Kosovo has a unique political and social background. On 17 February 2008, Republic of Kosovo declared its formal independence.

Fundamentally, based on the sui generis principle, Republic of Kosovo has already been recognized by 37 countries including most of the world's largest democracies and economies as the key solution to permanent stability and prosperity in the entire continent of Europe. The latest UN Secretary General report on Kosovo acknowledges one important thing: "Kosovo has declared independence."

 

This week, the democratic constitution as the legal guarantor of sovereignty of Kosovo’s statehood was approved by the Kosovo parliament, in close cooperation with the EU, US, Canada, Japan and others, to meet the highest international standards. In his regular quarterly review on Kosovo, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon appraises Kosovo's leadership and its citizens for patience and vigilant behavior during the independence process and chastises Kosovo Serb violent riots which resulted with the death of one Ukrainian UN personnel. He then went on to officially retire Kosovo's status mediators, President Marti Ahtisaari and his deputy, Albert Rohan.

Closer to home, Serbia's major economic trade partners and neighbors have already recognized the independence Kosovo. Serbia is rather convinced that the process of recognition is a runaway train as it seems to be admitted even by Serbia's Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremic during his heated debate in Athens this week, where in response to Albania's foreign minister statement that Kosovo has now passed the point of no return and that his attempts were futile, Jeremic argued that Serbia would back Kosovo into a corner economically and the rate of recognition is slower than they had feared.

To the dismay of those predicting a flurry of copycats after Kosovo, the world in the last two months has seen a series of opposite developments. Cyprus, a frozen conflict with no similarities to Kosovo, got de facto partitioned forty years ago. With the right arrangement of political forces in the south, Cypriot Greeks and Turks have never been closer to resolving their differences over the unification of the Cyprus as one sovereign administrative and political body. In Taiwan, a political party advocating closer ties to China has come to power.  And Canada and Turkey, two countries with outspoken secessionist groups have not shied away from recognizing Kosovo.

However, the current objection and hesitations by a few countries to recognize Kosovo's final status as independent and sovereign state on the sui generis principle, will inadvertently create instability inside these very countries. By not accepting the justification for Kosovo independence, these countries are putting into question the integrity of their own territories. If the threat to Kosovo's post-WWII border comes closer to reality, as Serbia has officially suggested to the UN authorities in Prishtina, the argument of questioning the sovereignty of these countries that refuse to recognize Kosovo independence will gain even more momentum. A story, none of these countries want to hear, see or deal with now or in the near future.

Romania's objections, one of the EU countries refusing to budge, are rather obscure. Romania's relationship with Serbia was always bewildering. After the fall of communism, Romania began to pursue its aspirations to join the EU and NATO which it has successfully achieved. While Romania takes its stance against Kosovo's independence for its personal reasons, at the same time Romania is threatening the unity of NATO and EU and perhaps blindly siding with Russia.  Romania, Slovakia and Spain splitting from the EU position on Kosovo is exactly what Russia had been dreaming. A quarrelsome and divisive political, military and economical body of Europe will weaken the geopolitical position of NATO and EU when dealing with Russia, and make Kosovo a convenient speed bump on NATO's and EU's march eastward. Suddenly, for Russia, Kosovo becomes another much needed chip it can use far away from its near-abroad.

We could be assumptive, but in reality, none of these countries that object or hesitate, really have any political alliance with Serbia. Even Russia's interests are for economic reasons and some political gain in the diplomatic arena. Any possible delay, hesitation or refusal will no longer secure the integrity of any country in the world, just the opposite.  Serbia has no case to present. It blocked the peaceful process at the UN and broke international laws by committing unspeakable crimes, colonizing for almost a century and then employing policies of apartheid in Kosovo. Some of the other countries on the other hand have some reason for genuine concern, but by refusing to circle the wagons around the sui generis principle to defend something that is backed by the worlds' most powerful countries, those countries consequentially acknowledge that the secessionist movements within them do have a case and that Kosovo has implications for those movements.