Dua Lipa was granted Albanian citizenship by the country’s president Bajram Begaj on Sunday, Nov. 27.
Lipa was presented a decree of Albanian citizenship ahead of the country’s 110th anniversary of independence from the Ottoman Empire, according to the Associated Press. President Begaj said that the 27-year-old singer, who was born in London to Albanian parents, was receiving the honor for spreading the fame of Albanians internationally.
“I will be an Albanian with papers too,” said Lipa before she took her citizenship oath at Tirana City Hall.
She celebrated the news in an Instagram post, sharing a series of photos and videos from the ceremony to document the big moment.
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“Thank you President Bajram Begaj and Mayor @erionveliaj for this honour ~ got my Albanian citizenship!!” she wrote in the caption.
President Begaj also shared the news on Twitter Sunday morning, posting photos from the ceremony with Lipa and her parents, Dukagjin and Anesa Lipa, and siblings, Rina and Gjin Lipa.
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“Happy to give the one and only @DUALIPA the decree of Albanian citizenship,” the post read. “She has made us proud with her global career and engagement in important social causes.”
Lipa’s parents immigrated to England in 1992 after fleeing the Balkans due to conflict and political instability, according to a press release from UNICEF. “My parents fled a war-torn region and built a life for themselves in a new place," explained Lipa in the release. "And each one of the refugee children I met has parents just like my own, who have tried to make the best decisions they could for their families."
Throughout the years, Lipa has celebrated her heritage. She and her father founded the Sunny Hill Foundation, a charity organization that aims to help the people of Kosovo. In Aug. 2022, Lipa was named Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by President Vjosa Osmani.
Lipa documented that honor on social media too, sharing several photos from the occasion, including a letter from President Osmani addressed to Lipa. “Aside from being a world-class and a once-in-a-generation musician, you are also a role model for many girls and women across the world as a forthright and conscientious activist," it read in part.
Lipa reflected on her honorary title in the caption, writing, “It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to represent my country all over the world and to continue my work and efforts globally to see that we leave our mark and make a difference. The youth of Kosovo deserves the right to visa liberalization, freedom to travel and to dream big. Thank you."
The news of Lipa's citizenship comes one day before she's set to close out her Future Nostalgia tour at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania.
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