PRISTINA — Kosovo has asked U.S. technology company Apple to correct its borders on its maps.
Kosovar Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj said on Twitter on July 26 that she had written a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In it, she asked Cook “to take immediate steps to correctly present Kosovo’s internationally recognized borders in its AppleMap Service.”
On those maps, Kosovo is shown as part of Serbia, something the minister said was in “in direct contradiction of the political and legal realities.”
Kosovo seceded from Serbia after a 1998-99 war that ended with a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops.
Kosovo, dominated by ethnic Albanians, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by some 100 countries — but not by Serbia, ally Russia, and five EU countries.
Kosovo is represented as a part of Serbia on maps provided by Apple
“It is felt as a hurt by our citizens, who suffered immense losses in our independence struggle,” Haradinaj tweeted. “It is also perceived as an insult to our state.”
Haradinaj said that other digital-service providers like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify had updated “their platform, menus, and options to correctly represent the Republic of Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.”
Apple did not respond immediately to a request from the AP news agency for comment.