The South American state of Colombia and the Central American state of Belize declared on August 6 2008 their recognition of Kosovo's February 17 proclamation of independence.

In a statement, Colombia's foreign ministry said it recognises the Republic of Kosovo, while Belize did so in a letter sent to Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu.

Colombia and Belize included, the youngest Balkan state is now recognised by 45 states in total. Twenty of them, among which Bulgaria, are European Union members.

On July 30 Kosovo started issuing its own passports, which will grant its citizens access to the countries that recognise their state. Macedonia and Montenegro, in spite of not having recognised Kosovo, have also said they will accept Kosovar passports as valid.

However, other countries that have rejected Kosovo's independence, such as Slovakia, said they will not accept the passports either.