Order.
On behalf of our foreign affairs standing committee, I would like to welcome President Hashim Thaçi to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
The committee is honoured that you have agreed to appear before us. We look forward to hearing from you. On behalf of the committee, I would like to welcome you back to Canada and wish you a pleasant and productive stay here.
President Thaçi has had a distinguished career as a Kosovo leader, having previously served as prime minister and foreign affairs minister. As prime minister, he oversaw Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 and served as the new country's head of government until 2014. He was elected to the presidency in Kosovo's national assembly in 2016.
Canada and Kosovo have very good relations. Canada recognized Kosovo's independence in 2008. We maintain full diplomatic relations with Kosovo and have provided significant amounts of aid to Kosovo over the years to support its development and growth.
I hope the President's trip here will further the engagement between our two countries and I welcome the President.
For the President's information, this is fairly new for our foreign affairs committee. Having the opportunity to hear from foreign leaders of other countries is not something Canadians have seen in the past. This is a televised occasion for us to hear directly from the President of Kosovo. We think it's extremely exciting for Canadians to hear what has been going on in your country, along with the relationship and the work that we're doing.
I want to welcome you, Mr. President, and turn the floor over to you. We will want to hear from you for as long as you will give us, and then I'm sure my colleagues will have some very good questions to ask you as they relate to our relationship with Kosovo.
Mr. President, the floor is yours.