Ex-communist Europe
Reactions to ICJ Kosovo ruling
To recognise or not to recognise
Jul 29th 2010, 15:55 by by P.D.
INTERNATIONAL reaction to last week's International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence has been mixed. Some countries have been forced by their own unusual circumstances into nuanced, or even awkward, positions.
Armenia, for example, has been highly equivocal. Although it has praised the ICJ ruling as a blueprint for independence for Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-controlled enclave in Azerbaijan which held massive street parties to celebrate the court's decision, there is no indication that it will recognise Kosovo in the near future, given pressure from its allies in Moscow.
Conversely, Azerbaijan condemed the decision and Kosovo’s secession as completely illegal, a stance taken by a number of other countries with active secessionist entities such as Moldova and Cyprus. By contrast, the Republika Srpska, the Serb bit of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is having a hard time making up its mind. It would love to break away from Bosnia, rather as Kosovo did from Serbia, but is hardly about to antagonise Belgrade by endorsing the ICJ's decision. Milorad Dodik, the prime minister, has said that the decision opens the possibility for his entity's own declaration of independence, but that his government would continue to prevent Bosnia from establishing diplomatic relations with Kosovo. Even then, this is more likely to be a rhetorical concession to Serbian nationalists in the run-up to the presidential elections in October—secession by the Republika could spark war and few would recognise the new state.
After dissecting the ICJ ruling, Romania, a European Union member state, decided not to change its stance of non-recognition on the grounds that the court had not actually endorsed Kosovo as a state. This allowed Romania to dodge the issues that such an endorsement might have raised for its Hungarian-speaking minority. Taiwan congratulated Kosovo on the result; it has formally recognised Kosovo since its declaration of independence in 2008, although the favour has not been returned. This is because Kosovo is far keener to reap the benefits of recognition by China, since unanimous acceptance by the members of the Security Council is a prerequisite for UN membership.
The Vatican has consistently refused to even contemplate recognition of Kosovo, mainly out of solidarity with the Serbian Orthodox church. Montenegro, which established relations with Kosovo in 2008, wants stability in the western Balkans region, which should accelerate its own application into the EU. It claimed that the ICJ ruling had resolved the Kosovo issue. Likewise, the Macedonian foreign ministry has released a statement which presents the ruling as a conclusive justification for its decision to grant Kosovo recognition in 2008, although this can also be attributed to the semi-permanent presence of Albanian parties in the country’s coalition governments.
Transnistria, the troublesome part of Moldova, is biding its time–as with the Republika Srpska, the Kosovo example provides a useful precedent for aspiring states, but not at the cost of alienating a powerful patron (in their case, Russia). More interesting have been the reactions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, who broke from Georgia in 2008 following the war with Russia. Both entities have unequivocally endorsed the ICJ ruling and have cited it as a justification for their own rights of secession, despite undoubted opposition from Moscow.
Eastern approaches deals with the economic, political, security and cultural aspects of the eastern half of the European continent. It incorporates the long-running "Europe.view" weekly column. The blog is named after the wartime memoirs of the British soldier Sir Fitzroy Maclean.
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I didn't see any single reason connected directly to Kosova case why the recognition shouldn't take place.
Everything is about the implication the Kosova independence might have in other geospaces and geopolitics.
Actually the opponents of Kosova Independence does not have any argument to sustain their opinion. Everything is clear Politically and Legally.
What's left? Maybe sowing fear?!
HOWEVER S,TH. IS CLEAR! ANY NATION COMMITTING GENOCIDE AGAINST AN OTHER ONE SHOULD CONSIDER THAT THEIR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IS NOT ANYMORE SANCTUS PROVENTUS.
The modern world may intervene to guarantee the sacred right of peoples to preserve their existence.
By the end the LAW should serve to the JUSTICE.
THERE WAS NOT ANY BARER FOR KOSOVA TO DECLARE IT'S INDEPENDENCE. THE ICJ ADVISORY OPINION, RIPPED OFF LAST REMAINING CLOUDS.
Have you been trying to find explanations to why Greece is in that group?
She feels she owes nothing to the system that has been pampering her eversince WW2 and before. A country with people that have, on the one hand, a very entrepeneurial mentality and a very materialistic, self interest-driven approach to things, and that, on the other hand, dream of the Soviet empire, admire communist guerrilas and quietly nod with approval every time a terrorist bomb sets off in Athens. A very paradoxical, twisted country inotherwords
The case for separation of Tatarstan, Chechnia, Ingushetiya, Dagestan, Kalmykia, Bashkorostan, Tuva, Buryatiya and Sakha (also known as Yakutiya)has been already made. With non=Russians accounting for some 29 mill. people, of which Tatars alone some 6 million, the Russian Federation is a prime example of centrifugal forces leading to a break up of what is the last of the 19th cent. empires. The long term struggle of the Caucasian nations for independence from Russian occupation will not cease with another Putin's militatry adventure.
This could be very interesting... We could be seeing some baby Spains as well.
Well, I hope that we are not cursed with the Chinese proverb of living in "interesting time".
Felipe Coelho
We meet again Philippe. Before you know it Pardo Brazilians and Black Brazilians will want to secede and create baby Brazils! I guess football would come out a winner out of such a development! Three Brazils playing at the 2018 World Cup! That's gonna be something to watch! :)
Here is the lovely Pandora's myth for you, as Greek as your very name!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora's_box
Very good article, the Kosovo secession opens the door to many similar cases. If, say, native peoples in Alaska, in USA proper, in Canada, in Brazil or in Australia want to secede, will they be allowed? Can Corsica secede from France? Can Assam secede from India? And what about the recently defeated Tamil separatists? And Russian-occupied Caucasus? And Chinese-occupied Tibet? Eastern Bolivia almost seceded a few years ago...
The pleas of Kosovo case uniqueness are baseless, there are examples everywhere, this ICJ decision about the right to secede, even when violence is employed and independence is achieved through an invading foreign army, is very dangerous indeed.
The country with the most to fear is surprisingly one that has recognized Kossovo: Turkey.
An independent Kossovo is surely a wonderful precedent for an independent Kurdistan in Turkey's east. After all, Kurds have been up in arms for decades in order to protect the lands they have lived for millennia, their language and their culture. In the 1920s they fought on the side of their fellow Muslims to secure their rights, and since then have been oppressed by the most fascistic regime, militarily strong state in existence today. The latter explaining the audacity in Turkey's recognition of Kossovo, Turkey's hardline stance on Cyprus (despite condemnations from various international organizations) and "no see, no hear" attitude vis-a-vis its own Kurds.
Recognition of Kossovo is equivalent to Pandora's box. Look up the lovely Greek myth if not familiar with it.
Expecting a reaction on short notice of some one hundred UN members that have yet to make a decision on recognition is premature to say the least. With a few European exceptions, these are mostly African and South American states that(a)have no real interest in Balkan politics and (b) are run by slow moving regimes more interested in decisions with potential economic benefits.
What is interesting though is the endorsement of the ICJ ruling on secession by the Russia-sponsored South Ossetia and Abkhasia opening the way for a vocal appeal to UN for secession from such "entities" as Tatarstan, Chechnia, Ingushetiya, Buryatiya and Sakha ( known as Yakutiya). That will certainly make Putin nervous.
Kosovo is a unique case that does not set e precedent. The 69 countries that have recognized Kosovo -from the US to Somalia - have emphasized the unique character of Kosovo's situation and statehood.