HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Petrit Selimi (born 1 May 1979 in
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
,
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
) is a former Kosovar Albanian politician, who has served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. He's now a private entrepreneur and an author. 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 The President of Kosovo (; ), officially the President of the Republic of Kosovo (; ), is the head of state of Kosovo. The president is elected indirectly by the parliament through a secret ballot, requiring a two-thirds majority of deputies in ...
, Selimi was named the country's Foreign Minister. Selimi has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Foundation Kosovo, (2017-2023) Kosovo's biggest foundation, responsible for implementing the programs financed by the US federal agency
Millennium Challenge Corporation The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency established by the U.S. Congress in 2004. It is an independent agency separate from the State Department and USAID. It provides grants to countries tha ...
. 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." He was also selected as the "team-leader of the year 2013 in digital diplomacy" in the global survey by Turkish magazine Yeni Diplomasi. In recent press coverage in
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
, Selimi was also noted as a prominent promoter of global interfaith dialogue.


Career

As a children's rights activist in his teens, 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. After finishing studies in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, Selimi returned to participate in various civic initiatives, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of
Soros Foundation Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the st ...
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 Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (, 23 June 1937 – 16 October 2023) was a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland, from 1994 to 2000, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediation, mediator noted for his inte ...
, CNN Chief International Correspondent
Christiane Amanpour Christiane Maria Heideh AmanpourStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', 22 January 2019 (; ; born 12 January 1958) is a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN International, ...
and others. Selimi was also one of the founders of the daily newspaper
Express Express, The Expresss or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * ''The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid * The Expre ...
, serving as the first publishing director of this daily newspaper. In 2004 he co-founded Stripdepot, comics bookshop/cafe, situated in downtown Pristina. Selimi worked as private public relations consultant in Kosovo, until June 2011, when he got appointed by the Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi as a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. Selimi was also the initiator of the installation of the memorial stone dedicated to Kosovar Jews who perished in the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
, erected by the gates of the Kosovo Parliament.


Personal life

Petrit Selimi is married with Arlinda Selimi since 2010. They have a son Rrok Trim Selimi. They live and work in
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
.


Awards

In 2019, Petrit Selimi has received the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship 2019, provided by the
German Marshall Fund The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy think tank that seeks to promote cooperation and understanding between North America and the European Union. Founded in 1972, through a gift from the W ...
. 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. 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 Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
Minister of Justice. In 2014 Selimi was honored as Knight Commander of Royal order of Francis I, bestowed to him by
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
's nuncio to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Cardinal Martino of
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...
, for Selimi's role in promoting interfaith dialogue and tolerance. In 2008 Selimi won a
Chevening Scholarship The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship, funded by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organizations, that enables foreign students to study at universities in the United Kingdom. History The C ...
from the
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...
enabling him to undertake studies at
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
.


References


External links


Blog page of Petrit Selimi at European Council on Foreign Relations



Petrit Selimi's columns in Daily Express

Article on Selimi in Dutch webzine

Interview with Selimi in Balkan Insight magazine, published by BIRN

Interview with Selimi in Express daily newspaper

Home page of the comic's inspired cafe, founded by Petrit Selimi

Blog page of Petrit Selimi, in Kosovotwopointzero, Kosovo's blog generator

The Balkan Bubble, a page with the articles written by Petrit Selimi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selimi, Petrit Kosovo Albanians Living people 1979 births Kosovan diplomats Politicians from Pristina Foreign ministers of Kosovo Government ministers of Kosovo University of Oslo alumni