A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomaticand Consular Relationsby Countrysince 1776: Kosovo

Historical Overview

Early History: The Ottomans ruled Kosovo for more than four centuriesuntil Serbia acquired the territory during the First Balkan War in 1912-13.

The 20th Century: First partitioned in 1913 between Serbia and MontenegroKosovo was then incorporated into the Kingdom of the SerbsCroatsand Slovenes (later named Yugoslavia) after World War I. During World War IIparts of Kosovo were absorbed into Italian-occupied Albania. After the Italian capitulationNazi Germany assumed control over Kosovo until Tito’s Yugoslav Partisans entered at the end of the war.

After World War IIKosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.). The 1974 Yugoslav Constitution gave Kosovo (along with Vojvodina) the status of a Socialist Autonomous Province within Serbia. As suchit possessed nearly equal rights as the six constituent Socialist Republics of the S.F.R.Y.

In 1981riots broke out and were violently suppressed after Kosovo Albanians demonstrated to demand that Kosovo be granted full Republic status. In the late 1980sSlobodan Milosevic propelled himself to power in Belgrade by exploiting the fears of the Serbian minority in Kosovo. In 1989he eliminated Kosovo’s autonomy and imposed direct rule from Belgrade. Belgrade ordered the firing of most ethnic Albanian state employeeswhose jobs were then assumed by Serbs.

In responseKosovo Albanian leaders began a peaceful resistance movement in the early 1990sled by Ibrahim Rugova. They established a parallel government funded mainly by the Albanian diaspora. When this movement failed to yield resultsan armed resistance emerged in 1997 in the form of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The KLA’s main goal was to secure the independence of Kosovo.

In late 1998Milosevic unleashed a brutal police and military campaign against the KLAwhich included widespread atrocities against civilians. Milosevic’s failure to agree to the Rambouillet Accords triggered a NATO military campaign to halt the violence in Kosovo. This campaign consisted primarily of aerial bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (F.R.Y.)including Belgradeand continued from March through June 1999. After 78 days of bombingMilosevic capitulated. Shortly thereafterthe UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1244 (1999)which suspended Belgrade’s governance over Kosovoand under which Kosovo was placed under the administration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)and which authorized a NATO peacekeeping force. Resolution 1244 also envisioned a political process designed to determine Kosovo’s future status.

As ethnic Albanians returned to their homeselements of the KLA conducted reprisal killings and abductions of ethnic Serbs and Roma in Kosovo. Thousands of ethnic SerbsRomaand other minorities fled from their homes during the latter half of 1999and many remain displaced.

The 21st Century: In November 2005the Contact Group (FranceGermanyItalyRussiathe United Kingdomand the United States) produced a set of “Guiding Principles” for the resolution of Kosovo’s future status. Some key principles included: no return to the situation prior to 1999, no changes in Kosovo’s bordersand no partition or union of Kosovo with a neighboring state. The Contact Group later said that Kosovo’s future status had to be acceptable to the people of Kosovo.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 172008. In its declaration of independenceKosovo committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Ahtisaari Planto embrace multi-ethnicity as a fundamental principle of good governanceand to welcome a period of international supervision.

The United States formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state on February 18. To dateKosovo has been recognized by a robust majority of European statesthe United StatesJapanand Canadaand by other states from the AmericasAfricaand Asia. Shortly after independencea number of states established an International Steering Group (ISG) for Kosovo that appointed Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith as Kosovo’s first International Civilian Representative (ICR).

Foreign Relations

In March 2008Kosovo passed legislation to establish a foreign ministry. This legislation went into effect on June 152008. The Government of Kosovo appointed Skender Hyseni as its first foreign minister.

Recognition and Diplomatic Relations