Gent Cakaj

Gent Cakaj (born 6 July 1990) is a Kosovo[a]-born Albanian politician, who was serving as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania in 2019-2020.

Gent Cakaj
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
23 January 2019 – 29 December 2020
MinisterEdi Rama
Preceded byDitmir Bushati
Succeeded byOlta Xhaçka
Personal details
Born (1990-07-06) 6 July 1990
Pristina, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalityAlbanian
Political partySocialist Party (from 2019; Albania)
Other political
affiliations		Vetëvendosje (2005–2007; Kosovo)
ResidenceTirana, Albania
Alma materCentral European University
University of Pristina
AAB University
University of Leuven

Biography

He is the son of Shkëlzen Cakaj, a researcher from Gjakova, Kosovo.[a] Gent Cakaj was born and grew up in Pristina.[1][2][3] He is also the brother of Gresa Caka Nimani, who currently is a judge at the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.[4]

Cakaj was educated in Kosovo, Belgium and Hungary, and holds two bachelor's and three master's degrees in philosophy, political sciences, and law.[5] He graduated in 2015 from Central European University with a MA thesis on "Neuro-Enhancement and the Notion of Legal Responsibility"[6]

Cakaj was initially an advisor to Prime Minister Rama on Foreign Policy and, specifically, for European Union affairs. Then in the Rama II Cabinet he was appointed as deputy minister of foreign affairs.[7]

In January 2019 Cakaj was designated to replace incumbent Ditmir Bushati as Minister Of Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Edi Rama after a cabinet reshuffle.[8] The appointment was rejected by President Ilir Meta citing issues with Cakaj over credentials for the portfolio.[8] The matter led to a public spat between the president and prime minister that ended with Rama temporarily taking on the additional role of Foreign Affairs Minister.[8] After Rama became Foreign Minister he delegated the portfolio to Cakaj as Acting Minister on January 23.[9]

On 29 December 2020 Cakaj resigned from the position of Deputy Minister/Acting Foreign Minister, stating that "following the successful completion of the OSCE chairmanship, the opening of EU accession negotiations, the extraordinary work to secure a seat on the Security Council for 2022-2023, the implementation of a series of unprecedented factor-raising measures Albanians in the Western Balkans, and since Albania is on the verge of an election campaign, where I do not intend to run as a candidate for MP, I consider that the chapter of my service at the head of Albanian diplomacy is over".[10]

Publications
  • With Gezim Krasniqi: The role of minorities in the Serb-Albanian political quagmire, in Kosovo and Serbia: Contested Options and Shared Consequences, edited by Leandrit Mehmeti and Branislav Radeljic (Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh University Press, 2016), 149-167.

See also

Notes
a.   ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 99 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 14 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. "Ministri i Jashtëm Gent Cakaj, i biri i një shkencëtari mendjendritur". Tirana Today (in Albanian). 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  2. "Opinion - Ministri i Jashtëm Gent Cakaj!". TV Klan (in Albanian). 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  3. Sylejmani, Ismet (2019-01-05). "Hasan Prishtina dhe Gent Cakaj". Epoka e Re (in Albanian). Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  4. https://gjk-ks.org/en/judges/gresa-caka-nimani/
  5. "www.bledstrategicforum.org/cth_speaker/gent-cakaj/". bledstrategicforum.org. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  6. Thesis PDF, CEU
  7. "Kush është Gent Cakaj, shqiptari i Kosovës që - Syri | Lajmi i fundit". syri.net. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  8. Erebara, Gjergj. "Rama Declares Himself Albania's Temporary Foreign Minister". www.Balkaninsight.com. Balkaninsight. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  9. "PM Rama hands over foreign ministry to deputy minister". www.tiranatimes.com. Tirana Times. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  10. "Albanian Government Reshuffles following Resignation of Acting Foreign Minister". www.exit.al. Exit News. Retrieved 3 January 2021.


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