20 10 On July 22nd, the International Court of Justice stated that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia did not violate international law.
Kosovo independence
On February 6th, 2008, Hassin Thaci, then Prime Minister of Kosovo (now President of Kosovo), declared Kosovo's formal independence from Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo. At a special session of the parliament, members will vote for Kosovo's independence according to the people's wishes and become "an independent, sovereign and democratic country".
The meeting was broadcast live on TV. As officials read the Declaration of Independence, Speaker krasniqi declared independence, and then members voted to decide the national flag and national emblem. The national flag outlines the whole territory of Kosovo on the map, with the same blue background as the EU flag. The six five-pointed stars represent six ethnic groups in Kosovo, symbolizing that the EU is the future of Kosovo and Pristina has become the capital of Kosovo.
Albanian and Kosovo officials believe that Kosovo's independence is an important step to establish a unified Albanian country, and both sides seek the reunification of Kosovo with Albania. Serbian officials and Kosovo both proposed a "territorial exchange" between northern Kosovo where Serbs live and the Presevo Valley where Albanians mainly live, which won the support of the United States and other countries.
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Politics before Kosovo's independence
Before 2008, Kosovo was an autonomous province named Serbia, which was actually under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
UNMIK has established a Parliament, a Government and a President. Passports, identity cards and license plates issued by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo are only recognized by some countries, and the address of Kosovo is only recognized by some countries. The Universal Postal Union suggested that letters sent to Kosovo should be marked "Kosovo (UNMIK)".
Kosovo is still regarded as a part of Serbia internationally. The negotiation is scheduled to be held in 2005, but both sides have their own opinions and the negotiation is quite difficult. Albanians do not recognize Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo and believe that Serbia's rule over Kosovo cannot respect the rights of Albanians. Serbia, on the other hand, regards Kosovo as Serbia's territory since ancient times and does not accept the possibility of Kosovo's independence.
The international community is worried that the precedent of Kosovo's independence will reignite the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At that time, it was considered that the possible compromise was to continue to maintain the status quo and hand over Kosovo to the jurisdiction of the European Union.
On February 6th, 2008, Kosovo Prime Minister Thaci declared Kosovo's independence from Serbia. After Kosovo's independence, the power of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo was greatly weakened. After Kosovo's independence, Serbian residents established their own parliament.