Scandalous: After publicly criticising Kurti, Gwala's ministry calls the President for the dismissal of the chief of the special mission to the Vatican

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspore has launched a procedure that directly affects one of President Vjosa Osmani's diplomatic appointments.

The Kosovo government has sent President Vjosa Osmani an official request for the release of Vehbi Miftar, chief of the Special Mission of the Republic of Kosovo to the Vatican. This comes after Vehbi Miftari had publicly been in office Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who had attended a concert of the Kosovo Philharmonic at the Vatican. The minister had written that he was completely overlooked.

The request for the release of Miftar's post has been signed by Deputy acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Kreshnik Ahmeti, who claims Miftari has carried out unauthorised “actions”, unacceptable “behavior” and “violation of professional ethics<5>, which according to the MPJD undermine the integrity of the state foreign service.

In three documents provided by Democracy.com, MPJD announces the presidency that Miftar's actions constitute violations of Kosovo's laws and diplomacy regulations.

"Initially, let me express my highest considerations and thank you for the continued cooperation between our institutions.

Through this letter, please accept the reasoning regarding the request for release of Special Mission Chief at the Vatican, Mr. Mihtar Vehbi. Freedom from office is proposed because of the chief's unauthorised behaviour and actions in question, conduct and actions that constitute violation of professional ethics and undermine the integrity of the Foreign Service of the Republic of Kosovo, in accordance with Law No. 03/L-044 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kosovo Republic Diplomatic Service changed with Law No. As well as Foreign Service Order, No. 02/2009, modified and complete with Rule No. 04/2014. I remain available to provide any additional information on the reasoning of this request, in accordance with the legal provisions in force.

With respect,
Kreshnik Ahmeti
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora”, said in one of the letters.

Vehbi Miftari has been political adviser to President Vjosa Osmani for three years, both in the presidency and earlier at the time she headed the Kosovo Assembly.

He resigned from the councilor's position in January 2024, while a few weeks later he was appointed chief of the Kosovo Special Mission to the Vatican -- a sensitive diplomatic task requiring the adoption of the host state and joint decision-making between the president and the prime minister.

But now, just a few months after the appointment, MPJD asks President Osmani to sack its former advisor, putting formal diplomacy mechanisms in motion.

This is not the first case when MPJD and Presidency clash for diplomats.

A few weeks after the opening of Kosovo's Special Mission to the Vatican, Vehbi Miftari was appointed ambassador (Secret of the Mission). The news was delivered by himself through a Facebook post, announcing that on February 1st it began work at the Holy See.

On January 12th 2024, President Osmani announced the official creation of the Special Mission to the Vatican, a mission of high political and diplomatic importance for Kosovo, especially in the context of relations with the Holy See.

In 2023, during a visit with private audiences to Pope Francisescu, the president stressed that recognition by the Vatican would have significant impact on Kosovo's citizenship and on Euro-Atlantic integration.