KOSOVO EMERGES AS A NEW COUNTRY

Kosovo has issued its unilateral declaration of independence. The US recognised Kosovo and said independence from Serbia for the majority Albanian province was the only “viable option” to keep the region stable. Europe’s biggest states recognised the independence of Kosovo. France was first to announce its move after European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, a great relief for Pristina. Britain and Italy followed minutes later and Germany said it and a majority of EU states would recognise a democratic Kosovo. But EU member Spain broke ranks to say “no”. Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania have indicated they too are not keen to recognise Kosovo. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) declared complete solidarity with the people of Kosovo. OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said: “We rejoice at this happy result, we declare our solidarity with and support to our brothers and sisters there. The Ummah wishes them success in their battle for building a strong and prosperous state.” According to Ihsanoglu, an independent Kosovo would be an asset to the Muslim world. “It will further enhance the joint Islamic action,” he added.