Vlora Çitaku

Vlora Çitaku (born 1980[1][2]) is a Kosovar-Albanian politician and diplomat who currently serves as the Ambassador of Kosovo to the United States.[3] She formerly served as Consul General of Kosovo[lower-alpha 1] in New York.[4]

Vlora Çitaku
Ambassador of Kosovo to United States
Assumed office
20 August 2015
PresidentAtifete Jahjaga
Hashim Thaçi
Vjosa Osmani (Acting)
Prime MinisterIsa Mustafa
Ramush Haradinaj
Albin Kurti
Avdullah Hoti
Preceded byAkan Ismaili
Minister for European Integration
In office
22 February 2011 – 1 September 2014
PresidentAtifete Jahjaga
Prime MinisterHashim Thaçi
Preceded byBesim Beqaj
Succeeded byBekim Çollaku
Personal details
Born10 October 1980
Prishtina, Yugoslavia

Before joining Kosovo's diplomatic corps, Vlora served as Minister for European integration of the Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1] She was noted as one of the most successful ministers of the 2011-2014 Kosovo government.[5] She relinquished her MP seat in the Kosovo Assembly upon taking the governmental position, which she won as one of the top three most voted candidates.

Career

Vlora Çitaku was only a teen when she became interpreter and a stringer for major Western news outlets at the onset of Kosovo war. She later became a refugee during the Kosovo War and has been involved with politics since 1999. She initially became spokesperson for the KLA and joined the PDK after the formation of the party in the post-war Kosovo. She was a Member of Parliament in two mandates. She states that she has overcome the stereotypes in politics that one must be old and a man.[6]

She was the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs between 18 October 2010 and 22 February 2011.[7]

Controversy

At the 15th anniversary of the start of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Çitaku posted an image on Twitter that provoked political controversy.[8][9] She replaced the well known slogan for Nike, “Just Do It”, with the words, “NATO Air Just Do It” – with a warplane next to it. Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the gesture disrespectful to Serbs civilians killed by NATO air strikes.[8] Analysts also considered it in bad taste.[10] Nike, Inc. also said that the image "did not represent their officials stand" - and that company was in no way involved in posting the tweet or in creating the image.[9]

In April 2019, Çitaku tweeted comparing an episode of Game of Thrones to the history between Serbia and Kosovo, while she put Serbia in the role of White Walkers, the main villains that are portrayed as a supernatural threat to humankind.[11] Her tweet prompted widespread reactions, including a retweet from Stefana Miladinović.[12]

Notes
  1. 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. 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 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. Twitter
  2. Guide to Women Leaders
  3. "Çitaku dekretohet ambasadore në SHBA". Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  4. "Vlora Çitaku konsulle e Kosovës në Nju Jork". old.zeri.info. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  5. "Ministrja e Integrimit Vlora Çitaku dhe Ministri i Brendshëm Bajram Rexhepi vizituan Berlinin". Ministria e Punëve të Jashtme - Ambasada e Republikës së Kosovës në Berlin. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  6. "Profile: Vlora Citaku- Kosovo's new challenge" kijacnews.net 2 March 2010 Link retrieved 21 February 2011
  7. Minister Hyseni handed over the duty of the Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. Link accessed 20 October 2010
  8. "Tweets Hailing NATO's Kosovo War Offend Serbia". Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  9. "NATO spokesperson stands by controversial tweet". Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  10. "PONIZILA SRBE: Tačijeva ministarka izvređala žrtve NATO napada 1999!" (in Serbian). Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  11. "Vlora Çitaku krahason "Game of Thrones" me Kosovën dhe Serbinë" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  12. "Deputetja serbe i reagon Vlora Çitakut pas krahasimit të luftës në Kosovë me "Game of Thrones". Lajmet e fundit - Zëri. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
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