognizers in South Asia as well. Unfortunately India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan from this region, still didn’t recognize my country. 

Opening a new diplomatic mission is an achievement in itself. It was very valuable for me to be an important part of the institutional cooperation between the two countries and to promote our country in Bangladesh and South Asia. Without being humble and I can state that my team and I have done good work to begin with. We have been involved in successful work for a while, such as a significant increase in our trade, some joint initiatives, enhance of the bilateral corporation, import of workforce from Bangladesh, and promotional cultural and other activities. I think we are leaving a good legacy to bearers of our flag in Bangladesh. Newcomers will be more successful.

South Asia countries have always intrigued me with their traditions, human characteristics, cuisine and different colors. By a twist of fate, I was fortunate enough to serve as the first Ambassador of my country in Dhaka for more than four years. During my tenure, beside my routines, I tried to follow the countries of the region, particularly neighbors of Bangladesh and their general trends. When assessing countries from a diplomatic perspective, our countries' relations and interests cannot be taken out of the context. I would like to emphasize that we are pleased with our cordial and friendly relations with Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Maldives. Allow me to make a note. Our Ambassador to Türkiye is a non-resident Ambassador to Pakistan and carries out very sincere efforts for cooperation between the two countries. I’m following the remaining part of the region. I can say that we have the potential to have official relations with India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan as well.

You asked me about my impressions. General developments in South Asian countries in recent years have drawn my attention. Particularly, the possibility of reconciliation between India and Pakistan is one of the issues I have always wondered about: "What kind of atmosphere can the paradigm shift bring to South Asia? Is it possible to put forward a vision for the future on a platform like SAARC instead of dwelling on the past? The cultural diversity and richness, but also the overall potential of South Asian countries with a population of around 1.9 billion, are worth exploring more. I will give examples that intrigued me of South Asian countries with which we, as Kosovo, do not have G2G and diplomatic relations, but with whom we have the potential to develop relations: Let’s start with India. Belief systems and values born in India have become significant values in different countries today. The lands of India, which have drawn the route of societies in the spiritual sense, have also brought very successful leaders to different parts of the world. Today, there are very successful leaders of Indian origin on every continent. From the presidents to the prime ministers, from the MPs to the mayors, there are leading figures of Indian origin who contribute to the development of countries of which they are citizens of. I think the secret to these people's success is their hardworking and profound reverence for serving others. We have a lot to learn from India and its people, a country that is on a steady growth trend and aims to become the world's third-largest economy. While I admired Indians' achievements, during my four years in South Asia, I ex-officio wanted to emulate New Delhi's position on us, notably Kosovo.  In Indian position, I saw the traces of the versions fabricated by our neighbor Serbia. Unfortunately, predominantly the Serbian versions influenced India's perceptions and prejudices towards Kosovo. It's also very difficult to make your opponents' made-up stories forgettable.  Another country is Nepal. My perceptions of Nepal before were shaped by three elements: Firstly, the civil war in the 90s; then, the Himalayas, especially Mount Everest; and also Gurkhas from Nepal, who served as peacekeepers after the war in Kosovo. It is not difficult for us to empathize with Nepal, because we have common elements that remind us of our suffering, but also of our qualities. Both countries and peoples have gone through difficult times. We have always tried to ease our pain by talking to the mountains and singing to the trees, rocks, and rivers. Although not as great as the Himalayas, our Sharr Mountains are nonetheless extremely lovely. Our characteristics are similar. As I got to know Nepali more and more every day, I witnessed that it is the hometown of friendly, proud, and respectful people. In general, Nepal is a country of people who avoid making decisions too quickly and are a little cautious but always friendly, with a positive aura and a smile on their faces. Throughout my tenure of four years in South Asia, I have also tried to follow Kathmandu’s political position on us, notably Kosovo. I witnessed that Nepalese have no negative feelings; on the contrary, they are very friendly to us. Kathmandu is open for communication; however, unfortunately, it has yet to extend official recognition to the Republic of Kosovo's independence. Regarding Sri Lanka first, I thought, what can we Kosovars associate with this South Asian country? “Ceylon Tea, of course”! In our Lap region, as well as in our cities of Vushtrri and Prizren, tea consumption has become a ritual. Tea is indispensable for the atmosphere of chatting and love in our families. We don't add milk to tea like the British; we usually drink it raw, while some prefer to add a lemon slice to it. Even though ‘Ceylon Tea’ is labelled on every box in our markets, for some reason some call it “Russian Tea”. Although very few, there are those who call it ‘Indian Tea’.  From here, my apologies to my Sri Lankan friends and acquaintances; even though the rest of the world prefers their tea, my favourite teas are those harvested in Srimangal, Bangladesh. Here in Dhaka, I have made many Sri Lankan friends. They are very friendly individuals. Most of them I have met are with a positive aura and a smile on their faces. During my four years in South Asia, besides other countries, I also tried to follow Colombo’s official position on us, notably Kosovo. They are extremely cordial. Colombo is open to communication, but unfortunately, it has yet to extend official recognition to the Republic of Kosovo's independence. When it comes to Bhutan and Bhutanese people, I think of the Nation of Happiness. A country has unique features in its customs and cuisine.  Bhutan is a country where people experience spiritual and material happiness in balance. This country is a model for many others where greed and consumerism dominate. We need to explore Bhutan thoroughly to better understand that the secret of human happiness is balance, moderation, and unity with nature. We are always open to relations with Bhutan without any reserve. We always anticipate positive news from Thimphu.

We are trying to tell the non-recognizing South Asian countries representatives that other nations initially withheld the recognition act, but over time they realized that accepting the reality of the Republic of Kosovo was the right step. Recognition of Kosovo is important for peace and stability in the Balkan Peninsula, or, in other words, in Southeast Europe. The independence of the Republic of Kosovo has rectified historical mistakes, ended the Serbian occupation and brought peace and freedom to the people. We understand that each country has its own foreign policy priorities and interests. It's understandable that some of South Asian nations have their own challenges such as accommodation of interests of diverse sub-identities and communities in their respective countries, but also regarding its relations with neighboring countries. Likewise, we, as the relatively new country are looking for a permanent solution on the basis of equity with our neighbor Serbia, through mutual recognition.   In order to get over reservations of non-recognizers, particularly India's prejudices against us, it is useful to state some facts. First of all, Kosovo is a `sui generis` case and, as such, it cannot be compared to any other situation and cannot represent a precedent for any other entity or territory in the world. If others see the Kosovo issue as a precedent for their internal issues, they would be doing themselves an injustice, above all. Serbia may want to create such a perception in other countries, but this perception will harm the processes related to Kosovo and also can create confusion regarding the future of others.  "Kosovo case is `sui generis` and taking it as a precedent for other cases leads to confusion and does not serve to solve problems.”

To understand how Kosovo achieved independence, it is essential to comprehend its history. In 1989, Belgrade abolished Kosovo's autonomy and two years later, as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) disintegrated, Kosovo lost its status as a federal entity in the ex-country with rights similar to those of the six republics. During the 1990s Kosovo and its institutions were under the Serbian occupation. Serbian authorities consistently discriminated Kosovars, excluding them from governance and public life, along with exclusion from the health and educational system. In reaction, the Kosovo leadership under Ibrahim Rugova pursued a policy of peaceful resistance for several years, before the lack of progress led to the formation of the Kosovo Liberation Army and armed struggle. This, in turn, encouraged the Serbians to exercise more pressure against the Kosovars. Following a failed attempt to negotiate a settlement at Rambouillet, France, in March 1999, NATO decided to stop humanitarian crises in Kosovo and intervened in Serbian targets. During the Serbian atrocities more than half of the Kosovars became refugees or internally displaced. After the war, the problems were tried to be solved through negotiations. But after all the attempts, the UN special envoy, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, gave the green light for the status of Kosovo, as a ‘sui generis’ case. Although Serbia, Russia and some other countries insist on denying the truth, Kosovo's independence has become an irreversible fact.

It should be noted that, more than half of member countries of the UN have recognized the independence of the Republic of Kosovo. The majority of these countries are geographically close to Kosovo and they realized that the case is unique and cannot be used as a precedent for other cases. In addition they considered the peace and stability of the region as well as their own peace and stability. On the other side, the International Court of Justice ruled that the declaration of independence of Kosovo was not in violation of international law. 

No, such thing cannot happen. Kosovo is a secular state with a Muslim majority. There is great respect for all faiths in Kosovo.  Numerous countries with Christian-majority, Muslim-majority, and Buddhist-majority recognized Kosovo. On the other hand, Israel is the last country to have recognized Kosovo. Our people live in peace with all beliefs. It is also a good thing that we do not have a nation that marginalizes non-believers. We respect everyone. Regarding the hesitance in the South Asian region, I can provide the following example: I have read several documents about India's objection to Kosovo’s independence. The objection of New Delhi is related to its relations with Serbia, and these relations ‘according to Indian official statements’ are particularly defined in the context of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It is worth mentioning that Serbia is not a member of the Non-Aligned Movement but is only trying to benefit from the platform by falsely introducing itself as a legal inheritor of the former SFRY, which is not true. Even if NAM is considered a reference point, it should be remembered that Serbia, during the 90s, violated all its main principles. During the dissolution of the SFRY, Serbia`s acts destroyed equality between federal units, but Belgrade also had and still has hegemonic aspirations. Serbia during that time attacked the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other federal units, applied aggression towards them, interfered in their domestic affairs, violated the principle of equality, and violated the co-existence of all of the nations in the former country. Furthermore, Serbia`s aggression caused humanitarian crises in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and the deaths and injuries of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of more than four million people in the former SFRY.  India could make major mistake if it views Kosovo and the issues in the Balkan Peninsula in isolation from all of these tragedies. This can be counterproductive, especially for India, a country that aims to prioritize peace and harmony. Otherwise, condoning someone's hegemony in the Balkans will be a bad precedent and can cause negative effects in the long term.

First of all, we are liberated. Freedom is the foundation of self-confidence and constructive entrepreneurship. The independence of the Republic of Kosovo has had an impact on the overall development of the country as well as on the emancipation of Kosovar society.  After declaration of independence, our citizens have demonstrated their talents in every field, including sports and arts, but also in economics and in many other spheres of life. Freedom, democracy, and peace have made Kosovars achieve successes globally. It is very nice to be independent and experience independence. However, for us to enter into different arrangements, we need to be recognized by others as well, especially by the countries with whom we have the potential for cooperation. Our hope is all non-recognizers from South Asia officially recognize Kosovo as soon as possible. Recognition of Kosovo by India and by other non-recognizers will also help Serbia to get rid of its hegemonic ambitions and to focus on regional peace and stability. Recognitions will contain meaningful messages about peace and reconciliation in the world. There are numerous opportunities and potential for cooperation between Kosovo and current non-recognizers in South Asia. As Kosovo, we are trying to share our narrative with to all South Asian countries. We are trying to explain that Kosovars are peace-loving, that we have a vibrant population with the youngest median age in Europe and that we can develop both bilateral relations and cooperate on multilateral platforms. Bangladesh, recognized Kosovo only a few years ago and now we have a very close relationship with your country. The trade volume between the two countries is increasing every year. Our institutional and human relations have increased. As a result of our close cooperation, hundreds of Bangladeshis are now working in Kosovo companies. By the end of 2023, this number will probably reach around 1500. People from two countries have increased cooperation in art and other fields as well. Likewise, we have achieved a very positive atmosphere of cooperation with Pakistan and the Maldives. We have lots of experiences to share with other South Asian countries too. It is crucial to start with G2G activities and to encourage more the companies for enhancing bilateral trade with all countries in South Asia. We all can contribute more also to P2P relations. Since we as Kosovars have many P2P contacts with Serbians with the aim of contributing to reconciliation between the nations, why not have with non-recognizer from South Asia as well!?  There are numerous things to share with each other. We can build a better future for new generations by building bridges of friendship.

It is difficult to say goodbye to leave Bangladesh and my friends here. As I depart, my sincere message to Bangladeshis is as follows: It is natural that there are differences of opinion in society.  There may be different opinions, but do not drag the country into polarization. Prioritize dialogue in all situations. You have a beautiful country and beautiful people. Countries consist of all the components. Only with unity and solidarity, you can reach the country's 2041 vision. Bangladesh deserves the best. My family and I will never forget our Bengali friends, and we always pray for your happiness.  We hope that the affinity between our countries and people will endure forever.