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Six months after independence declared international recognition of Kosovo at a standstill
Sunday 17 August marked the six month anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia. Since then, Pristina's authority has been recognized by 45 (or 23%) of the 192 member-states of the United Nations. But a much greater proportion of European Union members have officially recognized Kosovo: 20 (or 70%) of the 27 states have so far acknowledged the legitimacy of Kosovo.
But very few states - only 10 in fact - have officially recognized Kosovo since April. And most of these are European states, with most countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia still unwilling to acknowledge the new state's existence.
Although the recognition process has come to a standstill, Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci remains optimistic, focusing instead on the countries, including a number of Arab states, that are expected to recognize Kosovo in the near future. He has also emphasized the fact that, while some countries have not recognized Kosovar independence, they do accept Kosovar passports. The Kosovo administration has issued 55,000 passports so far. The documents have been made to European standards in the hope that the EU will soon suspend the visa restrictions faced by Kosovar citizens wishing to travel in Europe.
EULEX takes over from UNMIK
The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which administered the former province of Serbia for nine years, has also been in the news in recent days. It has been announced that UNMIK staff will leave Kosovo by the end of the autumn, following a gradual handover of powers to the new government. However, the international presence in Kosovo will remain in the form of EULEX, the European Union mission responsible for security, law and order in the country. According to Yves de Kermabon, head of the mission, EULEX will be fully operational before the winter, even if Serbia and Russia denounce the mission as illegal.
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