Kosovo is 1 of the most disputed points on the political map of Europe. Although it has functioned as an independent state since 2008, its position continues to origin controversy. On the 1 hand, a people of Kosovan Albanians who fought for the right to their own statehood, on the another hand, Serbs for whom this territory is of large historical and cultural importance. To realize today's situation, we request to look at this problem from both sides.
Serbian History
Serbian position grows from deep tradition and historical memory. It was on these lands that the medieval Serbian capitals were located, and many monastics, or Orthodox monasteries, stay symbols of national identity. The 1389 Kosovo Field conflict became a founding story for the Serbs, a symbol of dedication and opposition to enemies. Although the region has undergone demographic change for centuries, for many Serbs it remained the spiritual center of the nation, a peculiar place that should not be given.
Ethnic Conflict and War Path
After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Serbia tried to keep control of Kosovo, although most of the population surviving there were Albanians. The authorities in Belgrade abolished Kosovo's autonomy, closed Albanian schools, removed people from work and introduced a strategy of political dominance. The answer was first the peaceful opposition led by Ibrahim Rugova and later the armed opposition of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Then the tensions became a regular war. The years 1998–1999 brought violent cultural cleansing, mass expulsions and many crimes against Albanian civilian population. Hundreds of thousands of people were fleeing homes. The West tried to get the Serbian government to stop, but the talks did not work. In March 1999 NATO intervened, for the first time in past without a UN safety Council mandate, which is present the origin of immense controversy in Serbia. NATO bombings lasted 78 days and hit not only Serbian military targets, but besides civilian infrastructure. In the consciousness of the Serbs this period was recorded as a traumatic war against the West. Many inactive believe that NATO has acted against the Serbian people themselves, not against the authorities liable for repression. This created a permanent distrust of the West, not only political but besides emotional.
The Way to Independence
After the war Serbia was forced to retreat her troops and Kosovo was placed under the UN administration. For Kosovo Albanians it was a minute of relief and a chance to build their own state. For the Serbian community in Kosovo, the beginning of fear for its own future. any Serbs fled to Serbia, others surviving in compartments protected to this day by global forces. In the north of Kosovo there are inactive Serbian licence plates, Serbian police and Serbian schools. The armed struggles have been completed but strong cultural divisions are inactive taking place. Kosovo's declaration of independency in 2008 took Serbia as a blow from NATO and states that supported intervention. Therefore, Belgrade does not recognise this fact to this day and uses various forms of pressure, blocking Kosovo's membership of global organisations, encouraging Serbian people not to participate in the Kosovo elections, and supporting local councils that ignore Kosovo's law and even send millions of euros annually as part of the “bonus” for the Serbian minority. The top tensions regularly appear in the north, where lies the town of Mitrovica, a symbol of the division into Albanian and Serbian parts. The town is divided by the Mitrovica River, on 1 side by Albanians on the another side by Serbs.
Two approaches
The reluctance of the Serbs to NATO is besides transferred to the European Union. On the 1 hand, Serbia formally seeks EU membership, hoping for economical benefits. On the another hand, many Serbs believe that Brussels is acting in the interests of Kosovo and is trying to force Serbia to recognise it. Therefore, Serbian policy balances between Europe and Russia, which supports Belgrade in the UN safety Council and opposes the designation of Kosovo. In Serbian public space, there is frequently a belief that only Russia defends Serbian historical truth. From the point of view of Kosovo, integration with the West is simply a major political objective. The country cooperates with NATO, although not a associate of the Alliance, and actively seeks EU membership. For the Kosovos, the West is simply a safety guarantor, it is NATO that stopped Milošević, the president of Serbia, and the European institutions support the improvement of statehood, it is besides worth adding that Kosovo owes much to Bill Clinton who actively fought internationally for the independency of this country. present in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, we can admire his monument and besides walk around the boulevard of his name. The difference in attitude towards the West is so 1 of the main reasons why Serbia and Kosovo are increasingly drifting apart. Despite 25 years since the end of the war, the past inactive affects everyday life. Cooperation between communities is difficult, and incidents frequently detonate against the background of symbols, flags, plates, local elections. all crisis shows that the reconciliation process will last a long time. Both sides inactive gotta face the emotions, wounds and memory of the war, which, though militaryly completed, has been unaccounted for in the consciousness of societies.
