Kosovo independence

Independence of Kosovo

After the Kosovo war of 1999, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) took over the governance of Kosovo. Till then, the place was still a province of Serbia. But, Serbia did not have much to say anymore. Kosovo unilaterally declared the independence on February 17th, 2008.

Kosovo was from that very moment de facto independent from Serbia. It called itself the Republic of Kosovo. Most Western countries backed this new status immediately. Currently, the majority of the UN member states recognize its independence. This includes 23 out of 28 EU-countries.

Serbia is politically backed by Russia. And they are strongly against the thought of the independence of Kosovo. But, the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia has been improving the last couple of years. This comes with some ups and downs, as you might expect.

flag of the independent kosovo
© Bujar Gashi
the newborn monument that symbolizes the independence of kosovo

The NEWBORN statue in the center of the capital Pristina symbolizes the new status of Kosovo. Kosovo born singer Rita Ora (famous for several number-1 hits in the UK) danced upon this statue. This was in her video clip Shine Ya Light. The statue was for its first five years yellow colored. But with the celebration of the first lustrum, people painted the flags of all the recognizing countries on the six newborn letters. Every year, the looks of the letters change. The day of independence is an official holiday throughout the nation.

Kosovo independence: a new flag

The new republic has had its own flag since the independence. The blue flag of Kosovo  shows in yellow or gold the map of the state with six white-colored stars above it.

The six stars represent the six biggest ethnic groups in the country. These are the ones:

  • Albanians (at least 90%)
  • Serbians
  • Turks
  • Bosniaks
  • Gorani
  • RAE (Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian)

Many Kosovars still use and many prefer the Albanian one. Why? Because the Albanian flag was the unofficial flag before independence. Nonetheless, during holidays, weddings and parties, often both the official flag and the red-black Albanian flag are used.

flag of independent kosovo
newborn statue in Pristina

NEWBORN monument

NEWBORN in Pristina One of the most historic places in the very recent history of Europa is the NEWBORN monument in Kosovo. The capital Pristina

majlinda kelmendi waves flag at olympic ceremony

Is Kosovo a country?

Is Kosovo a country? Yes, Kosovo is a country. Since 2008 we call Kosovo a republic. Why do some countries do not recognize Kosovo as

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