Kosovo celebrates 10 years since splitting from Serbia
A decade after the war that left 13,000 people dead, the small European country still faces challenges in having its sovereignty recognised, and Russia’s Security Council veto powers prevent it from joining the United Nations
Kosovo on Saturday celebrated 10 years since it declared independence, a moment of pride for its ethnic Albanian majority, although sovereignty remains fiercely contested by Serbia.
The capital Pristina was covered in the blue-and-yellow Kosovan flag for a weekend of festivities, with Kosovo-born British pop star Rita Ora due to headline a concert in the main square on Saturday night.
A decade after a war between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbian troops left 13,000 people dead – most of them Albanians – the Kosovan parliament declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008.
“It was the happiest moment for all of us as a people,” said President Hashim Thaci in a statement on Friday, as children in Kosovo’s Albanian schools began the day with lessons dedicated to the anniversary.
This was not the case in the completely separate schooling system of Kosovo’s Serb minority, which remains loyal to Belgrade. Children from the two ethnic communities rarely mix.
Although more than 110 countries have recognised Kosovo as a state in the past 10 years, Belgrade refuses to do so.
