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Petrit Selimi

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Petrit Selimi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office
7 April 2016 – 5 June 2016
Preceded byHashim Thaci
Succeeded byEnver Hoxhaj
Personal details
Born (1979-05-01) 1 May 1979 (age 45)
Pristina, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalityKosovan
Political partyDemocratic Party of Kosovo
SpouseArlinda Selimi
ChildrenRrok Trim Selimi
Residence(s)Prishtina, Kosovo
Alma materBA in Social Anthropology from University of Oslo
Master of Science in Media and Communication from London School of Economics (Ongoing).
WebsitePetrit Selimi, Millennium Foundation Kosovo

Petrit Selimi (born 1 May 1979 in Pristina, Kosovo) is a former Kosovar Albanian politician, who has served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. He's now a private entrepreneur and an author.[1][2] He initially served in the position of a Deputy Foreign Minister during two consecutive mandates, under Prime Ministers Hashim Thaci (2011–2014) and Isa Mustafa (2014-2017). After the election of the former Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci as a President of Kosovo, Selimi was named the country's Foreign Minister.

Selimi has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Foundation Kosovo,[3] (2017-2023) Kosovo's biggest foundation, responsible for implementing the programs financed by the US federal agency Millennium Challenge Corporation. He is also a Fellow at German Marshall Fund of United States and a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCO).

In his previous job as country's Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister Selimi has initiated several noted diplomatic initiatives including Kosovo's award-winning Digital Diplomacy program as well as Interfaith Kosovo initiative. Wired Magazine called Selimi "a pioneer in digital diplomacy."[4] He was also selected as the "team-leader of the year 2013 in digital diplomacy" in the global survey by Turkish magazine Yeni Diplomasi.[5][6] In recent press coverage in Huffington Post, Selimi was also noted as a prominent promoter of global interfaith dialogue.[7]

Career

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As a children's rights activist in his teens,[8] Selimi in 1995 co-founded "Postpessimists", the first network of youth NGOs in the former Yugoslavia. The organization later won Global Youth Peace and Tolerance Award.[9]

After finishing studies in Norway, Selimi returned to participate in various civic initiatives, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Soros Foundation in Kosovo. He later helped found Balkan Children and Youth Foundation, serving for two terms as a member of the Board of Directors, alongside President Martti Ahtisaari, CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and others.[10]

Selimi was also one of the founders of the daily newspaper Express, serving as the first publishing director of this daily newspaper. In 2004 he co-founded Stripdepot, comics bookshop/cafe, situated in downtown Pristina.[11][12]

Selimi worked as private public relations consultant in Kosovo,[13][14][15][16] until June 2011, when he got appointed by the Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi as a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo.[17][18][19] Selimi was also the initiator of the installation of the memorial stone dedicated to Kosovar Jews who perished in the Holocaust, erected by the gates of the Kosovo Parliament.[20]

Personal life

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Petrit Selimi is married with Arlinda Selimi since 2010. They have a son Rrok Trim Selimi. They live and work in Pristina.

Awards

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In 2019, Petrit Selimi has received the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship 2019, provided by the German Marshall Fund.[21] The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) is GMF’s flagship leadership development program and previous alumni include President Emmanuel Macron of France and EU’s former Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini.[22]

In 2016, Selimi was awarded the prestigious global Doha Award for Interfaith Dialogue, in a ceremony organized by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. The Award was granted to Selimi by the Qatar Minister of Justice.

In 2014 Selimi was honored as Knight Commander of Royal order of Francis I, bestowed to him by Vatican's nuncio to the United Nations Cardinal Martino of Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, for Selimi's role in promoting interfaith dialogue and tolerance.

In 2008 Selimi won a Chevening Scholarship from the British Council enabling him to undertake studies at London School of Economics.

References

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  1. ^ "SELIMI: In Kosovo, the United States Risks Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory". February 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Former Kosovo foreign minister: How to stop Serbia spat from spiraling out of control". August 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Launching the Millennium Foundation Kosovo".
  4. ^ "Pushing the Boundaries of Digital Diplomacy in Kosovo | WIRED". Wired. wired.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  5. ^ "Yeni Diplomasi's Review of Digital Diplomacy in 2013 | The Public Diplomat". thepublicdiplomat.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  6. ^ "Kosovo can't get recognition from the UN, but it can get it from Facebook | Public Radio International". pri.org. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "Petrit Selimi Unsung Interfaith Hero | HUFFINGTON POST". huffingtonpost.com. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "History of Activism: We were landlocked, lifelocked, mindlocked..." January 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "デポリング". y2kyouth.org. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  10. ^ "Balkanyouth.org". balkanyouth.org. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  11. ^ "Stripdepot Cafe | Eastern European Comics". easterneuropeancomics.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  12. ^ Warrander, G.; Knaus, V. (2007). Kosovo. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 106. ISBN 9781841621999. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  13. ^ "Young Kosovars hope to shape newly declared state - CSMonitor.com". Christian Science Monitor. csmonitor.com. February 19, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  14. ^ "Kosovo Begins to Find an Independent National Identity - TIME". Time. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  15. ^ "Obstacles burden new Kosovo state, young population | the Daily Texan". Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  16. ^ "Pristina's Music Scene 'Comes of Age' :: Balkan Insight". balkaninsight.com. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  17. ^ "Petrit Selimi - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Kosovo". mfa-ks.net. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  18. ^ "Kosovo seeks recognition from Arab states (SETimes.com)". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  19. ^ "The pull of Brussels | The Economist". The Economist. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  20. ^ "'Kosovo, a model of inter-faith tolerance'- Engel". July 2015.
  21. ^ "MFK CEO Petrit Selimi is awarded a prestigious GMF Fellowship". December 26, 2018.
  22. ^ "2018 Marshall Memorial Fellows Announced". May 2018.
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