Today marks 16 years since Kosovo was declared an independent state. On the afternoon of February 17, 2008, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in Pristina officially declared Independence, a historic step which was the crowning of a long and difficult journey with suffering and sacrifices.
For years, until June 1999, Kosovo Albanians suffered the consequences of violence and ethnic cleansing by the regime of Milosevic.
The legality of the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo for a certain period of time has been a controversial topic as Serbia opposing the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo sought an international assessment of validity.
Since June 13, 1999, when the Serbian army forces were forced to leave Kosovo, the country was administered by the United Nations Organization Mission – UNMIK and the Self-Governing Institutions of Kosovo: the Assembly, the President and the Government.
In November 2005, the process for the final status of Kosovo officially began. After comprehensive consultations, on February 2, 2007, the international special envoy for the status of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, submitted his proposal to Pristina and Belgrade, for the conditional independence of Kosovo, a step that led to the creation of an independent state. After several rounds of talks were held, Kosovo was declared independent on February 17, 2008.
Most EU member states have recognized Kosovo, but Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain continue not to recognize it. Shortly before Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence, the European Union approved the establishment of a 2,000-member non-military Rule of Law mission, “EULEX”, to further develop the police and justice sector in Kosovo.
The Declaration of Independence of Kosovo was made by the then Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, the deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo, and the President of Kosovo, in the meeting held in Pristina.
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