Former U.S. Congressman Joe DioGuardi and his wife, activist Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, have officially been granted citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo. At a special ceremony, the citizenship decrees were presented to them by Kosovo’s acting president, Albulena Haxhiu.

Speaking after the ceremony, Haxhiu said she considered it a particular honor to grant citizenship to two figures who, she said, had supported Kosovo’s cause for decades. She said that, in her capacity as acting president, she was pleased to grant them citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo and welcomed them to their second country, thanking them both.

In her address, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi highlighted her and Joe DioGuardi’s many years of work for Kosovo, as well as the activities of the Albanian American Civic League.

She singled out Joe DioGuardi’s trip to Belgrade in 1989, when he denounced in the United States the oppression and repression endured by Kosovo Albanians under Slobodan Milosevic’s regime.

According to her, DioGuardi raised the alarm over the risks of the situation in Kosovo as early as 1989. U.S. congressional records also show that he was among the voices warning about Kosovo after Milosevic had curtailed its autonomy.

Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi said their commitment continued for many years, until Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008.

She also mentioned their work in The Hague, where they advocated in support of Kosovo Albanians who, after the war, had faced imprisonment and persecution.

She stressed that their joint presence at this moment served as an opportunity to look back at history and remember the efforts required to bring down Slobodan Milosevic. According to her, in 2026, decisions can now be made about how to move forward.

Cloyes DioGuardi described the ceremony as a continuation of work begun decades earlier, emphasizing that Kosovo and its Albanians had been at the center of their political and diplomatic engagement.

Meanwhile, Joe DioGuardi spoke about the long journey that led to the creation of the state of Kosovo, as well as the challenges the country faces today, in his view.

He said that Kosovo’s formation as a state had been an extremely complex process. DioGuardi said that after the new state called Kosovo had been created, the nation called Kosovo now needed to be built, because a state alone is not enough; a nation is also needed.

DioGuardi expressed concern over current political and institutional developments, saying Kosovo must exercise caution during this period.

He stated that this nation is under attack from the enemies of the Albanian people.

Referring to the situation created after the elections, DioGuardi said that institutional developments could open the way for legal arguments that call into question the functioning of the state of Kosovo. He added that, although he did not wish to put it in those terms, caution must be exercised.

In his speech, he also recalled his engagement in The Hague and efforts to secure the release of Kosovo Albanians who, he said, had been imprisoned because of their resistance to Milosevic’s regime.

He also mentioned a book published in 1992, during the period when he had left the U.S. Congress. According to DioGuardi, the publication documents his activities and was prepared on the basis of his archives.

Joe DioGuardi was a U.S. congressman from 1985 to 1989. He later became directly involved in lobbying for the Albanian cause, with a particular focus on Kosovo. U.S. congressional documents identify him as the founder and president of the Albanian American Civic League, and show that he had raised the Kosovo issue in Congress since the late 1980s.

Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi has also testified before the U.S. Congress on the Kosovo issue and has served as an adviser on Balkan affairs at the Albanian American Civic League. In her testimony before Congress, she has argued for years for Kosovo’s rights and status.

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On 24 August 2026, at 11:17 a.m., the acting president of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, officially presented Kosovo citizenship decrees to two American figures, Joe DioGuardi and Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi.

The special ceremony was held at the Presidency.

Earlier, in an announcement published on 24 August 2026 at 8:15 a.m., the Office of the President had announced that the presentation of the decrees would take place at 11:00 a.m.

“At 11:00 a.m., the Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, will present the Kosovo citizenship decrees to Joe DioGuardi and Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi in a special ceremony,” the announcement said.

Joe DioGuardi, a former U.S. congressman and former head of the Albanian American Civic League, has lobbied in the United States for decades in support of Kosovo’s cause.

Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi has also worked to promote the rights of Albanians and Kosovo’s cause in American political circles.

Both are considered among the most dedicated Albanian-American lobbyists for Kosovo, particularly in Washington. Through their work, Joe and Shirley DioGuardi have become an important part of the history of Albanian-American lobbying in support of Kosovo.

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Joe DioGuardi and Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi will receive the decree on Kosovo citizenship today from the acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu.

The ceremony will take place at 11:00, the President’s Office announced in a statement.

“At 11:00, the acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, will present the decree on Kosovo citizenship to Joe DioGuardi and Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi in a special ceremony,” the statement says.

The two American figures are known as among the most active Albanian-American lobbyists in support of Kosovo’s cause, especially in Washington.

In 1989, Joe DioGuardi founded the Albanian American Civic League (AACL), a lobbying organization that brought the issue of Kosovo Albanians to the attention of the U.S. Congress.

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Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo Albulena Haxhiu will present former US Congressman Joe DioGuardi and activist Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi with their Kosovo citizenship decrees tomorrow.

The event will take place at 11:00, during a ceremony at which the two prominent figures will officially receive the documents granting them Kosovo citizenship.

Joe DioGuardi, who served as a US congressman and led the Albanian American Civic League, is known as one of Kosovo’s key supporters and as a powerful voice in the United States for its freedom and independence.

Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, meanwhile, has contributed for many years to promoting Kosovo’s cause and defending the rights of Albanians in the United States.

Through the decision to grant them citizenship, Kosovo’s institutions are honoring their longstanding commitment to freedom, independence, and strengthening Albanian-American ties.

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Around 5,000 citizens submitted applications to acquire, reacquire or renounce citizenship between January and June of this year, according to Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla.

Sveçla announced that, beginning Monday, August 17, 2026, decisions on these procedures will be delivered to citizens at the relocated office in the Civil Registration Agency building.

The minister explained that the move to the new location is intended to provide more suitable conditions for citizens and more efficient service delivery.

“Citizens will have access to a more suitable environment and more efficient service,” Sveçla wrote.

To shorten waiting times and reduce queues, he also announced that the number of support staff has been increased.

Citizens may also apply to acquire, reacquire or renounce citizenship through the e-Kosova platform. According to Sveçla, the online application option makes the procedure simpler and more accessible.

“We will continue our efforts to guarantee citizens the fastest, most efficient and most accessible services possible,” he said.

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The Ministry of Internal Affairs has informed citizens that, starting Monday, August 17, the office where decisions on the acquisition, reacquisition and loss of citizenship through release are collected will move to a different address.

The office’s new location will be on the first floor of the Civil Registration Agency building on Luan Haradinaj Street in Pristina.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said in its announcement that the move was made to separate the office from the premises of the Division for Foreigners and to provide citizens with more suitable facilities.

To increase service efficiency and shorten waiting lines, the ministry has also assigned additional support staff.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has asked citizens to also use the online application for the relevant services, available through the E-Kosova platform.

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