Kosovo marks 15th Independence Day

By Talha Ozturk, Eren Beksac

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Europe's youngest country marked 15 years of independence Friday.

Kosovo received an early taste of its future in 1945 as "the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija" within socialist Yugoslavia. Later, in 1968, it became the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo.

Yugoslavia’s new Constitution in 1974 enabled the province to function at every administrative level independently of its host republic within Yugoslavia.

In the late 1980s, Slobodan Milosevic -- then Serbia’s president within Yugoslavia -- before dying in 2006 while on trial for war crimes, effectively terminated the 1974 privileges, saying they were contrary to the interests of Serbs.

Milosevic's move drew criticism from the other Yugoslav republics.

In response, in 1990 the Kosovo Assembly voted to declare Kosovo an independent state.

The assembly's vote was recognized by Albania.

Later, conflicts between Serbian forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which was founded in 1991, played an important role in the move toward independence.

The conflict escalated into the Kosovo War, from February 1998 to June 1999. The war ended after a NATO intervention in the form of an extensive bombing campaign, including targets in Kosovo.

- Tense years toward independence

Since the war in Kosovo, Serbia and Kosovo saw periodic tensions.

The first major crisis after the war was in 2004. The March Uprisings resulted in the death of 19 people -- 11 Albanians and eight Serbs -- while hundreds were injured.

After the uprisings, a 2005 report by Kai Eide, appointed Kosovo envoy by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, recommended negotiations on the final status of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s assembly declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008, despite opposition from the body’s Serbian members.

Belgrade insisted that the country remain part of Serbia.

Kosovo is now recognized by more than 117 countries, including the US, Britain, France, Germany and Türkiye.

Serbia, Russia and China are among the countries which have yet to recognize Kosovo’s independence.

It is described as one of Europe's "frozen conflict" regions due to ongoing ethnic tensions in the north and the inability to become a member of the UN.

- Dialogue with Serbia

In 2011, the European Union initiated a dialogue process to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. However, the process was interrupted by tensions in the last few years.

The killing of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic in Mitrovica, a northern city in Kosovo, in 2018, was the first incident to escalate tensions.

Serbia withdrew from a meeting as part of the dialogue process scheduled to take place in Brussels.

Another event is the detention of the Director of the Serbian Government's Kosovo Office Marko Djuric on March 26, 2018, in North Mitrovica.

- Possibility of membership in international organizations

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti submitted his country's application for membership to the EU for the term presidency of the union in 2022.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani also said: "We chose Europe because we are Europe. The Republic of Kosovo officially applied for EU membership, realizing the dream and desire of our people to see us as part of the European Union family."

It is predicted that this year's EU term presidents, Spain and Sweden, are not very keen on Kosovo's EU integration and the process will not progress rapidly due to EU parliamentary elections next year.

The Council of Europe and the European Parliament agreed to grant visa liberalization to Kosovo citizens and if the process is completed smoothly Kosovo citizens will be able to travel to the Schengen Area without a visa as of Jan. 1, 2024.

Kosovo also applied for council membership after the Council of Europe removed Russia from membership due to its attacks on Ukraine, and the country aims to become a member this year of the Partnership for Peace Program, which is a prerequisite for NATO membership.

- The demographic structure of the country and census that will take place this year

Kosovo is known as "Europe's youngest country" due to its recent independence and high population of young people.

Turks make up 1.1% of Kosovo with a population of 1,780,000, the majority of which are Albanians. Turks also played important roles in the country's critical periods such as establishment, independence and development.

The stars on the Kosovo flag, which consists of six white stars on a blue background and the yellow Kosovo map below it, represent the six communities in the country --Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Bosnians, Gorani and Roma -- but the communities have the right to use the flag of their mother country as well as the Kosovo flag.

The census to be held in September in Kosovo are of great importance due to the increase in immigration toward Western countries in recent years.

Since the representation rights of the communities in the country are determined based on the results of the census, each community tries to show its number as much as possible.

- Economic troubles

In addition to the main problems such as underdeveloped health and education, corruption, unemployment and low wages, the coronavirus pandemic and high inflation rates brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war, the people of Kosovo are migrating to the West to find a solution when it is getting harder to make a living.

Especially with the systematic departure of the young population and health workers, the lack of a qualified labor force in the country is increasing rapidly.

But the increase in exports and successful initiatives in informatics in recent years contain clues to the steps Kosovo should follow in economic development.

- Unresolved tensions in northern Kosovo

The conflicts with the Serbs in northern Kosovo have caused the roads to be closed with barricades in recent years and increased tensions.

Barricades are usually erected in response to operations carried out by Kosovo police in the north and decisions by the Kosovo government. Kosovo officials argue that the barricades were organized by Serbia but Serbia denies the allegations.

NATO's peacekeeping force, KFOR, currently protects the country but Kosovo continues to expand and develop the Kosovo Security Force, which it established to protect its territorial integrity.

- Kosovo-Serbia negotiations and the Franco-German plan

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement that can resolve the issues between the two countries for progress in the integration process.

The parties are finally negotiating on the text known as the "French-German Plan,” which is supported by all members of the EU and the US.

Kosovo must allow the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities in the country where most Serbs live, according to the plan which was leaked to the media/

The agreement on the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities was signed between Kosovo and Serbia in 2013, under EU mediation, but could not be put into practice.

Serbia, which regards Kosovo, which declared its independence unilaterally in 2008, as "its own territory," is requested to respect Kosovo's territorial integrity and allow it to become a member of international organizations.

Serbia and Kosovo have joined the provinces within the scope of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process initiated in 2011 under EU mediation.

They will continue normalization talks under the auspices of the EU on Monday in Brussels.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kurti confirmed their participation, said a statement by European External Action Service, the EU diplomatic service.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, will hold separate meetings with Vucic and Kurti, before a joint meeting.