A new country was born on February 17th as Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. The streets of Pristina, Kosovo’s capital city, were full of fireworks and people partying, as Kosovans celebrated their status as the world’s newest nation. However, the scene in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, was very different. Serbia’s government called the declaration illegal and said it would never, ever recognize it. Serbians believe Kosovo is a sacred part of the Serbian homeland. Russia and China condemned Kosovo for declaring itself independent and said the move could spark a new conflict in the Balkans. Moscow now fears that Chechnya and other regions, those Vladimir Putin calls “frozen conflicts,” will try and push for independence from Russia. Putin called, unsuccessfully, for a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Republic of Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci said his new country would be a "democratic, multi-ethnic state." He said all of its citizens would enjoy the same rights – both the ethnic Albanians which form 90% of the population and the 10% Serb minority. Thaci told his parliament: "We never lost faith in the dream that one day we would stand among the free nations of the world, and today we do…Dreams are infinite, our challenges loom large, but nothing can deter us from moving forward to the greatness that history has reserved for us." In a warning to Serbia, he said: "Kosovo will never be ruled by Belgrade again.” The USA, Britain, France, Germany and Italy supported Kosovo’s move and will help the young country develop in its early years. The European Union, however, is split over whether or not to recognize Kosovo’s independence.
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