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Image Credit: Gulf News

Manama  A Kuwaiti MP has called upon Kuwait to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

"We urge our government not to wait any longer and recognise diplomatically the state of Kosovo," Mohammad Al Hayef said.

"Most Gulf Cooperation Council member countries have already recognised Kosovo and Kuwait too should do it. Such a move is necessitated by the right of faith brotherhood and the sense of Islamic identity," he said.

Kosovo declared its independence on February 17, 2008.

The UAE on October 14, 2008, became the first Arab country to recognise the state, followed by Saudi Arabia on April 20, 2009, Bahrain on May 19, 2009 and Jordan on July 8, 2009.

Other Arab countries that recognised Kosovo are Mauritania on January 12, 2010, Djibouti on May 12, 2010. Somalia on May 19 became the 69th country to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

The United States, Canada, Australia and 22 out of 27 European Union states recognise Kosovo as independent.

Serbia, backed mainly by Russia and China, rejects Kosovo's independence and has challenged it in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

According to media reports, the court will issue its non-binding ruling on the legality of Kosovo's independence by the end of July.