Two former Yugoslav republics, Macedonia and Montenegro, yesterday recognised Kosovo as an independent state, bringing to 50 the number of states that have now given their backing to the unilateral declaration of independence that Kosovo made in February.
Portugal took the same step on 7 October, as did Malta on 21 August. In all, 22 EU states have now formally acknowledged Kosovo as a state. The five that have not are Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.
Skopje and Podgorica are not the first capitals in the former Yugoslavia to accept Kosovo's case that Serbia no longer has sovereignty over it – Zagreb and Slovenia did so in March – but Montenegro's decision is a particular blow as it was the last Yugoslav republic to break away from Belgrade – doing so in 2006 – and many Montenegrins served in the Yugoslav People's Army during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Serbia responded by expelling the Montenegrin ambassador from Belgrade, with the Serbian foreign minister, Vuk Jeremić, saying that he was no longer welcome. Countries in the region have a “special responsibility to preserve peace and stability in the Balkans”, Jeremić said.
It remains unclear whether Serbia intends to take a similar step against Macedonia.
Serbia has previously withdrawn its ambassadors from many countries that have recognised Kosovo, but it has gradually sent them back to their postings. In July, Serbian ambassadors returned to all EU states that had recognised Kosovo. In the latest such step, Serbia despatched its envoys back to the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia on 9 October – the same day that Montenegro and Macedonia took their step.
Roughly one-quarter of Macedonia's population of 2 million are ethnic Albanians. In Montenegro, which shares a border with Albania, ethnic Albanians make up 5% of the country's 620,000 inhabitants.
Both Montenegro and Macedonia have stated their intentions of joining both the EU and NATO in the future. Macedonia was accorded the status of a candidate member of the EU in 2005.
In a parallel move, the United Nations General Assembly this week voted 77 to 6 to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague for a non-binding “advisory opinion” on whether Kosovo's independence violates international law. 74 countries, among them most European countries, abstained from voting on the request, which read: “Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the provisional institutions of self-government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?”
The ICJ, is expected to receive a formal notification of the case today and it will then take several weeks for a legal procedure to be established. It is expected to deliver its opinion in nine to 20 months' time.
