Today, Kosovo celebrates the 16th anniversary of Independence. On February 17, 2008, in an extraordinary meeting attended by 109 deputies, the Assembly declared Kosovo an independent, sovereign and democratic state.
The state flag of Kosovo was unfurled on the day of the declaration of independence in the solemn session of the Assembly.
The legality of independence has been a controversial topic for a long time, as Serbia has opposed Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence, calling it illegal.
For this, she requested an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice in 2008, a request that was rejected on July 22, 2010.
The declaration of Independence of Kosovo on February 17, 2008, was the crowning of a long and difficult journey for the citizens of Kosovo.
For years, they suffered the consequences of ethnic cleansing by the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic, which resulted in a Liberation War (’97-’99). After the end of the Kosovo Liberation War, international peacekeeping troops were deployed in Kosovo.
On February 18, 2008, the presidency of the European Union decided that the member countries were free to decide whether they would recognize the independence of Kosovo. Most of the countries of the European Union have recognized Kosovo, but Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain still do not recognize it.
/abcnews.al
