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RIYADH: Kosovo and ����ֱ�� can build on their already strong foundations of friendship through emerging cooperation in technology and innovation, President Vjosa Osmani told Arab News during a visit to Riyadh for the 9th edition of the Future Investment Initiative.

As world leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors convene in the Saudi capital this week for FII — widely dubbed the “Davos of the Desert” — Osmani said the event will “open new chapters of cooperation” between the two nations.

Kosovo’s participation marks a valuable chance to forge business links, attract investment, and exchange expertise with the Kingdom, which she described as “one of the global leaders when it comes to technology advancement and AI.”

“We feel very blessed with the bilateral relations that we have with ����ֱ��,” Osmani said.

“It is one of the countries that has supported the people of Kosovo during the darkest hour in our history, but also stood by us every step of the way while we were moving ahead as a country that lives now in freedom, independence, and prosperity.”

����ֱ�� was one of the first nations to recognize Kosovo’s independence in 2008, following the 1999 NATO intervention and a period of UN administration — a gesture that remains deeply meaningful to Pristina.

“Throughout the years we’ve developed excellent relations because ����ֱ�� was one of the first countries to recognize our independence, to recognize our struggle for freedom, and to support us,” she said.

“I believe that now this visit will only serve to open new chapters of cooperation and hopefully take this country-to-country relationship to new heights.”

FII, now in its ninth year, has become one of the world’s most influential gatherings for global investment and innovation. Osmani said Kosovo’s inclusion among participating nations feels like an honor and a recognition of the country’s potential in the digital economy.

“There is an enormous potential that we can see here at the FII,” she said. “Although it’s quite a young forum compared to so many world forums, it has been able to attract thousands and thousands of representatives, whether political or business representatives.

“And I think this kind of mix also allows us, as political leaders, to learn a lot from the business spectrum on how we can enhance relations and make sure that both the political and economic relations are at the benefit of the people that we represent.

“From what we’ve seen, the FII is a place where the relations do not end at the forum but they continue right after the forum with many contracts signed, with many deals negotiated, and with many political relationships enhanced.”

Kosovo, a young republic with one of Europe’s most digitally literate populations, has launched an ambitious “Digital Agenda Kosovo 2030” (DAK 2030) to become a “gigabit society” powered by 5G connectivity, e-governance, and artificial intelligence innovation.

Osmani believes that partnership with ����ֱ�� — which is itself expanding its AI and digital agenda under Vision 2030 — can be transformative.

“We can see that ����ֱ�� is turning into one of the global leaders when it comes to technology advancement and AI in particular,” she said.

“Given that Kosovo is the leader in our region for the second year in a row, the country with the highest IT competitiveness rate and a young population that is tech savvy, digitally and innovative … we strongly believe that there is enormous potential to attract foreign direct investment in this area to come to Kosovo.”

She added: “For many representatives here, be it political or business representatives, Kosovo might be an attractive destination for investment or business cooperation with our own local businesses.

“We strongly believe that the development of technology and AI should be at the benefit of humanity — to make economic growth more sustainable, to find cures to many diseases, to make sure that education and health quality increase.”

Osmani also highlighted ����ֱ��’s longstanding support for Kosovo’s Muslim-majority population, noting that around 1,500 Kosovars perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah each year.

“We are grateful to ����ֱ�� for their cooperation in this regard,” she said. “The people of Kosovo have had a very enriching and spiritual experience here whenever they came.

“It has been one of the areas where the head of the Islamic community, our mufti, Mr. Ternava, has cooperated very well with ����ֱ�� and with your Ministry of Hajj.

“We’ve had visits from ����ֱ�� to discuss how we can enhance cooperation in this regard. And we’re very grateful for their support, with the hope that we can increase that support in the future.”

Osmani praised ����ֱ��’s “increasing role for peace and stability, not just in this region but in the world,” in a nod to the Kingdom’s mediation efforts in relation to Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine among other conflicts. 

She said Kosovo supports the Kingdom’s leadership “in making sure that they not only intermediated globally but also achieve success, because making sure that peace is present all around the world is one of the most noble missions that one can engage in.”

For Osmani, peace and stability are not abstract ideals but lived realities rooted in Kosovo’s own painful history of conflict.

“I believe (mediation efforts) do work,” she said. “While for some people, peace is something written on paper, for us it’s about our lives.

“We grew up as children of war. We had to undergo a genocidal war. And each generation, including that of our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, they all had to go through wars.

“Our kids are the very first generation in the history of our nation that are living in peace. There’s nothing more important than making sure that your child and all of the children in your country can go to bed at peace without the fear of war.”

She added: “We will always be grateful to everyone around the world that has stood by us in saving our lives, initially liberating our country, and then making sure that we have the support that we need to rebuild from the ashes of war.

“Now we are a country that has recovered, a country that is blossoming, a country that is thriving economically, under the rule of law and international relations.”

Osmani commended the “efforts and the leadership of His Royal Highness (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), in cooperation with the president of the US and so many leaders around the world,” in reference to the recent ceasefire in Gaza.

She said that Kosovo “fully supports these efforts because we understand how precious peace is and how blessed those nations who live in peace are, because that’s the only way to achieve prosperity.”

Beyond politics and investment, Osmani highlighted the importance of direct contact between the peoples of ����ֱ�� and Kosovo — through education, culture, and youth travel programs.

“You are right that the people-to-people connections have always been strong,” she said. “We need to find new ways for this relationship to blossom and to enhance further, whether in education, in culture or other areas.

“There is an enormous opportunity, and this is why I am here now — to make sure that we expand these opportunities.”

She added: “I will encourage (our young generation) to come and visit ����ֱ��, and I would like to encourage the young people of ����ֱ�� to visit Kosovo. By meeting each other, by sharing ideas and experiences, this is how these relations are created.”

Osmani also extended an invitation to the Saudi leadership.

“We would be so honored if His Royal Highness would also visit the Republic of Kosovo at his convenience, so that the people of Kosovo would have this opportunity to thank all of the leadership and the people of ����ֱ�� for standing with us.”

For Osmani, investing in youth is key to keeping the relationship vibrant.

“For two countries and two peoples to have excellent relations, you always need to involve the younger generation,” she said. “They have the most energy and they can do the best of jobs in making sure that these people-to-people ties become even stronger.”