Today Kosovo celebrates the 14th anniversary of Independence! It was on February 17, 2008 when the Independence of Kosovo was declared  in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in Pristina. In an extraordinary meeting attended by 109 out of a total of 120 deputies, the Assembly of Kosovo unanimously declared Kosovo an independent, sovereign and democratic state.

The legality of Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence has been a contentious issue for some time. Opposing Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence, Serbia demanded an assessment of its international validity and support for its position, alleging that Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence was illegal.

Following this development, in October 2008, Serbia sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. On July 22, 2010, the International Court of Justice through an Advisory Decision reaffirmed that the Kosovo Declaration of Independence has not violated any article of International Law.
Kosovo’s declaration of independence on February 17, 2008, was the culmination of a long and difficult journey for the citizens of Kosovo. For years the citizens of Kosovo suffered the consequences of ethnic cleansing by the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic, which resulted in a Liberation War (1997-99). After the end of the Kosovo Liberation War, international peacekeeping troops were deployed in Kosovo.

In November 2005, the process for Kosovo’s final status officially began. Following comprehensive consultations, on February 2, 2007, the international special envoy for the status of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, submitted his proposal to Pristina and Belgrade for Kosovo’s conditional independence, a step that led to the creation of an independent state. After several rounds of talks, Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008.

The Declaration of Independence of Kosovo was made by the then Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, members of the Assembly of Kosovo, and the President of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu, at a meeting held in Pristina on February 17, 2008.

On February 18, 2008, the EU presidency announced that after a day of heated talks between the foreign ministers, member states were free to decide individually whether to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Most EU member states have recognized Kosovo, but Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain continue to recognize it.

/Klara Ruci/