Talk:International recognition of Kosovo/Archive 3

Finland and Lithuania
according to this web site Finland and Lithuania have officially regognised Kosovo as an independent nation and it gives sources of proof too. So can someone please edit it so that it has Lithuania and Finland as recognised nations.

http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/ Ijanderson977 (talk) 17:36, 20 February 2008 (UTC)
 * If you'd actually *READ* the sources, you'd know that both countries have only BEGUN the formal procedures of acknowledging the Kosovan independence. — Nightstallion 23:06, 18 February 2008 (UTC)


 * So did France, UK and others countries..... So, which difference ? Kormin (talk) 23:08, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No, those countries have different procedures for formally recognising a country as independent -- in the US and France, the president can do it without parliament, and so on. Finland, Lithuania and many other countries require parliamentary action to recognise a country as independent. — Nightstallion 23:11, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * God ! Student in Political sciences, aren't you ? :) Kormin (talk) 23:12, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No, Mathematics, actually, but I've got a really unhealthy interest in contemporary history, contemporary politics, contemporary international relations, ... ;) — Nightstallion 23:16, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but you are wrong. The Finnísh government is entitled to decide, no Parlianetary approval needed. "Final preparations" only imply the practical arrangements. --Camptown (talk) 23:50, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Are you certain? The news reports seem to indicate that parliamentary approval is required... — Nightstallion 00:05, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes. There are no formal "recognition" procedure under Finnish law, such as a vote in Parliament etc. Only the fact that the Finnish Government intends to initiate formal diplomatic relations with a foreign country matters, and that was decided by the Finnish Foreign ministry today. You can compare that to Sweden with a similar system - but there, Foreign secreatry Carl Bildt said that he wants the issue to be discussed in the Foreign relations committee first. The next committee meeting will take place after the Russian Presidental elections, and the social democratic opposition has already critizised Mr Bildt for dragging his feet. --Camptown (talk) 00:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm afraid you seem to be wrong -- it's been publically stated, source is in the article, that formal recognition can only take place once the president is back in Finland, as it's the president's privilege to recognise foreign nations' independence. (One of the vestigial treats of Finland's de iure semi-presidential system, it seems.) — Nightstallion 00:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, the President, of course, has to formally sign the decision. But then, I wonder if country that has formally recognised Kosovo today. --Camptown (talk) 00:37, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Hungary
this link says that Hungary will recognize kosovo but it is in albanian, anyone speaking albanian might confirm that-- Cra del  23:14, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * We've already got more than enough sources for Hungary, though... — Nightstallion 23:16, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The more the better-- Cra del  23:33, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * To much sources kills the sources.... :) We have others sources and links about Hungary, and in english ;) Kormin (talk) 23:38, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Biased phrase
At first, most of them (eg. United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France) declared informally that they will recognise the sovereign Kosovo, facing opposition by other members with separatist movements in their own countries, such as Spain, Greece and Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia.

This phrase basically divides the EU states into two groups: those with no separatist movements within and those having problems with secessionists. When someone reads this he will say: "Aha.. ok. so the countries that oppose Kosovo independence are the countries afraid of losing some territories to local secessionists! their only reason is this!". No my friends: - The UK also has a nationalist government in Scotland and growing support for full independence, the UK itself is formed on this Union. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.111.162.127 (talk) 14:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * UK has much worse problems with the Sinn Fein than Romania has with the Hungarian minority
 * Italy has problems with German(Austrian) Southern Tirol
 * France: the bitterness is not over in Alsace-Lorraine.

On the other side:
 * In Romania the Hungarian minority is far from even thinking of autonomy. There are only some politicians promoting this idea.
 * Secessionist movements in Greece? Greece does have territorial disputes with Turkey but that is another story.

So no, the countries of EU that do not recognize Kosovo independence didn't take this stance for the reason illustrated in that phrase. The Balkan countries are those who really understand the conflict and are able to take an informed stance. Planck (talk) 23:55, 18 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree. The phrase is POV as it implicitly ties those countries' stance to internal separatism, real or (in the case of Greece) non-existent. I am editing this out. --Michalis Famelis (talk)  00:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * However this statement is true for countries with separatists movements like Spain or Canada. (Jmrepetto (talk) 02:57, 19 February 2008 (UTC))


 * Then, further explanation can be offered further down the article on a per-country basis. And, naturally, a citation indicating that this is relevant to the non-recognition should be provided, to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. --Michalis Famelis (talk)  03:35, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Minor detail, but I was under the impression that the Romanians were more worried about Trans-Dniestrians in Moldova than Hungarians in Romania. Back to the main point, you can just add "most of them" to qualify the categorization of those EU member states opposed to recognition. Vonschlesien (talk) 08:24, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

This has been reintroduced to the article. Can someone please make the change?Nyknicks2 (talk) 10:56, 19 February 2008 (UTC) If you are looking for something to revert it was the 08:42 update ta.Nyknicks2 (talk) 11:01, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

About Finland's recognition
Finland will recognize Kosovo no earlier than on the 29th of February:. Can someone add this to the list? Finland has not recognized Kosovo yet. – anonymous Finn

Australia was the first country that recognized Kosova. Macedonia also has recognized Kosovo. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Donnix (talk • contribs) 00:17, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * No, Afghanistan was the first country that carried out formal diplomatic recognition Kosovo. Australia was one of the first (if not the first) to announce its intention to recognize by virtue of it being early Monday Australian time when independence was declared. 203.7.140.3 (talk) 00:35, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Finland is currently under the 'has recognized' list, but also the 'will recognize' list. Which is it? Basser g (talk) 04:54, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

UN Security Council
I doubt that the Security Council will be able to take a position on the Kosovo declaration of independence: countries with veto power have taken up both sides. Pro independence: USA, UK, France (I think). Anti independence: Russia and China. Because of that, I suspect the following will occur: a move to approve recognition, vetoed; a move to deny recognition, also vetoed. &mdash; Rickyrab | Talk 00:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Sounds like standard operating procedure at the UN. Plus, as I have noted before with Japan, countries are not basing their recognition status on what the UN is doing. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 00:37, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * This means that Kosovo WILL NOT become a member of the United Nations, since, under the UN Charter, new members must be approved by the General Assembly, but, also under the Charter, the General Assembly cannot vote on an application for membership unless it has been recommended by Resolution of the Security Council. And, given China's and Russia's vetoes, such a Resolution will never pass, so that the application will fail on that preliminary stage, without the General Assembly ever voting on it. --201.17.90.204 (talk) 01:28, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * And this also means that all countries that are waiting a decision by the UN are in reallity states unsympathetic towards recognition that are stalling. --Antonio Basto (talk) 01:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Or it could simply be states sympathetic towards recognition who are stalling. Or simply states that think the whole thing is a mess and don't want to take a stand in what they may consider as a power trip between the major powers of the world which doesn't involve them. Or that they think the problems in the UN are reflective of the problems in the wider world that lead to this and will recognise Kosovo when the problems in the UN are fixed rather then unilaterally taking action on a matter which doesn't concern them. Lots of possibilities. Nil Einne (talk) 20:29, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Costa Rica
Is the date wrong? Afghanistan was the first to make formal recognition but Costa Rica is dated earlier. 203.7.140.3 (talk) 00:37, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm fairly certain that this is because of time zones, and that actually Costa Rica recognised after Afghanistan, US, Albania, and so on, but we'll be hard-pressed to find a source for that... — Nightstallion 00:45, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The year is wrong even if the date isn't. --84.249.12.39 (talk) 00:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Can somebody please translate that source used for Costa Rica? It seems to be the only source existing on the Internet, and I'm not sure if that is a formal recognition or just a statement of intention or something like that. --90.157.254.177 (talk) 09:40, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It states they avalar the declaration of independence -- avalar means "guarantee", and I expect that this means "recognise" in diplomatic language. I could, of course, be wrong. — Nightstallion 09:55, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I think we need someone who is expert on this to review this document. If this document is formal recognition, then Costa Rica is first country to recognise Kosovo, not Afghanistan. I think this is quite important fact, and should not be relied on only one source that no native speaker has verified... --85.10.62.10 (talk) 12:49, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It doesn't take an expert to determine who was first. The Afghanistan government issued a declaration recognising Kosovo.  A short time later Costa Rica did the same thing.  The fact that it was earlier in the day in San Jose is irrelevant.Kransky (talk) 04:52, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Libya
Can someone please find a reference for Libya's refusal of Kosovo. They oficialy stated tonight at the UN they are against Kosovo's independence but there is no mention of that in any of the press releases in the world. So how can we go through with this.(Top Gun) 00:37, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Oh yeah I forgot Burkina Faso has also refused to recognise Kosovo, so can somebody find a reference for that too. Thanks.(Top Gun) 00:48, 19 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.116.170.203 (talk)

How do you know they refused if there is no reference ? Did you hear it on TV ? Kormin (talk) 00:56, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah I heared it on TV, I watched the session of the UN security council. Both Libya and Burkina Faso said they are against independence and South Africa and Indonesia stoped just short of that. But there are no references anywhere on the net. So what do we do?(Top Gun) 01:37, 19 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.116.170.203 (talk)

Recognise or recognize?
Is there any basis for writing this article in British English, as opposed to American? Kosovo is in neither Britain nor America. &mdash; Rickyrab | Talk 00:44, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes -- it's in Europe, and related to the EU, and therefore uses British spelling. There's a couple hundred precedents, rest assured. ;) — Nightstallion 00:46, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Ok then. &mdash;  Rickyrab | Talk 00:46, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It's open season on the talk page tho. :-D Tomertalk  06:38, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I am not an expert on wikipedia policy, but I was under the impression that the spelling of the first version of the article is the one that should be used as a norm. The first version of this article used the the z-spelling . In any way the z-spelling is also acceptable in a British context since it is the spelling prefered by the Oxford dictionary. See .--84.217.113.54 (talk) 14:19, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Italy
I don't know how and where this might fit in, but Italy appears to have recognised Kosovo; atleast, that is what the BBC reports. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Evlekis (talk • contribs) 01:05, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Nope, that'll take two more days to finalise, actually. — Nightstallion 01:15, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Looks like they will make their official position known tomorrow (21st) after an extraordinary cabinet meeting. Friûl-1077 (talk) 14:45, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Italy recognized Kosovo yesterday (Feb. 21st), and Serbia promptly recalled its Ambassador Ms. Sanda Raskovic-Ivic (previously Permanent Representative of the Serb Government in Pristina). See ITAR-TASS for reference.--Arturo57 (talk) 02:20, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Ukraine
Guys what happens with Ukraine?Will they Recognise Kosovo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by ChRis (talk • contribs) 01:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The Ukraine MFA said they needed to study the issue. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 02:07, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It's already been decided that Ukraine is backing Serbia. Can someone change the color on the map? http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=60919

--24.186.170.167 (talk) 21:38, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Lithuania
Lithuania hasn't yet recognized Kosovo. The article that is cited only says that the President requested the legislature to quickly approve recognition. Canadian Bobby (talk) 02:05, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Not Neutral?!
The Swiss are taking sides! What is this abomination?! They're always supposed to be neutral... Benjamin Scrīptum est  -   Fecī 02:58, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The horror! the horror! it's like the French not surrendering! &mdash;  Rickyrab | Talk 03:24, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Or the US not attempting to police the world! :o  &mdash; AM K 1211 t a lk! 17:27, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Suggestion: explanation on the states that refused to recognise
Suggestion: it might be better if there is a small sentence (like the countries listed under other states) describing why they did not recognise Kosovo. Such as Russia, having a strong relationship with Serbia, etc--w_tanoto (talk) 03:03, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Then we might as well note why the countries recognizing Kosovo decided to recognize Kosovo. &mdash;  Rickyrab | Talk 03:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Problem with that: there is more than one reason, and if we did that, we'd have to expand onto others. And secondly, there is no "official" reason(s) (e.g. no government will admit that they're denying recognizing Kosovo's independence because of secessionists movements in their own), and would prove to be POV, and thus has no place in an encyclopedia. --Buffer v2 (talk) 03:32, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

China didn't reject the bid officially.
The public statement from the Chinese gov't is "We're deeply concerned" and something about trying to find a solution that can be accepted by both sides. It's highly likely China will eventually decide not to recognize Kosovo, but so far it hasn't made a clear announcement yet. The Chinese gov't is extremely cautious on this issue. I thought Wikipedia was trying to mirror what things were rather than predicting what they would be. The source given only briefly says Russia and China opposed the bid in the SC debate. If people believe this piece of news trumps the official "We're deeply concerned" statement of the Chinese authorities that never clearly talked about recognition, then don't change anything. --User:Wooddoo-eng (talk) 04:15, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree. The source says China is "against" it, but PRC has not stated that it will not recognize Kosovo. Given some time, it could easily change. I'm under the impression that PRC is still deciding. Since the source is not reliable I'll remove it.Herunar (talk) 08:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I've added a source which shows that the PRC is saying nothing precise on the issue and put PRC in the "other" category in the list and on the map. — Nightstallion 10:41, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * That does not really correspond the statements of its representer in the UN Security Council yesterday. --PaxEquilibrium (talk) 11:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Libya also noted its attitude at the session. It should be drawn into the map. --PaxEquilibrium (talk) 11:27, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Give us a source which states "Libya/PRC does not recognise the independence declaration", and we'll add it to list and map. — Nightstallion 11:32, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * From what I can tell, the PRC view on this is similar to SA and others. They are concerned about the way that this has been handled and of the implications of a unilateral declaration of independence by a state which was effectively under foreign military protection. And they are also concerned about what they perceive as untoward interference in the matter by NATO. I don't think they are really in the Russia camp. Russia is strongly supportive of Serbia, both of which are completely opposed to Kosovan independence. China is I think not necessarily opposed to Kosovan independence but is opposed to the way this has been handled (as are a number of other countries) and the potential precendece this risks setting. This is reflected in their responses, Russia and Serbia have immedietly rejected recognition, China have said they are concerned but have not rejected recognition. They may eventually reject recognition or they may simply take the middle line and neither reject recognition nor recognise Kosovo. All this is of course speculation/OR Nil Einne (talk) 20:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Philippines
Another undecided. "While the Philippines does not oppose the idea of independence for Kosovo, it would prefer a settlement...taking into account the internationally accepted principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," Alberto Romulo, the country's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement. 203.7.140.3 (talk) 05:15, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Australia
Australia has formally recognised Kosovo. 203.7.140.3 (talk) 05:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Yup, article has been updated since the news broke out. --Ubardak (talk) 05:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Netherlands
The Netherlands is (as always) a Johnny come late concerning recgnition, this is in part because the Netherlands (the dominant constituent country) cannot recognize other countries, the whole Kingdom does that. So the other constituent countries, like Aruba need to have their say too in the government of the Kingdom and that takes time. Barring atrocities the government and the parliament are quite positive about recognition. As such the position of the Netherlands is more one of "no hurry, we'll do this properly", rather than one of serious doubt. ThW5 (talk) 07:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree, but what I miss here in the article is the thing Maxime Verhagen (Minister of Foreign Affairs) has told that he first will take a look on how Kosovo is going to deal with the human rights and the position of Serbs and other minorities in the new state. Can someone who may edit include this please? 87.195.12.169 (talk) 14:33, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Reuters
Reuters lists Italy and Germany among those who recognize Kosovo. Contralya (talk) 07:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Wrong, at least about Italy: the Italian Parliament is scheduled to deliberate on the matter tomorrow, and the Foreign Minister, Massimo D'Alema, stated that Italuy won't recognize before without a parliamentary approval (which is expected to be granted anyway). See note on Italy in the article. So much for Reuters accuracy. --Piero Montesacro (talk) 12:18, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

MSNBC
According to this clip from the MSNBC news channel, Germany has in fact recognized Kosovo. And the USA of course. Keep in mind that this is a number of hours old. Contralya (talk) 07:59, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Micro States????
Any news on the Mico States such as San Marino, Andorra and Liechtenstein? What is their stance with the recognition of Kosovo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ijanderson977 (talk • contribs) 09:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Nations like that don't really matter. And it is not like every nation has an embassy in every other nation. Contralya (talk) 10:07, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * You don't need an embassy to have diplomatic relations -- but yes, many smaller nations don't have official diplomatic relations with some nations simply because they don't have the resources and money to do it. The fact that Bhutan has official relations with very few states (only a couple dozen), for instance, does not influence the fact that Bhutan is an internationally recognised independent state. (I expect many African and Caribbean states not to say anything, for instance, BTW.) —Nightstallion 10:41, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't see why they don't matter. For example, most of the states that recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) are snmall. Yet Taiwan carries out useful business through these states. Anyway, I would expect San Marino to follow Italy example and Monaco to follow France. Since both have recognized Kosov, I would expect their micro-allies to follow. Someone should check their government websites, to see if they have made any statements RE Kosovo. 141.166.230.9 (talk)


 * I checked the websites for Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, and Andorra. Andorra and Liechtenstein have some old news on Kosovo but nothing about recognition. The others are silent. 141.166.230.9 (talk) 22:48, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

ROC and Kosovo
Since the ROC has recognized Kosovo, shouldn't we note that it is the second country in Europe besides the Vatican to recognize the ROC as a country? - Thanks, Hoshie 10:56, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * ... has Kosovo recognised the ROC? I haven't seen any source stating that... — Nightstallion 11:36, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Philippines & Australia
Actually, the Philippines opposes and not neutral - it called for a negotiated status on the principle of Serbia's sovereignty & territorial integrity.

Australia just recognized. --PaxEquilibrium (talk) 11:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * That's not the same as saying "we don't recognise the independence declaration". — Nightstallion 11:31, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Map
There's an ongoing discussion at commons:Image_talk:Kosovo_relations.png whether we should have two categories for neutral states (one for those who have "expressed concern", one for the others) or not; please make your position known there. — Nightstallion 14:00, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * There is no need for the extra category and it degrades the quality of the map I support revert to an earlier version. Hobartimus (talk) 14:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Austria
Can someone confirm the text written here at the austrian government about kosovo's recognition? http://www.austria.gv.at/site/cob__27888/5432/default.aspx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.103.152.52 (talk) 16:58, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * confirm -- TheFE ARgod (Ч) 17:01, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I think Austria should be added to the recognized states.... btw, who manages the changes?! NewBorn08 (talk) 17:36, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No, it shouldn't, because it will only happen tomorrow. And the changes are managed by all the users. — Nightstallion 17:53, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Can Austria be confirmed? As far as I'm concerned the political consensus to recognise it has been reached but the government hasn't officially accepted Kosovo as the Chouncellor is away in South Africa. Bardhylius (talk) 16:14, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Greece
Greek MFA Bakoyanni made a recent statement that Greece has no clear stance on the recongition of Kosovo. Here is the last paragraph of the statement:

"As regards the issue of recognition of the new state of affairs – which can in no way serve as a precedent – Greece will take its decisions at a coming stage, when it has examined all of the developments in depth; all of the dimensions and consequences these developments have for regional security and Greece’s interests."

As you can see, Greece will define whether it will recognise Kosovo or not at a coming stage, so I suggest Greece should be removed from the list of "States that have declared that they will not recognise Kosovo as independent".

You can find the full statement at: Wikiturk (talk) 14:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It seems you're right. Thanks! — Nightstallion 14:46, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It says Greece won't take a clear stance but at a Serbian anti-Kosovo rally I saw a Greek flag being held aloft next to a Spanish and Serbian flag. Am I missing something? Zombie Hunter Smurf (talk) 14:16, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

European Council Conclusions on Kosovo
On 18 February 2008, the European Council published its conclusions on Kosovo followin the 2851st EXTERNAL RELATIONS Council meeting. Although the document does not clarify whether the EU recognised Kosovo or not, the last paragraph implies that Kosovo's declaration of independence is not a violation of international law and UN Security Council decisions. Here is the paragraph I would like to quote:

"The Council reiterates the EU's adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, inter alia the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity and all UN Security Council resolutions. It underlines its conviction that in view of the conflict of the 1990s and the extended period of international administration under SCR 1244, Kosovo constitutes a sui generis case which does not call into question these principles and resolutions." Full text:

Having said that Kosovo consitutes a sui generis case, we can conclude that all 27 EU member states have approved this statement unanimously. Yesterday, the Rep. of Cyprus Foreign Minister stated that Kosovo's UDI is legally invalid, now she approved the EC statement that this UDI does not constitute a violation of international law. Isn't this a dilemma? Can we conclude that the European Union has not decided whether to recognize Kosovo or not, but does not consider its declaration of independence illegal or "legally invalid". Any thoughts on that? Wikiturk (talk) 14:54, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

citation
As the page is locked, can someone who can edit include the following citation regarding the claims of Serbia, backed by Russia, that the unilateral declaration of independence is illegal wrt. UN resolution 1244. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=02&dd=19&nav_id=47824 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.156.12.12 (talk) 15:33, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Alphabetical and Chronological order
Can the the countries, which recognised Kosovo on the 18th February in Alphabetical order as it seems more professional and neat that way? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ijanderson977 (talk • contribs) 16:14, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No, they can't. They're in the order in which they recognised Kosovo, by date and time. — Nightstallion 16:16, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The tables that we have at the moment mean that, with a click of a mouse, you can rearrange them to be in alphabetical order, if you so wish. J Milburn (talk) 16:58, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey are Candidate counrties to the EU
Please add 🇪🇺 "EU Candidate" to end of Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey Izmir lee (talk) 16:45, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * a note about Macedonia; the new article here indicates that they are in favor of recognizing Kosovo NewBorn08 (talk) 18:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Add the statement, but remove the flag from candidates. They are under no obligations of the EU, nor do they hold any influence over EU policy. It should be noted they are candidates, as they will most likely take some influence from the EU. There is no basis for keeping the flag alongside candidates however. 86.111.162.127 (talk) 00:40, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree that the statement should be mentioned, but the flag suggests EU legitimacy, which candidates do not have. They are not involved in EU discussions or decision making, and candidate countries may never in fact become EU members. If we are doing this we need to note that Norway, Iceland, Leichtenstein, Switzerland are EEA countries, and maybe SAA signatories as well. I am remiving the EU flags from Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey for this reason. Knjizevnost (talk) 12:56, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Macedonia has "🇪🇺" in the article but Turkey and Croatia don't have... Izmir lee (talk) 15:10, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

In the article there is no "🇪🇺" in Croatia and Turkey but Macedonia has it. Turkey also doesn't have " European Union candidate country"!.. Izmir lee (talk) 15:32, 21 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, the conventions seem to constantly erode. It should be fixed now, but I wonder how long it will last. -- EJ (talk) 15:45, 21 February 2008 (UTC)


 * There's a dispute about putting the flag next to candidate countries (just realized - the topic is somewhere down there). The flags has been removed by EJ - I shall not attempt to change it back it until the issue is clear. (It's a minor detail anyway). Quastar Vaan (talk) 15:54, 21 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I am not aware of any dispute, as far as I can see nobody voiced opposition to Knjizevnost's suggestion above, and most of the time it is followed in the article. I do not particularly care whether candidate countries will get a flag or not, but I do care about consistency. Before my last edit, Macedonia had a flag and a "European Union cadidate country" comment, Croatia had only the the comment but no flag, and Turkey had neither. Now at least all three are treated the same way. -- EJ (talk) 16:07, 21 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Noted, thanks for the clarification. It should have been 'discussion', not 'dispute'. For now I'll stick to 'no flag' until someone changes the whole page - I am for consistency as well. Quastar Vaan (talk) 16:11, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not a recognised state
Why do you include it? Should we include Transvaal too? No country but Turkey has recognized the so-called "TRNC", an offspring of a violent military invasion —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.72.121.130 (talk) 09:15, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, it is just a matter of time for greek side in cyprus to realize game is over for them. Their tyrany over turks will be ended soon as well. Too much nationalism kills the states like it did in serbia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.215.236.240 (talk) 16:28, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Ditto, but still I believe we should stick to Kosovo not Cyprus. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.108.145.11 (talk) 17:05, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Mexico
Mexico's possible reaction (or lack thereof) is, in my humble opinion, as good as any other based on the fact that the Estrada Doctrine is well documented. (Jmrepetto (talk) 16:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC))
 * If you find a news source which says so, no problem -- but we can't claim something like this without a reference. — Nightstallion 17:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The precedent of the Estrada Doctrine should suffice as a reference. If you read the article you'll see why. (Jmrepetto (talk) 17:40, 19 February 2008 (UTC))
 * I know what the article says, but that's not how Wikipedia works. We need a reference in THIS ARTICLE. — Nightstallion 17:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia doesn't take precedent and well-stablished policies as reference? Whatever makes you happy, I found your news source and I'm adding it. (Jmrepetto (talk) 02:19, 20 February 2008 (UTC))
 * Someone beat me to it. I guess you won this little piss-war, congrats (Jmrepetto (talk) 02:21, 20 February 2008 (UTC))

Senegal
I heard on the news that Senegal alredy recognizes kosovo but I cant find any sources, please help -- Cra del  17:02, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * There's a source now. — Nightstallion 17:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

And what happened to Saudi-Arabia, which was generally expected to be among the first nations to "recognize" Kosovo.--Camptown (talk) 17:23, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No idea, but we've had no official statement on the issue up to now -- and the B92 source that some people keep adding is no good, as it's just a conjecture. — Nightstallion 17:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Flag icons
Okay, the EU icons make sense, seeing as how this issue is considered an important point in the development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy -- but I'm fairly certain we shouldn't include the AU here, as the AU has no common foreign position. I'm not sure about EU candidate countries. — Nightstallion 17:54, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes i can see your point as Kosovo will not have many relations with Africa. But if the AU does decided to recognise Kosovo, this may put pressure on other African states to recognise Kosovo. Ijanderson977 (talk) 17:59, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Nightstallion. There is no need to put flag icons of each and every international organization. EU is obviously more concerned with Kosovo than other organizations, i.e. AU... And I don't think AU issues official recognitions for states.Wikiturk (talk) 18:02, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay, let's do it like this: We'll remove the African Union flags for now; if the AU does recognise Kosovo officially (I doubt they will, but what do I know), we'll put them in again, as it does then gain relevance. Good? — Nightstallion 18:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Now, what about the candidate countries? — Nightstallion 18:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I think Turkey is an Interesting case as it has recognised Kosovo. But is this because it wishes other countries to recognise TRNC or because it is trying to please the majority of EU countries? Ijanderson977 (talk) 18:08, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

No, neither current Turkish Government nor the Turkish Cypriot government demand international recognition for TRNC. Both had expressed their desire for unification in Cyprus. Nevertheless, Turkish public opinion was in doubt whether the Kosova case could be a precedent for a unilateral declaration of Kurdistan from Iraq, which could affect the seperatist sentiments in the Eastern part of Turkey. (I am not saying that Turkey and TRNC discard the option of recognition by using Kosovo as an example). Why Turkey recognized Kosovo is, on the other hand, a result of historical importance of the region to Turks. Kosovo stayed under Ottoman rule for 500 years, and there are many Turks living in the country. Additionally, Turkey is pretty much concerned about the welfare of Albanians in Kosovo and during the war former has provided considerable help to the latter. Wikiturk (talk) 18:55, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

In addition to the historical reasons stated above by Wikiturk, there is also a considerable community of Kosovans living in Turkey that seems to have been influential to the recognition of Kosovo by Turkey. In Turkey lives an extremely large community of Albanians and their descendants. These are the people that have been forced to flee to Turkey more recently, since 1878 and on, following the expansion of Serbia, Montenegro and Greece that took place since then. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.163.118.1 (talk) 00:13, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Belgium
I know that Belgium will recognise Kosovo later this week as it it says on this web page. But does anyone know what date?

http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/files/Belgium_recognizes_Kosovo.pdf

Ijanderson977 (talk) 18:54, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't quite know when the procedure is said to be finalised.
 * What I do know, is that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel De Gucht (Open VLD) said in the Commission Foreign Affairs of Parliament on Wednesday morning 20 February 2008 a bit after 10:05 am CET:
 * Bij wijze van verklaring wil ik zeggen dat België Kosovo inderdaad heeft erkend. Dat is gebeurd bij koninklijk besluit, dat een dezer dagen bij wijze van brief aan Pristina zal worden meegedeeld.
 * Source: Complete Report of the activities of the Commission Foreign Affairs (provisional version) on the website of Parliament
 * Translation:
 * As a statement, I want to say that Belgium has indeed recognised (perfect tense) Kosovo. That has happened (perfect tense) by means of a royal order, which will be communicated (future tense) to Pristina one of these days in a letter.
 * — Adhemar (talk) 09:39, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Update the list
According to this source, "United States, France, Britain, Germany and Italy had all officially declared they recognized Kosovo as an independent state."

The article should be amended appropriately. Contralya (talk) 18:49, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, but Germany and Italy are tomorrow to officially recognise Kosovo. They haven't officially done so yet. Ijanderson977 (talk) 18:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Jordan?
For some reason, on the Foreign relations of Serbia page, the map shows that Serbia has closed it's embassy in Jordan due to Kosovo. Am I missing something here? Anybody know the position of Jordan?-- Rob NS  19:10, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Libya and Burkina Faso
Why aren't they noted? --PaxEquilibrium (talk) 19:12, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Why should they be noted? What are their views on Kosovo? Ijanderson977 (talk) 19:24, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I can't find views on their sites even mentioning Kosovo.-- Rob NS  19:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I've seen no sources for this, either. — Nightstallion 19:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

If there is nothing is mentioned, then they fall into the "States with no reported position at present" category. Then we should wait until they express their views on Kosovo. Ijanderson977 (talk) 19:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Recognized State Groupings
22/27 EU member states have indicated that they will accept kosovo but all in different times. Theirfore, in the future i suggest we make a table of what EU states recognize and a table for Other Nations that Recognize. What do you think? New Born 08 19:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Not a good idea. — Nightstallion 19:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I second that! Wikiturk (talk) 19:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * there has to be some sort of cleanup then!!! it's too messy —Preceding unsigned comment added by NewBorn08 (talk • contribs) 19:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

This isn't a good idea as Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia and Spain have not confirmed that they will eventually recognise Kosovo. And well done to whoever put the lists into tables, it looks neater and more professional. Ijanderson977 (talk) 19:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Isn't that government, albeit currently in exile, still "recognized" by Estonia? --Camptown (talk) 20:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Nope, not that I know. — Nightstallion 20:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It was only recognised for a time by Georgia, and even that seemed to be a preference of the Georgian President at the time who was greatly fond (and I believe was buried there) of Chechnya, as it was removed when he left office. Given the current division within the Chechen movement it further complicates any recognition. It is fine where it is at the moment, under "other entities" Mikebloke (talk) 20:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

NEWS about Libya and Burkina, also South Africa, Indonesia,...
Here is the official communicate of the 18 February about the Kosovas' question in UN: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9252.doc.htm

There is the declaration of Libya and Burkina. I quote

Libya: GIADALLA A. ETTALHI ( Libya) said he hoped that Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence would not signal a return to the 1990s, when the former Republic of Yugoslavia dissolved in violence. Both parties had reiterated their determination to follow a path of peace and negotiated settlement. He reiterated his call to both parties to refrain from any provocative actions and to remain committed to their pledge to renounce violence. He welcomed the pledge by Kosovo authorities to implement the Ahtisaari plans regarding, among other things, minority rights, to create the conditions for the returns of internally displaced persons and regarding property rights. He called upon Serbia to refrain from any actions that would have a negative impact on the already poor living conditions of the people living in Kosovo.

He said his country would be supportive of the principles of justice and international law that stipulated sovereignty of all States and their territorial integrity. How would the world look like if those principles were forfeited? he asked. It must, however, be recognized that there was an exceptional situation in an exceptional region. His country could not accept that yesterday’s events constituted a precedent that could undermine the territorial integrity of States. The Council must state its respect for the territorial integrity of States and must make clear that the situation could not be used as a precedent.

Burkina: ICHEL KAFANDO ( Burkina Faso) said that the fact that, once again, the Council had been called upon to hold a debate on Kosovo demonstrated the great importance and complexity of the problem and the urgency, because of the events that had been happening since yesterday. His delegation had hoped that, after lengthy talks on all fronts, the management of the issue would lead to a satisfactory outcome and promote understanding among the parties. That would have maintained unity of Serbia and sealed peaceful coexistence of the parties. Such an outcome would have been a victory for the international community and the cause of peace.

That was what his country had advocated, convinced that everything must be attempted to make the dialogue prevail, he said. Unfortunately, that was not what had happened, because of the unilateral decision by Kosovo. Serbs and Kosovars, who had existed together for many years, had been unable to overcome their contradictions and preserve the tolerance, on which they might have built a strong and viable State. He regretted that all United Nations efforts, including those through UNMIK, had not been crowned with success. Burkina Faso could only take note of the new situation. He still felt that there was reason to fear the consequences and called upon the parties concerned to avoid any violence in order to preserve peace and security and secure the basic rights of all the communities. There had already been some violent actions, and he hoped they would not spread.

See the security council report here: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9252.doc.htm for more informations.

Kormin (talk) 20:28, 19 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Mh. That doesn't really sound like anything definite to me. At best, that makes them tan. — Nightstallion 21:32, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Added both as "undetermined". — Nightstallion 21:55, 19 February 2008 (UTC)