Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Agon Dobruna, said that he walked out of a conference in Tirana, Albania, in protest after Kosovo’s name was accompanied by a footnote.

“Despite our clear and direct request to correct this representation, it was ignored, violating the spirit of cooperation, respect, and equality promoted by the very conference,” Dobruna wrote on Facebook.

The conference he referred to was held on April 9 in Tirana and focused on child care reforms, according to Radio Free Europe (REL). The regional conference titled “Accelerating Child Care Reforms Toward EU Accession” included representatives from North Macedonia and Montenegro and was hosted by Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama.

On February 24, 2012, as part of the dialogue on normalizing relations, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on regional representation, later known as the “footnote agreement.” According to this agreement, a footnote would be added to Kosovo’s name whenever it was mentioned in regional and international conferences or initiatives.

“This designation is without prejudice to status and is in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence,” the agreement states.

Dobruna said that the presence of the footnote forced him to leave the conference and not sign the declaration of commitment among Western Balkan countries on regional cooperation in the field of children’s rights.

“The use of the footnote in this context is not a procedural issue — it is a matter of national dignity, respect, and equal treatment, especially when the host is a friendly country to our Republic,” Dobruna wrote on Facebook.

In the years following the agreement, Kosovo’s name was consistently accompanied by the footnote in UN, EU, and other international documents. However, in recent years, in certain documents — such as European Parliament resolutions or in the Ohrid Agreement on Kosovo-Serbia normalization — the footnote has not been used.