Relationship dossier
Afghanistan
Kosovo
Relationship assessment
Recognition and Kosovo’s contribution to Afghanistan’s NATO-led security mission mark limited bilateral cooperation.
Afghanistan toward Kosovo
+20Afghanistan recognized Kosovo in 2008, a concrete act of political support. The position of Afghanistan’s post-2021 authorities is unclear.
Kosovo toward Afghanistan
+25Kosovo contributed security personnel to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, providing concrete security cooperation. The extent of other bilateral engagement is unclear.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship includes Afghanistan’s recognition of Kosovo and Kosovo’s security contribution to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. These distinct forms of political and security cooperation indicate a positive but limited bilateral relationship; the durability of Afghanistan’s recognition after the 2021 change of government is uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Afghanistan recognized Kosovo in 2008, and Kosovo contributed security personnel to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. These actions indicate some political and security cooperation, though the breadth and continuity of bilateral engagement are unclear. Afghanistan’s change of government in 2021 also makes continuity of its earlier policy uncertain.
Key developments
Afghanistan recognized Kosovo.
Kosovo contributed security personnel to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of direct diplomatic and security cooperation between the two governments is unclear.
- It is unclear whether Afghanistan’s post-2021 authorities maintain the earlier government’s recognition of Kosovo.