The following is a list of countries that have taken a position on the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo after it declared its independence on 17 February 2008.
The European Union (EU) on 18 February officially stated that it would 'take note' of Kosovo's move, but leaves the question of recognition to its member states.[1] Most of them have declared they will, but some countries (Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia) have chosen not to recognise Kosovo due to fears of internal separatist movements using Kosovo as a precedent for independence.[2][3]
Serbia and Russia have opposed Kosovo's independence, claiming that it is illegal.[citation needed] The United States, France, United Kingdom, Turkey and Australia are some of the major countries that have recognised the Republic.[4] A great number of EU countries are expected to recognise Kosovo on 21 February.[5]
States that formally recognise the independent Republic of Kosovo
Costa Rica,[6] 17 February 2008
Afghanistan,[7] 18 February 2008
United States,[4] 18 February 2008 (has veto power in the United Nations Security Council)
France,[8][9][10] 18 February 2008 (has veto power in the United Nations Security Council, European Union member)
Albania,[11][12] 18 February 2008
Turkey,[13] 18 February 2008
United Kingdom,[2][3][14][10] 18 February 2008 (has veto power in the United Nations Security Council, European Union member)
Australia,[15] 19 February 2008
Partially recognised states that recognise the independent Republic of Kosovo
Republic of China (Taiwan),[16][17] 18 February 2008.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,[18] 18 February 2008
The Republic of Kosovo has not yet issued a statement on whether it recognises the Republic of China or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus reciprocally, or whether it considers them part of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Cyprus.
States in the process of formally recognising the independent Republic of Kosovo
Austria,[19][20] 20 February 2008 ( European Union member)
Belgium[21] ( European Union member)
Bulgaria[22] ( European Union member)
Croatia[23]
Denmark[24] ( European Union member)
Estonia[25] ( European Union member)
Finland,[26][27] 29 February 2008 ( European Union member)
Germany,[26] 20 February 2008 ( European Union member)
Hungary[28][29] ( European Union member)
Ireland[30] ( European Union member)
Italy,[31] 20 February 2008 ( European Union member)
Japan[32]
Latvia[25] ( European Union member)
Lithuania[33] ( European Union member)
Luxembourg,[34] 21 February 2008 ( European Union member)
Pakistan[35]
Panama[36]
Poland[37] ( European Union member)
Slovenia[38] ( European Union member)
Sweden,[39][40] 4 March 2008[41] ( European Union member)
Switzerland[42]
States that have declared that they will not recognise Kosovo as independent
Azerbaijan[43]
Belarus[44]
Cyprus[3] ( European Union member)
Georgia[2][45][46]
Greece[2] ( European Union member)
Kazakhstan[47]
Moldova[48]
Romania[49][50] ( European Union member)
Russia[3] (has veto power in the United Nations Security Council)
Serbia[2][3]
Slovakia[2][3] ( European Union member)
Spain[2] ( European Union member)
Sri Lanka[51]
Vietnam[52]
19 February 2008
BAC U KRY
UNCLE, IT'S OWER....
This was the way to thank the Kosovo hero Adem Jashari and others for their sacrifice for Kosovo freedom.
This was the most touched message expressed on the 17.02.2008 On the Indipendence Day Of KOSOVO...
U.S. Recognizes Kosovo as Independent State
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Secretary Condoleezza Rice Washington, DC February 18, 2008 The United States has today formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state. We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion.
President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries. The establishment of these relations will reaffirm the special ties of friendship that have linked together the people of the United States and Kosovo. Nine years ago, the international community, led by NATO, acted to end brutal attacks on the Kosovar Albanian population. This timely international intervention ended the violence, leading to a United Nations Security Council decision to suspend Belgrade’s governance and place Kosovo under interim UN administration. Since that time Kosovo has built its own democratic institutions separate from Belgrade’s control. Last year, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari developed a plan to build a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo and recommended Kosovo be independent, subject to a period of international supervision. In light of the conflicts of the 1990s, independence is the only viable option to promote stability in the region. The United States supports the Ahtisaari Plan and will work with its international partners to help implement it. We welcome the commitments Kosovo made in its declaration of independence to implement the Ahtisaari Plan, to embrace multi-ethnicity as a fundamental principle of good governance, and to welcome a period of international supervision. The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation -- including the context of Yugoslavia's breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of UN administration -- are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today. The United States takes this opportunity to reaffirm our friendship with Serbia, an ally during two world wars. We invite Serbia's leaders to work together with the United States and our partners to accomplish shared goals, such as the protection of the rights, security, culture and livelihood of the Serb community in Kosovo. As Kosovo today begins its life as an independent state, the United States pledges to continue to be its close friend and partner.
Secretary Condoleezza Rice Washington, DC February 18, 2008 The United States has today formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state. We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion.
President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries. The establishment of these relations will reaffirm the special ties of friendship that have linked together the people of the United States and Kosovo. Nine years ago, the international community, led by NATO, acted to end brutal attacks on the Kosovar Albanian population. This timely international intervention ended the violence, leading to a United Nations Security Council decision to suspend Belgrade’s governance and place Kosovo under interim UN administration. Since that time Kosovo has built its own democratic institutions separate from Belgrade’s control. Last year, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari developed a plan to build a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo and recommended Kosovo be independent, subject to a period of international supervision. In light of the conflicts of the 1990s, independence is the only viable option to promote stability in the region. The United States supports the Ahtisaari Plan and will work with its international partners to help implement it. We welcome the commitments Kosovo made in its declaration of independence to implement the Ahtisaari Plan, to embrace multi-ethnicity as a fundamental principle of good governance, and to welcome a period of international supervision. The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation -- including the context of Yugoslavia's breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of UN administration -- are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today. The United States takes this opportunity to reaffirm our friendship with Serbia, an ally during two world wars. We invite Serbia's leaders to work together with the United States and our partners to accomplish shared goals, such as the protection of the rights, security, culture and livelihood of the Serb community in Kosovo. As Kosovo today begins its life as an independent state, the United States pledges to continue to be its close friend and partner.
EU Split Over Recognition of Kosovo
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The European Union Monday split over whether to recognize Kosovo's newly declared independence. Lisa Bryant reports from Paris the 27-member block has ultimately decided to let each of its 27 members make its own decision.
Four of Europe's biggest powers - Germany, Britain, France and Italy - have followed the United States in saying they would recognizing Kosovo's independence. And Poland's foreign minister said he would ask his government to recognize Kosovo's declaration of independence on Tuesday.
In Washington, President Bush congratulated Kosovo on its independence and reminded Pristina it is bound by the UN-backed plan to submit to international supervision.
But EU members are deeply divided over the matter. At a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels Monday, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel - whose country holds the rotating EU presidency - told reporters the block had decided to let member states decide for themselves.
"European Union as a union of 27 member countries does not recognize any country," said Dimitri Rupel. "Recognition is in the hands of the member states. And some member states may recognize [Kosovo] today. Some may be recognizing tomorrow. Some may recognize in a couple of days or a week or a couple of weeks. Some may not."
Cyprus and Spain count among some half a dozen opponents to recognizing Kosovo's independence. Cyprus declared its break from Serbia as legally invalid. Romania and Slovakia are also against Kosovo's move.
But several other countries, including Austria to Sweden, say they are prepared to recognize an independent Kosovo. And in France, the Elysee presidential palace announced French President Nicolas Sarkozy had written a letter to Kosovo's president recognizing the territory "as a free and independent state."
Bush Backs Kosovo Independence
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President Bush says he is backing independence for Kosovo because he believes it will bring peace to the Balkans. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Russia and Serbia say Kosovo's unilateral declaration sets a dangerous precedent for separatist movements, worldwide.
President Bush says he has made clear to Russia, all along, that he supports Kosovo's independence because he believes it is an historic step toward peace.
"We've been working very closely with the Russians, as we have with the Europeans and other nations on Kosovo's independence, because we believe it's the right thing to do," the president said. "You know, there's a disagreement, but we believe, as do many other nations, that history will prove this to be a correct move, to bring peace to the Balkans."
Speaking to reporters in Tanzania before he traveled to Rwanda, Mr. Bush again urged the predominantly-Albanian Kosovo to protect the rights of minority Serbs.
"Kosovo committed itself to the highest standards of democracy, including freedom and tolerance and justice for citizens of all ethnic backgrounds," he said. "These are principles that honor human dignity. They are values America looks for in a friend and, soon, we will establish full diplomatic relations with the new nation of Kosovo."
President Bush says the United States and its allies will work to bring about a smooth and peaceful transition to independence.
Serbia says it will make every effort to retain the territory, rejecting the declaration as a travesty of international law that will not add stability to the Balkans.
Serbia has recalled its ambassador from Washington because of the U.S. decision and says it will recall all ambassadors from countries that recognize the independent province.
In an emergency U.N. Security Council session, Russia joined Serbia in denouncing Kosovo's declaration as a violation of Security Council orders.
Serbia wants U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to declare Kosovo's decision null and void. Mr. Ban has refused to declare that independence either legal or illegal and is calling on all sides to refrain from actions or statements that could jeopardize regional peace.
France, Britain, Belgium, and Italy have welcomed Kosovo's independence. Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Romania are among those who oppose it.
Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, when NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) air strikes halted Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists and drove Serbian security forces from the province.
Kosovo Declares Independence
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Celebrations are being held in Kosovo after the parliament declared independence from Serbia. But Serbia and Russia reacted immediately to what they consider an illegal act backed by the international community. UN Security Council is meeting on Kosovo's declaration of independence, after Russia called on Council to block the move.
People danced in the streets of Pristina, fired guns into the air and waved red and black Albanian flags in jubilation at the birth of the world's newest country: Kosovo. The chamber burst into applause after a unanimous vote approved the document proclaiming independence and parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi declared Kosovo an independent, democratic and sovereign state.
The document was signed by Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu.
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci declared: "The day has come and from today onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free."
Mr. Thaci added: "There is no room for intimidation, discrimination or unequal treatment of anyone. Our state institutions and our society will stamp out discriminatory practices. In Kosovo there will be
tolerance, mutual understanding, solidarity and progress."But Serbian President Boris Tadic immediately denounced the declaration as unilateral and illegal. Russia also rejected it and and called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Tadic has said Serbia would do everything in its power to revoke Kosvo's declaration of independence, but added that Serbia would not use force to reclaim the breakaway province. He urged urged Serbia's political parties and the 130,000 Serbs living in Kosovo "to remain calm."
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said today, February 17, the fake country of Kosoco was illegally declared, on part of the territory, which is under NATO military control. He called it an unprecedented illegal act.
Some violence was reported after Kosovo declared its independence, but there was no significant damage. Hand grenades were thrown at buildings of the European Union and United Nations in the Kosovo-Serb stronghold city of Mitrovica. And Angry Serbs also stoned the U.S. embassy in Belgrade
The U.S., Britain, France and Germany are expected to quickly recognize Kosovo's independence. The European Union foreign policy chief said that stability in Kosovo and the whole Balkan region is essential, and urged everyone to act calmly and responsibly.
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