In a historic first, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) received a visit from the President of the Republic of Kosovo.
Her Excellency Datin Laila Utama Doctor Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu underlined the strong bond between Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Kosovo while delivering a Distinguished Lecture titled ‘The Development of Kosovo and Moving Forward to Achieve the Country’s Vision for a Better Kosovo’ at the Pro-Chancellor Arts Centre, UBD.
Present at the lecture were the First Gentleman Prindon Sadrio, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Doctor Awang Haji Abdul Manaf Haji Metussin, Minister of Home Affairs as the Acting Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin Haji Abdul Rahman and UBD Vice-Chancellor Dr Hazri Haji Kifle. Also in attendance were senior officials, UBD’s management, staff and students.
Her Excellency highlighted how the Republic of Kosovo was rebuilt through resilience, rising up from post-war devastation to national recovery. The country’s story of strength and solidarity has been supported by partners globally including Brunei Darussalam. With 50 percent of the Republic of Kosovo’s population under the age of 30, it leverages on the power of its youth to lead in many areas such as innovation, technology and diplomacy. This is an inspiring example to Bruneian youth of the vast potential they hold in supporting the development of the Sultanate.
Wrapping up the visit to UBD with a final stop at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Botanical Research Centre (UBD BRC), Her Excellency planted a commemorative tree, Hopea pentanervia — a tropical canopy species native to Borneo, including Brunei and Malaysia. The tree, which can grow up to 35 metres with a trunk diameter of up to one metre, is typically found in peat swamp and kerangas (heath) forests. It is currently classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List due to threats such as deforestation, logging and habitat degradation.
Her Excellency’s visit to UBD was part of a three-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam from 4th to 6th May 2025. Diplomatic ties between the two nations was established in 2017 and education cooperation through scholarship programmes have been awarded to Kosovan students since 2001.