By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Kosovo, Europe’s youngest nation with a predominant Muslim population, has sought the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for recognition of its independence amid reports of a staunch campaign launched by Serbia to prevent Pristina from boosting its diplomatic stature.

The call for support was made by a senior Kosovar diplomat on the occasion of the formal opening of the country’s diplomatic mission here Thursday.

Rexhep Boja, the newly appointed charge d’affaires, said “even two Gulf states, Oman and Kuwait, have not recognized Kosovo so far.”

He said the Kosovo Embassy has started functioning from a hired apartment at the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh.

The mission is being manned by one Kosovar diplomat and two support staff. A total of 76 UN member states have recognized Kosovo as an independent country, including tiny European state Andorra.

Asked about the problems faced by his country in securing recognitions from OIC states, Boja said only a third of members have recognized Kosovo so far. He added that nonrecognition of the nation has been hampering free movement of citizens in OIC countries. read more