"Kosovo was presented with a footnote in Tirana", the deputy minister leaves the conference

The Albanian government has been embroiled in a 'diplomatic scandal' during a high-level regional conference held last week in Tirana, where Kosovo was also a participant.

Unlike other states, Kosovo was introduced with a footnote referring to UN Resolution 1244.

In reaction to this manner of representation, the acting Deputy Minister of Finance of Kosovo, Agon Doburuna, left the conference in protest.

In a Facebook post, Doburuna said he was forced to leave the event and refuse to sign the Declaration of Commitment, due to what he called “unacceptable treatment of the Republic of Kosovo.”

“The way Kosovo's representation was handled was deeply disappointing and unacceptable for a sovereign state, which actively and equally contributes to these processes,” Doburuna wrote.

According to him, the request to correct this representation was ignored by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Albania – the organizer of the conference – violating the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that this conference aimed to promote.

The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, was also present at this event.

"Kosovo is an undeniable international reality. We are deeply committed to guaranteeing the rights of our children and contributing to peace and stability in the region, but this cannot be done by denying us state subjectivity," Doburuna emphasized in his public reaction.

On February 24, 2012, within the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on regional representation, which later became known as the "footnote agreement".

Based on this agreement, a footnote would be added to Kosovo's name whenever the country was mentioned, to enable representation in various regional and international conferences and initiatives.

"This determination is without prejudice to status and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the International Court of Justice on the act of declaring Kosovo's independence," the agreement states. /Telegraph/