Kosovo turns two on 17th of February. That is, if you recognise its independence. Two years ago, massive, happy crowds braved freezing weather, and danced through the streets of Pristina and other towns, waving Albanian and American flags, as Kosovo unilaterally declared it was seceding from Serbia.
Today Kosovo is recognised by most European countries, but only by a minority in other parts of the world. The current tally of countries that have recognised Kosovo is 65. Or, if you’re from Serbia, you’d probably prefer to see that statistic turned on its head; so far, 127 UN member states have chosen not to recognise Kosovo.
Russian and Chinese opposition on the Security Council makes it hard to see how Kosovo will ever become a full UN member. Moreover, the rate of recognition has turned to a trickle; only twelve in the last fourteen months.
This week, Skender Hyseni, Kosovo’s foreign minister, said many countries were waiting for a verdict from the UN’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, on the validity of the independence declaration.
Mr Hyseni said he would be writing to countries around the world to put Kosovo’s case (although, wisely, not wasting his ink on Serbia or Russia). Meanwhile, Serbia is busy with its own diplomacy; take a look at this profile in the New York Times of Serbia’s young and energetic foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/world/europe/16jeremic.html
So where does all this leave the people of Kosovo, the ethnic Albanians and Serbs, not to mention Roma and other minorities? The Kosovan government was encouraged by the fact that some Serbs took part in last November’s local elections. Within the Serb community there is now a division; between those who cling to links with Belgrade, and a more pragmatic group, who believe in co-operation with Pristina.
But most Kosovans are probably more focused on a difficult economic situation: unemployment stands at 40 per cent, and 45 per cent of the population lives in poverty. Independent or not, life is still very hard for the majority.
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