19th Century

Nineteenth century data about the population of Kosovo tends to be rather conflicting—sometimes giving numerical superiority to the Serbs, and sometimes to the Albanians. The Ottoman statistics are considered to be unreliable, as the empire counted its citizens by religion rather than nationality, using birth records rather than surveys of individuals.

A map published in 1861 by French ethnographer G. Lejean shows that Albanians lived on about 57% of Kosovo's land, while a similar map, published in 1867 by British travelers G. M. Mackenzie and A. P. Irby, shows a lower percentage; ultimately, these maps do not show which population was larger overall. Nevertheless, maps fail to accurately measure a population because they leave out population density.

Modern Serbian sources estimate that around 400,000 Serbs were wiped out of the Vilayet of Kosovo between 1876 and 1912.

Maps published in 1876 by German historian Kiepert J. Hahn and Austrian consul K. Sax, show that Albanians lived on most of the territory of what is now Kosovo, however they don't show which population was larger. According to these sources, the regions of Kosovska Mitrovica and Kosovo Polje were settled mostly by Serbs, whereas most of the western and eastern parts of today's province were settled by Muslim Albanians.

An Austrian statistics published in 1899 estimated:

• 182,650 Albanians (47.88%)
• 166,700 Serbs (43.7%)
  
  

During and after the Serbian–Ottoman War of 1876–78, between 30,000 and 70,000 Muslims (mostly Albanians) were expelled by the Serb army from the Sanjak of Ni (located north-east of contemporary Kosovo) and fled to the Kosovo Vilayet. Serbs from the Lab region moved to Serbia during and after the war of 1876, and incoming Albanian refugees (muhaxhirë) repopulated their villages. Apart from the Lab region, sizable numbers of Albanian refugees were resettled in other parts of northern Kosovo alongside the new Ottoman-Serbian border. Most Albanian refugees were resettled in over 30 large rural settlements in central and southeastern Kosovo. Many refugees were also spread out and resettled in urban centers that increased their populations substantially. Western diplomats reporting in 1878 placed the number of refugee families at 60,000 in Macedonia, with 60-70,000 refugees from Serbia spread out within the vilayet of Kosovo. In 1881, the Ottoman governor of the Vilayet of Kosovo estimated the refugee number to be around 65,000 with some resettled in the Sanjaks of Üsküp and Yeni Pazar.

Kosovo Vilayet (1877-1913)

The Vilayet

The forerunner of the Vilayet is the Eyalet of Rumeli or Rumelia. The Vilayet structure was created over the Evalet because of its more efficient structure. The Vilayet of Kosovo was a first-level adminstrative division (vilavet) within the Ottoman Empire on the Balkan Peninsula which incorporated the present region of Kosovo and the western area of the Republic of North Macedonia. The territories today involving Sandžak (Raška) district of Serbia and Montenegro, in name under Ottoman authority, were in reality under Austro-Hungarian control from 1878 til 1909, as stipulated under Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin. Uskub (Skopje) operated as the capital of the vilayet and was conveniently located halfway Istanbul and the Ottaman Empires' European regions. Uskub's populace of 32,000 made it the biggest city in the region, trailed only by Prizren, which also numbered around 30,000 inhabitants.

The Vilayet could be seen as a microcosm of Ottoman culture; consolidated inside its limits were different gatherings of people groups and religions: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks; Muslims and Christians, Orthodox as well as Catholic. The area was prestigious for its skilled workers and significant urban communities, for example, Peja (the present Pec, Albanian: Peja), where particular Ottoman structural design and public bathing houses were raised. Some of these structures have survived until this time The origin of the Albanian national character was first pronounced in Prizren, by the "League of Prizren" representatives in 1878.

Population and organization

Kosovo vilayet contained an assorted populace which was divided along religious and ethnic lines.

Muslim Albanians formed a majority after the migrations caused by the Serbian/Ottoman war in Kosovo vilayet. Blood quarrels were still very common in the Vilayet. About 600 Albanians died each year from this practice. Yakova (Gjakovë) had 8 clans which were mostly Muslim. The Luma region, close Prizren had about 5 clans, also considered to be mostly Muslim. The town of Peja/Pec was inhabited by crypto-Christians who were Catholic. Like in Iskodra Vilayet, Kosovar Malisors (highlanders) they could escape taxes and conscription in the regular military forces by joining the irregular forces. Ottoman rule was near non-existant in these areas. Ottoman officials rather joined local authorities than the official authorities. To their dismay, the Ottoman authorities had no control over rule and law. Local popualtions excercised their own law. During the 1880s from a current Albanian perspective the sanjaks of Peja, Prizren, Pristine, Üsküp and Yenipazar inside the Kosovo vilayet were located within the locale of Gegënia.

Muslim Bosniaks whose local language was Slavic shaped a sizable number of Kosovo vilayet's populace and were gathered principally in Yenipazar sanjak that contained noteable Bosniak landowners. Circassians, originally displaced from the Caucasus by the Russians were resettled by the Ottomans to the Kosovo vilayet in 1864, numbering somewhere in the range of 6,000 individuals. The Circassians served as extra troops for the Ottomans when needed.

Orthodox Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo vilayet were the biggest Christian accumilation in the vilayet. They were most dominant dominant in the eastern regions. Orthodox-Serbs were under the clerical authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and a metropolitan, regularly of Greek ethnicity, lived in Pristina and effectively governed the Orthodox populace in the area. A theological college in Prizren was reported to have around 100 inhabitants. Montenegrins were most numerous among them. Starting from the 1860s, Serbia actively sought a strategy of supporting Serbs in Kosovo. This involved support in the form of educators, sponsorships for Serb schools and giving grants to students to further studies in Belgrade.

Formation 

Vilayet of Kosovo, 1877-78

The Vilayet of Kosovo formed in 1877. It comprised a larger territory than present day Kosovo. At the time it incorporated the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, Sanjak of Nis (until 1878), the district around Plav and Gusinje, plus the Dibra region.These areas were previously a part of the Eyalet of Nis, the Eyalet of Üsküb and, post 1865, the Danube Vilayet. The vilayet of Prizren was formed out of the sanjaks of Dobre, Prizren, Skopje and Nis. In 1877 the administrative reforms from Evalet to vilayet excluded these areas.

The Serbian–Ottoman War of 1876–78 caused migrations. Estimations of 30,000 Muslims, or as later investigations demonstrate, 70,000 Muslims (22), of which 49.000 Albanians, were driven out by the Serbian expansion, requested and supported by Russia, from the Sanjak of Nis. Most muslims moved to the Kosovo Vilayet.

Table 1

In 1878, the League of Prizren was formed. The formation was done by Albanians from four vilayets among others that of Kosovo. The League's idea was to resist Ottoman rule and to form a counterbalance to the emerging Balkan nations.

The Kumanovo Uprising took place in early 1878 organized by an assembly of chiefs of the districts (Ottoman kaza) of Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka and Kratovo in the Vilayet of Kosovo (in modern-day northern Republic of North Macedonia) seeking to liberate the region from the hands of the Ottoman Empire and unify it with the Principality of Serbia, which was at war with the Ottomans at that time. With the Serbian Army's liberation of Niš (11 January 1878) and Vranje (31 January 1878), the rebellion had been activated during the latter event with guerrilla fighting. The rebels received secret aid from the Serbian government, though the uprising only lasted four months, until its suppression by the Ottomans.

The province's boundaries shifted as the Ottoman Empire lost territory to neighboring states in the Treaty of Berlin following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and parts were also internally transferred to Monastir Vilayet and from Salonica Vilayet. In 1879, western parts of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, fell under Austro-Hungarian occupation in accord with the Berlin treaty which also allowed the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (remaining as such until 1908).

Consolidation and crisis 1879–1913

Two major administrative changes happened in 1880 and 1902. In order to counter Austro-Hungarian military presence in western parts of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a new province was created in 1880: the Sanjak of Pljevlja (Taslica) with kazas: Pljevlja, Prijepolje and Priboj. In 1902, kazas of Mitrovica and Novi Pazar were transferred to Sanjak of Pristina, and kazas of Berane and Rožaje to Sanjak of Peja. In the same time, Sanjak of Sjenica (Seniçe) was created with kazas: Sjenica, Nova Varoš, Bijelo Polje and Lower Kolašin.

In 1901, massacres of Serbs were carried out by Albanians in North Kosovo and Pristina.

In 1910, an Albanian-organised insurrection broke out in Pristina and soon spread to the entire vilayet of Kosovo, lasting for three months. The Ottoman sultan visited Kosovo in June 1911 during peace settlement talks covering all Albanian-inhabited areas.

Demographics

An official census was never done in the Vilayet, therefore only estimates exist.

1887

Ottoman provincial records for 1887 estimated that Albanians formed more than half of Kosovo vilayet's population concentrated in the sanjaks of Peja, Prizren and Pristine. In the sanjaks of Yenipazar, Taslica and Üsküp, Albanians formed a smaller portion of the population.

1899

An Austrian statistics published in 1899 estimated:

• 182,650 Albanians (47.88%)
• 166,700 Serbs (43.7%)

1912

An article published in the Belgian magazine Ons Volk Ontwaakt (Our Nation Awakes) on 21 December 1912 estimated 827,100 inhabitants:

• Muslim Albanians - 418,000
• Christian Bulgarians - 250,000
• Orthodox Serbs - 113,000
• Mixed - 22,000
• Muslim Bulgarians - 14,000
• Muslim Turks - 9,000
• Orthodox Vlachs - 900
• Orthodox Greeks - 200

The creation of Yugoslavia and the influence of Josip Broz Tito in Kosovo (1918-1980) 

Yugoslavia it come into presence after WWI in 1918 with the name “The Kingdom of Serbs”,.Peter I was the first supreme. Yugoslavia was international recognized on 13 July 1922. It was changed its name to “Kingdom of Yugoslavia” after on 3 October 1929. Axis occupied Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. In 1943, Partisans pronounced Yugoslavia. In 1944 King Peter II recognized it as the valid regime. The kingdom was successively came to an end in November 1945. In 1946, was retitled the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, when a communist regime was recognized. It attained the zones of Istria, Rijeka, and Zadar. Partisan spearhead Tito governed the country as president up until his death in 1980. The country was retitled in 1963 again, to the “Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” shortly we can find as SFRY. According to BBC, "Tito's forces, however, soon gained the recognition and help of the Allies. They also offered an ideal - a dream of 'brotherhood and unity' - that would link the nations or peoples of Yugoslavia."

Elections were detained with only the Communist-led National Front seeming on the election, obtaining all 354 places on 11 November 1945. King Peter II was removed by Yugoslavia's Constituent Assembly On 29 November, and the FPRY was stated. Over more, he rejected to resign. Marshal Tito had in complete control everything, and all resistance essentials were removed.                                                                                          

The new structure of SFRY in 31 January 1946, showed after the SU, recognized from 6 republics, an autonomous state, and another one that was part of Serbia. That started to make new revolutionary of the governments inside the SFRY. The capital of Yugoslavia was Belgrade. The strategy focused on a strong fundamental administration under the mechanism of Communist Party, and on acknowledgment of the multiple populations. The flags of the other nations used versions of the red flag, with a red star in the middle.

Name	Capital	Flag
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Socialist Republic of Croatia Socialist Republic of Macedonia Socialist Republic of Montenegro Socialist Republic of Serbia Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Socialist Republic of Slovenia	Sarajevo Zagreb Skopje Titograd Belgrade Prishtina Novi Sad Ljubljana

Tito's provincial objective was to enlarge south and take control of Albania and parts of Greece. In 1947, discussions among Yugoslavia and Bulgaria led to the Bled agreement, which planned to form a close association among the two Communist countries, and permit Yugoslavia to start a civil war in Greece and use Albania and Bulgaria as headquarters. Stalin voted this arrangement and it was never applied. The breakdown among Belgrade and Moscow was now pending.

Yugoslavia determined the national matter of nations and nationalities in a system that all of them had the same privileges. In 1974, the two provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo-Metohija, the republics of Bosnia and Montenegro, were decided with superior independence to the fact that Albanian and Hungarian became nationwide known minority languages, and the Serbo-Croat of Bosnia and Montenegro changed to a procedure based on the tongue of the local people and not on the principles of Zagreb and Belgrade. In Slovenia, the recognized subgroups were Hungarians and Italians. Vojvodina and Kosovo-Metohija made a part of the of Serbia but those provinces also made part of the federation, which ran to the unique condition that Central Serbia did not have its own association but a cooperative association with its provinces symbolized in it.

According to Britannica, "Meanwhile, growing pressure in Kosovo from the majority ethnic Albanians for greater autonomy escalated into civil war in 1998."

Presidency

On 7 April 1963, the nation changed its official name to Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Josip Broz Tito was named President for life.[¹] 

In the SFRY, each republic and province had its own constitution, supreme court, parliament, president and prime minister.At the top of the Yugoslav government were the President (Tito),the federal Prime Minister, and the federal Parliament (a collective Presidency was formed after Tito's death in 1980). Also important were the Communist Party general secretaries for each republic and province, and the general secretary of Central Committee of the Communist Party.

According to the eHISTORY, "As premier and minister of defense from 1945, Marshal Tito ruled Yugoslavia as a dictator, suppressing internal opposition, executing Mihajlovi and jailing Archbishop Stepinac of Zagreb.

1. President for life is a title assumed by or granted to some leaders to remove their term limit irrevocably as a way of removing future challenges to their authority and legitimacy. The title sometimes confers on the holder the right to nominate or appoint a successor.

Policy in Kosovo Under Slobodan Milosevic (1989-1991) 

On 28^th of  March 1989 Slobodan Miloševic who pushed over a much tougher policy for Kosovo Albanians, decided that the Serbian Constitution was to be modified to give the Serbian Assembly selective rights to be able to decide on the structure of the country, which completely turned over the veto right of Kosovo. Miloševic ICTY indictment that proposed that the amendments should be put before the Kosovo Assembly, most of the assembly members protested and eventually the voted did not reach the two-thirds majority needed.

Although the votes did not reached a two-third majority needed, the Speaker of the Assembly stated that the amendments had passed and they were accepted. The President of the Kosovo Assembly Vukasin Jokanovic disproved of the amendments during court at the time of the trial.He delivered some proof to the court, both video recordings of the votes and stenographic notes of the assembly sessions. This evidenced proved that the majority voted for the constitutional amendments. A new Serbian Constitution was approved the following year, which radically reduced the powers of the autonomous provinces, keeping many previously autonomous rights to the Belgrade central establishments. They also drastically changed the countries name from the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo to the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, this was due to the fact the western region would use the Serbian name. 

ICTY ( International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia logo).

Kosovo Albanians, who set up a secret government to be able to rival the official Serb-dominated regime. They strongly opposed the 1990 constitution. They passed an informal resolution in which they declare Kosovo as a independent Country within Yugoslavia, with a similar status as the rest of the countries in Yugoslavia. On July 5, 1990 the Serbian Parliament officially dismissed the Kosovo Assembly, they proclaimed all its laws unconstitutional and moved its legislative duties to the Belgrade legislature.

The Kosovo assembly declared Kosovo as an independent country, "Republic of Kosovo" they met in secrecy on September 22nd 1991. None of the countries acknowledge their independence except for Albania. On the 18th of October of 1991 the Soviet Union, Europe and the US reassured that Kosovo would not be acknowledged as a independent country and that they would not change the borders in Yugoslavia. 

Kosovo Conflict (1998 - 1999)

According to information found on other wikis, in our case according to Wikipedia, even though  though Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was formed in the early 1990s to fight against the Serbian forces, the first official appearance occurred in Llaushe in 1997, November 28^th.  In 1997 KLA was acquiring large amount of weaponry from Albania and in early 1998 they attacked the Yugoslav authorities in Kosovo multiple times trying to take control over the Kosovar territory. Unfortunately, these attacks only increased the number of the Serbian paramilitary forces in Kosovo. The Serbian paramilitary forces gave an immediate response killing more than 2000 Kosovar civilians and KLA members. After their response, the situation in Kosovo only got worse with the Yugoslavian authorities trying to oppress the KLA members and the KLA combatants who were trying to free their place and take control over the Kosovar territory. After some time, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) intervened by bombing Yugoslavia from March 24, 1999 and it lasted until an agreement was reached to withdraw the Yugoslav troops from Kosovo on June 10, 1999. After the agreement, a UN peacekeeping mission named United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was established in Kosovo (Wikipedia, 2019)

The origins of the largest political parties in Republic of Kosovo

International Relations

The command of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was built up by the Security Council in its objectives 1244 (1999). The Mission is ordered to help and guarantee conditions for a quiet and a usually life for all citizens of Kosovo and advance local dependability in the Western Balkans.

Embraced by the Security Council at its 4011th gathering, on 10 June 1999 The Security Council, bearing as a primary concern for the reasons and standards of the Charter of the United Nations, and the essential duty of the Security Council for the support of global harmony and security, Recalling its goals 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998, 1199 (1998) of 23 September 1998, 1203 (1998) of 24 October 1998 and 1239 (1999) of 14 May 1999, regretting that there has not been a full consistence with the necessities of these goals. Determined to the helpful circumstances in Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to accommodate the sheltered and free return to the all things considered and dislodged people to their homes, condemning all demonstrations of viciousness against the Kosovo populate just as all militant acts by any gathering, Recalling the announcement made by the Secretary-General on 9 April 1999, communicating the worry at the compassionate disaster occurring in Kosovo, Reaffirming the privilege everything being equal and uprooted people to come back to their homes. Recalling the purview and the order of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Welcoming the general standards on a political answer for the Kosovo emergency received on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516, attach 1 to this goals) and inviting additionally the acknowledgment by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of the standards set out in focuses 1 to 9 of the paper displayed in Belgrade on 2 June 1999 (S/1999/649, add 2 to this goals), and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's consent to that paper, Reaffirming the dedication of all Member States to the sway and regional respectability of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and different States of the locale, as set out in the Helsinki Final Act and extension 2, Reaffirming the bring in past goals for generous self-rule and significant self-organization for Kosovo, Determining that the circumstance in the district keeps on comprising a danger to worldwide harmony and security. Determined to guarantee the security and security of universal work force and the execution by all worried of their duties under the present goals, and representing these reasons under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

UNMIK from 1999 to 2001

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMiK)is an integral part of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),mandated by the 10 June 1999 Security Council Resolution 1244 to provide an interim international civil administration under which the people of Kosovo could enjoy substantial autonomy.This Security Council Resolution vested in UNMIK all legislative and executive powers as well as the administration of the judiciary.Amongst its key tasks,UNMIK would promote the establishment of substantial autonomy and self-government in Kosovo;perform basic civil administrative functions and facilitate the political process to determine Kosovo's future status;maintain law and order and promote human rights.While supporting reconstruction efforts,humanitarian and disaster relief programmes,the interim administration would also assure the safe and unimpeded return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes in Kosovo.

International Criminal Court

An international criminal tribunal has been set up to prosecute the victors of the 1999 war in Kosovo. Yes, you read that right. A court has been set up with a mission to investigate and bring to justice those members of the victorious Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) allegedly responsible for heinous human rights violations and atrocities committed against ethnic minorities and political opponents in the region. An outgrowth of specialist chambers set up by Priština last summer, the lumpily named Kosovo Relocated Specialist Judicial Institution (KRSJI) will be hosted in The Hague. This marks the first time that a special court has been established with the express purpose to prosecute the victors of a war.

The product of long-term negotiations aimed at integrating Kosovo into the European Union, the KRSJI will focus exclusively on KLA combatants, many of whom are revered in Kosovo. Precisely because of the controversial nature of prosecuting widely celebrated figures, all sides agreed that the tribunal should be housed away from the scene of the war. According to the government of the Netherlands.

"Prosecuting KLA members “is a sensitive issue in Kosovo. Possible suspects may be seen by sections of Kosovan society as freedom fighters, and witnesses may feel threatened in Kosovo. This is why the option of trying cases outside Kosovo was explored.”

UNMIK 2001- on wards

UNMIK's mission in Kosovo was facing obstacles before and after Kosovo declared independence. The relationship between the two pairs met some challenges along the way which led to Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, to request its withdrawal from Kosovo. Her premise behind this request was that their mission had met the end. Additionally, Kosovo citizens also agreed that its mission was, indeed, complete and that Kosovo will secure its sovereignty and functionality of the state, on its own. Many politicians and intellectuals were supporting this action, however there was backlash. This, mostly coming from serbs, who argued that the serb community in Kosovo will not be protected and represented the same, without UNMIK's watch. 

Throughout this time period, there were also incidents between Kosovar authority and that of UNMIK's. This may was the time when the accident happened in which the Kosovo police gave detention to two UN staff members. The situation got even worse when the two individuals were reported to have gone to the hospital to recover. Consequently, immediately tension was created.  

UN high ranking representative in Kosovo Zahir Tanin told the Security Council he was "frightened" that the two UN staff individuals captured in Kosovo on 28 may, "were evidently exposed to inordinate power and abuse upon their capture by police causing wounds and requiring hospitalization." Two individuals from the UN peacekeeping strategic Kosovo (UNMIK), a Russian national Mikhail Krasnoshchekov and nearby Serb Dejan Dimovic, were captured by the Kosovo unique police power during an activity in Zubin Potok, a lion's share Serb populated region in the north of Kosovo, planned for securing individuals from the Kosovo police for supposed composed wrongdoing inclusion. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo and head of UNMIK Zahir Tanin said their capture and wounds they continued "is an issue which will shape a basic part of the enquiry we have started." The Special Representative Tanin said that despite the fact that there has been a reasonable advancement in the course of the most recent twenty years, "the circumstance in Kosovo, and among Belgrade and Pristina, is again at a delicate minute." As indicated by Tanin, there were profitable commitment among Belgrade and Pristina since late 2018. And keeping in mind that the evacuation of 100% levy on Serbian and Bosnian merchandise is the Belgrade's base condition for continuing the dealings, Pristina has set its own, though not constantly bound together conditions. Tanin said "various conflicting open sign have hampered all endeavors to guarantee the full commitment of the two gatherings in a solitary or conclusive procedure" and approached the pioneers on the two sides act duty and don't heighten an effectively "complex circumstance." (click on the photo above to go to the video of Mr. Zahir Tanin's speech).

This was to say that, in Kosovo, not only random kosovar individuals , but also authorized people found these actions against UNMIK, fit and eligible. It also helps to clear out the picture which speaks that UNMIK's placement here as irrelevant. Albeit some political parties supporting its placement, some other political parties especially the opposition has spoken and advocated very clearly that Kosovo being a sovereign state, does not need any other institution for support.

In addition to this fact, former minister of foreign relations has Enver Hoxhaj, as well, stated that Kosovo is capable of working on the state's functionality on its own, neglecting the fact that Kosovo is still to this day under the resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council.  “UNMIK will continue to remain in Kosovo”, said Stephane Dujarric, the representative of the UN's secretary General.

However, albeit having these difficulties, UNMIK's and Kosovo's relationships has come to create profitable outcomes. Kosovo's domestic policies, but most importantly, foreign policies have improved. Kosovo has been recognized by many other states as well as being part of many organizations. 

Declaration of Independence

Kosovo's Parliament declared independence on 17 February, 2008. In a meeting attended by 109 members, the assembly unanemously declared Kosovo to be independent from Serbia. Some Kosovo Serbs restricted to severance have boycotted the move by declining to pursue orders from the focal government in Pristina and endeavoring to hold onto border posts and infrastructure in Serb-populated districts. There have also been random situations of violence against international institutions and governmental institutions, broadly in Northern Kosovo. There were 53 countries who recognized Kosovo as an independent state by the end of 2008, and in total untill today there are 108 countries. Five EU members still don't recognize Kosovo as an independent state and those states are: Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus ,Romania and Spain.

The declaration legality has been contested. Serbia wanted international validation and support for its position that the declaration was illegal, and requested an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice in October 2008, but the Court determined that the declaration did not violate any law. 

International Recognition of Kosovo

Since its Declaration of Independence from Serbia, enacted on 17 February 2008,international recognition of Kosovo has been mixed, and the international community continues to be divided on the issue.
As of 27 July 2019, the Republic of Kosovoas received 115 diplomatic recognition as an independent state, of which 12 have since been withdrawn. As of 17 August 2019, 100 out of 193 (52%) United Nations (UN) member states, 23 out of 28 (82%) European Union (EU) member states, 25 out of 29 (86%) NATO member states, and 34 out of 57 (60%) Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states have recognized Kosovo. The government of Serbia does not recognize it as a sovereign state.

In 2013, it began to normalize relations with the government of Kosovo in accordance with the Brussels Agreement, but the process stalled in November 2018 after Kosovo imposed a 100 percent tax on importing Serbian goods.
A number of states expressed concern over the unilateral character of Kosovo's declaration, or explicitly announced that they would not recognise an independent Kosovo. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) remains divided on this issue: of its five members with veto power, three (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) have recognised the declaration of independence, while the People's Republic of China has expressed concern, urging the continuation of the previous negotiation framework. The Russian Federation has rejected the declaration and considers it illegal. In May 2008, Russia, China, and India released a joint statement calling for new negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.
Although EU member states individually decide whether to recognise Kosovo, by consensus the EU has commissioned the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) to ensure peace and continued external oversight. Due to the dispute in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the reconfiguration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and partial handover to the EULEX mission met with difficulties. In spite of Russian and Serbian protests, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proceeded with the reconfiguration plan. On 15 July 2008, he stated: "In the light of the fact that the Security Council is unable to provide guidance, I have instructed my Special Representative to move forward with the reconfiguration of UNMIK ... in order to adapt UNMIK to a changed reality." According to the Secretary-General, the "United Nations has maintained a position of strict neutrality on the question of Kosovo's status". On 26 November 2008, the UNSC gave the green light to the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. The EU mission is to assume police, justice, and customs duties from the UN, while operating under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (UNSCR 1244) that first placed Kosovo under UN administration in 1999.

The First Countries to Recognize Kosovo as an Independent Country.

1	Costa Rica	17 February 2008
2	Afghanistan	18 February 2008
3	Albania	18 February 2008
4	France	18 February 2008
5	Senegal	18 February 2008
6	Turkey	18 February 2008
7	United Kingdom	18 February 2008
8	United States	18 February 2008
9	Australia	19 February 2008
10	Latvia	20 February 2008
11	Germany	20 February 2008
12	Estonia	21 February 2008
13	Italy	21 February 2008
14	Denmark	21 February 2008
15	Luxembourg	21 February 2008
16	Peru	22 February 2008
17	Belgium	24 February 2008
18	Poland	26 February 2008
19	Switzerland	27 February 2008
20	Austria	28 February 2008

Kosovo-Serbia relations after Independence

Kosovo turned into a self-governed region beneath the United Nations, which was assigned with defining Kosovo's future standing. Kosovo announced its independence in 2008 but Serbia didn’t and still doesn’t accept Kosovo as an independent country and it is because Serbia considers Kosovo part of its own state. Today, their relations are still at edges with continuous conflicts.

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Ongoing tensions

The Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic, was killed in January 2018 in northern Kosovo, and that caused a heat between the two countries. After that horrifying incident, the discussions between the states were postponed, because Serbia stated that this was "an act of terrorism." Afterwards, Kosovo raised its tariff duties on the imports from Serbia to 100%. Nevertheless, both presidents, Thaçi and Vucic, will again have a talk on April 29th in a gathering which is being organized by France and Germany and try and find actual solutions to their pause.

Today's Kosovo

Twenty years have passed since Kosovo was freed from the Serbian army's occupation, and eleven years since it was declared an independent country. For Kosovar citizens, these years were rough since almost everything had to start from the beginning. As an independent country, Kosovo is recognized by many countries and is striving to join the EU. This country is democratic republic. Moreover, this young Europeans, has reached a population of 1.83 million. Albanian population form the majority with 93% whereas the minorities; Serbs, Turkish, Bosnian, Egyptian, Gorani, Roma and Askhali form the other 7%.

Even though the war between the Serbian forces has ended, there is still no final peace deal between Serbia and Kosovo. This state has a low economic integration in global terms, no static energy supply, corruption, political instability and many other obstacles, as every other country has in its first years. 

Still, Kosovo's economy has turned into a market based-system. Kosovo receives a big help from the  diaspora, the population who lives in western Europe which donate or help them. It is an important location for setting up new businesses. Kosovo also offers some positive aspects such as the young population, many natural resources, good climate conditions and a very low tax compared with the other countries in the Balkans.

The Newborn Monument is a typographic sculpture and tourist attraction in Pristina, Kosovo. It was unveiled on 17 February 2008.

Kosovo's Accession in the European Union

Kosovo's accession in the European Union (EU)  is on the current EU enlargement agenda. The EU considers Kosovo as a potential for membership.  Independence declaration of Kosovo was issued from Serbia by a vote of Kosovo Assembly on 17 February 2008. Serbia did not recognize Kosovo's independence, or five out from 28 members of European Union (Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece), and as a result of the EU itself refers directly and only to "Kosovo", with a footnote containing the text agreed to by the Belegrade - Prishtina negotiations: "This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Decleration of Independence." The EU works in Kosovo under the umbrella of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), deploying police and civilian personnel under the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) to ensure stability in the region and impartial rule of law enforcement. The EU-Kosovo Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) was signed on 26 February 2016 and entered into force on 1 April 2016. The European Commission released its expansion plan on 6 February 2018 covering up six countries in the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.  The plan is that all six applicants will achieve accession as members of the European Union after the year of 2025.  

Kosovo's monetary policy 

Different from some states, especially different from Albania,Kosovo does not have its own unique money currency.

Yugoslav dinar

Firstly, before the establishment of UNMIK, Kosovo considered as a part of Serbia had to use the monetary policy of Yugoslavia which was Yugoslav Dinar. However,with the ongoing tensions and beliefs of the split of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav dinar lost its credibility.

Deutsche mark

As a result of this, many citizens demanded the usage of a foreign currency.That is when the Deutsche mark or German Mark started to be used the most. Still, in 1999 UNMIK made a regulation that let the usage of other currencies too such as the U.S dollar. The Yugoslav dinar was not restricted yet but it was not preferred to be used. 

Euro as a currency in Kosovo 

Same as Germany Kosovo changed to using Euro in January 1st 2002. However, the Deutsche mark was legal to use until March 9,2002.Having Euro as a currency in Kosovo was made possible with the help of the European Central Bank with the location in Frankfurt,Germany. Even though Kosovo has adopted the use of euro, in order to join the eurozone it shoud meet the euro convergence criteria. These five criteria include:

•  HICP inflation
• Government budget deficit
• Government debt to GDP-radio
• Exchange rate stability
• Long-term interest rates

Visa Liberalization

Another topic relating to Kosovo's pursuit of becoming a part of the EU is visa liberalization. Of all the countries in the Balkans, Kosovo is the only one that does not have free access to the Schengen Area; a visa is needed to enter. Visa liberalization talks between the European Union and Kosovo were first introduced on January 19th, 2012. Though the EU decided Kosovar visas would be liberalized by May 2016, the process has since been delayed because Kosovo fails to meet the all the necessary requirements for free travel.  

The latest news held regarding this topic was in September 24,2019. The European Parliament agreed to start the discussions with the European council on the matters of visa liberalisations for Kosovo.

Deputies positions regarding the matter of Kosovo's visa liberalisation

Unfortunately, to this day, visa liberalization for Kosovo still remains a matter in progress. Kosovar citizens hope for this to  happen as soon as possible. There are ongoing protests and concerns of everyone about this topic. What's important this would be an even bigger step towards Kosovo and the EU. Hopefully, this matter will be solved during some time in this year.

References

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