Post by account_disabled on Mar 11, 2024 22:23:16 GMT -5
A historic fact was recorded on February 17thKosovo's declaration of independence. The region, marked by wars and conflicts between ethnic Serbs and Albanians, has been trying to become an independent state since 1991, with the end of the former Yugoslavia.
Kosovo's population (around 2 million) is made up of 90% people of Special Data Albanian origin and around 120,000 Serbs who still live in the country. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Serbs were expelled from Kosovo by Albanian extremists.
Understand the Independence Process
In 1999, the “Kosovo War” marked the intervention of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in the province, due to strong conflicts between the Serbian army and the ELK – Kosovo Liberation Army, predominantly formed by Albanians.
Since then, the UN (United Nations) has administered the province, which in 2002 elected a new Parliament and Ibrahim Rugova as president. In 2006 Kosovo was declared part of Serbia and, the following year, the UN made a proposal for the country's independence. According to the proposal, independence would be “supervised”, gradually controlled by international agencies and the Serbian minority existing in the country would have its space guaranteed in Parliament, in the police and in the civil service.
Serbia and Russia (two former allies) did not accept the proposal, which was, in return, praised by Kosovar, US and European Union leaders.
Without reaching any agreement since then, Kosovo's independence ended up being declared on the 17th, by an Assembly led by Prime Minister Hashem Thaci.