Vetëtima Hajdari

**Vetëtima Hajdari** (born 28 July 1955) is a Notoshan-Asbanian politician, stateswoman, and diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in both the first and second cabinets of Balush Gjintelma since 2016. She had previously been an ambassador, serving as the Notoshan ambassador to Asbania from 2014 until 2016, and the Asbanian ambassador to Maldone from 2008 until 2011. She was a member of the Socialist Party of Asbania until moving to Notosha in 2011, when she registered with the Social Democratic Party and New Notosha Alliance coalition.

Hajdari was born in Astina, and graduated from secondary school in 1973. After graduating, she moved to Liana to enroll in the University of Liana, graduating with a degree in political science in 1976. She subsequently remained in Liana, and was hired at the Asbanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1980, she was transferred to the Asbanian embassy in Delmas. She worked there for four years, until returning to Liana in 1984. In 1995, she became the director-general of the Asbanian embassy in Delmas, until once again returning to Asbania in 2006. In 2008, she was nominated to serve as the Asbanian ambassador to Maldone, serving in this position until resigning in 2011.

In 2011, Hajdari left her career in Asbanian government to return to Astina. She was hired as the nonpartisan deputy minister in the Notoshan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until being nominated to serve as the Notoshan ambassador to Asbania in 2014, typically considered to be the most senior ambassador role due to the two nations' close relations. Hajdari left her ambassadorship in 2016, after being nominated to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first cabinet of Balush Gjintelma, succeeding the resigning Mirak Maxharraj. She remained in this post with the formation of the second Gjintelma cabinet.

## Early life and education

Hajdari was born on 28 July 1955 in Astina to parents Jetlir Hajdari (1920–1999) and Jera Luzaj (1928–2004). Her father was a city bus driver, while her mother worked in retail. The family was relatively poor. Hajdari was raised as the eldest of three daughters; her younger sisters are Gjethina, born  (1958-02-03) 3 February 1958 (age 65), and Vokëla, born  (1960-10-20) 20 October 1960 (age 63).

Hajdari began her education in 1961, where she was a gifted student. At a young age, she dreamed of moving to Liana and becoming the President of Asbania. She graduated from primary school in 1969, and later completed secondary school in 1973. After graduating, she moved to Liana to enroll in the Faculty of Government and Politics at the University of Liana, graduating with a degree in political science in 1976. While a university student in Liana, she participated in peaceful Scarlet Revolution protests. She began a graduate program in international relations afterwards, with the ultimate goal of pursuing a doctoral degree, but dropped out within one year of the program after receiving a career opportunity.

## Political career

### Early diplomacy

Hajdari began her career in diplomacy in 1977, after being hired to work in the Office of Eurean Affairs at the Asbanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In her position, she worked on a number of projects regarding Asbanian relations with neighboring Eurean nations. In 1980, she was stationed at the Asbanian embassy in Delmas and worked in the embassy's foreign policy office, advising on policies formulated between the governments of Asbania and Maldone. She remained in this position for four years, until requesting a return to Asbania in 1984.

In 1984, Hajdari returned to the Office of Eurean Affairs, and was named the deputy director of Asbanian-Maldonian affairs. She was later promoted to director in 1987, and then executive director of the Office of Eurean Affairs in 1992. In 1995, Hajdari became the director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, being in charge of the day-to-day operations of the ministry, and serving in a nonpartisan office.

### Ambassadorships

In 2008, Hajdari accepted her first ambassadorship after being nominated by Tanush Shala to serve as the Asbanian ambassador to Maldone. She was officially appointed to the post on 8 January 2008, and arrived in Delmas the following day. Hajdari was considered to be an obvious choice for the high-profile ambassadorship, given her foreign policy experience and experience working in Delmas. In the position, Hajdari acted as a liaison between the governments of Asbania and Maldone, and worked to strengthen Asbanian relations with Western Eurea.

In October 2011, Hajdari resigned from the ambassadorship and returned to Liana. The following month, she moved from Liana to Astina to begin working in Notoshan government, being hired as deputy minister in the Notoshan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As deputy minister, she served underneath the Minister of Foreign Affairs in a nonpartisan office, taking on the minister's responsibilities occasionally. In April 2014, she was nominated by Balush Gjintelma to serve as the Notoshan ambassador to Asbania, typically considered to be the most senior ambassadorship in Notosha. She later resigned from the post in December 2016.

### Minister of Foreign Affairs

In December 2016, Hajdari was nominated by Gjintelma to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in his first cabinet, replacing the resigning Mirak Maxharraj. Upon her nomination, Hajdari became the first woman to serve in the position, commonly seen as one of the most senior ministerial posts. As foreign affairs minister, Hajdari represented Notosha abroad, meeting foreign dignitaries, making state visits, and attending international conferences. By 2018, she had visited twenty-six countries in her tenure.

Following the 2018 parliamentary election, Gjintelma nominated Hajdari once again to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in his second cabinet. In her second term in the office, she has visited a further ten countries.

## Personal life

Hajdari began a relationship with Asbanian economist Veprimtar Lazami in 1985. They later married in 1987. Hajdari and Lazami have two children together: Kejsi, born  (1990-08-19) 19 August 1990 (age 33), and Gojtar, born  (1994-01-03) 3 January 1994 (age 30). Hajdari has referred to herself and her family as "irreligious."

Hajdari holds dual citizenship to Asbania and Notosha: she became an Asbanian citizen in 1976, after filing for citizenship through descent as an ethnic Asbanian, relinquishing her Alaslavian citizenship in the process, and became a Notoshan citizen following the declaration of independence in 2010. She owns residences in both Liana and Astina, having moved from Liana to Astina to pursue a career in Notoshan government in 2011. Hajdari is fluent in Asbanian, Ditrovian, and Maldonian; she learned Lorbian in school, but has since forgotten it.