Ditmir Bushati (born 24 March 1977) is an Albanian politician and diplomat who served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

from 2013 to 2019. He previously chaired the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration.

Early life and education

Bushati was born in Shkodër,

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

on March 24, 1977. Bushati graduated from the Faculty of Law of the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of f ...

in 1999 with the highest honors, and he received a master's degree in

Public International Law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

(LL.M) from Leiden University in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 2001. Bushati was a Research Fellow in Public International Law at TMC Asser Institute, in

the Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

. He spent also one year as a TEMPUS Fellow in Greece at the European Public Law Centre of the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

, specializing in EU Law, and has received a diploma from the

Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and from the Academy of American and International Law,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and Abo Academy University, Finland. Bushati has lectured on European Law and the EU enlargement process at different institutions and universities in

and

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. He has published numerous scientific papers and articles in areas related to the EU enlargement process, public international law and European law. He is fluent in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and has good knowledge of French. Ditmir Bushati is the grandson of Süleyman Bushati.

Career

Civil society positions

Prior to his political career Ditmir Bushati was a civil society leader and a Founding Director of the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History The origins of th ...

Albania (EMA). Ditmir Bushati Sebastian Kurz (14109574801)

He is a member of European Council on Foreign Affairs and has also served as analyst for Freedom House (2007-2008) for the Nations in Transition Report, National Reporter for the

European Society of International Law European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

(ESIL), and National Coordinator of the Open Society Foundations' project monitoring Albania's progress in the European integration process (2006-2008). He has worked as consultant for various projects of the EU, WB, USAID, GIZ, OSI,

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (''German: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: FES'') is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as th ...

, IOM, SNV.

Civil service

Ditmir Bushati served as Director for Legal Approximation at the Albanian Ministry of European Integration. In that capacity he was part of the team negotiating the

Stabilization and Association Agreement In talks with countries that have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country. In exchange, th ...

with the European Union (SAA). Bushati worked as Advisor on European Affairs to the Deputy Prime Minister, as Legal Advisor to the Constitutional Court, the Office of the President of the Republic of Albania and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Political career

Standing as a candidate of the Socialist Party of Albania, Bushati was first elected as a Member of Parliament for the Tirana District in the 2009 parliamentary election. He was re-elected in the June 2013 parliamentary elections for the same district. As an MP, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration (2011-2013) and was a member of the Joint EU-Albania Parliamentary Committee (2009-2013). In November 2011, Bushati was elected as a Member of the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party. He served as

from September 2013, when he replaced

Aldo Bumçi Aldo Tonin Bumçi (born 11 June 1974) is a member of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania for the Democratic Party of Albania. He was Minister of Justice from 2005 to 2007, Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2013. He is also member of Committee ...

, to December 2018, when he was replaced by Gent Cakaj. In August 2016, he met with Chinese State Councilor

Yang Jiechi Yang Jiechi (; born 1 May 1950) is a high-ranking Chinese politician and diplomat, who served as a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party between 2017 and 2022. Yang spent much of his professional life in the United States, wh ...

Zhongnanhai Zhongnanhai () is a former imperial garden in the Imperial City, Beijing, adjacent to the Forbidden City; it serves as the central headquarters for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the State Council (central government) of China. Zhongn ...

to discussion Albania-Chinese relations In January 2017, he called for cooperation with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in matters concerning energy, agriculture, and tourism after a two-day stay in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Later career

In 2020, the government of Prime Minister Rama nominated Bushati as its candidate for the post as Representative on Freedom of the Media of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

(OSCE).

Other activities

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

(ECFR), MemberMembers

Personal life

He is married to Aida Bushati and they have two children.

References

External links

Bushati's Twitter profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushati, Ditmir 1977 births Government ministers of Albania Foreign ministers of Albania Leiden University alumni Living people Members of the Parliament of Albania People from Shkodër Socialist Party of Albania politicians University of Tirana alumni 21st-century Albanian politicians Ditmir