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The Politics of Recognition and Engagement pp 41–60Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The United Kingdom: Kosovo’s Strongest Supporter in Europe

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Part of the book series: New Perspectives on South-East Europe ((NPSE))

Abstract

The United Kingdom was at the forefront of efforts to support Kosovo’s quest for independence. As well as being one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo, in 2008, it also led efforts to secure Kosovo’s acceptance on the international stage. However, while it still remains committed to an independent Kosovo, its lobbying efforts have declined in recent years. This has been due to growing frustration over the pace of recognitions, concern about political instability in Kosovo, changes to the internal environment and its focus on Brexit.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For a full analysis of the development of practices of recognition, see Mikulas Fabry, Recognizing States: International Society and the Establishment of New States Since 1776 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).

  2. 2.

    Andrew Holt, ‘Southern Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI),’ The National Archives, 11 November 2006. https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/southern-rhodesias-unilateral-declaration-independence-udi/.

  3. 3.

    See James Ker-Lindsay, ‘Great Powers, Counter Secession, and Non-Recognition: Britain and the 1983 Unilateral Declaration of the Independence of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”’, Diplomacy & Statecraft, Volume 28, Number 3, 2017.

  4. 4.

    Janice Musson, ‘Britain and the Recognition of Bangladesh,’ Diplomacy & Statecraft, 19 (1), 2008, pp. 125–144.

  5. 5.

    ‘Bosnia & Herzegovina—A New Strategic Approach,’ Speech by Rt. Hon Phillip Hammond, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 5 November 2014, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/bosnia-herzegovina-a-new-strategic-approach (last accessed, 13 March 2017).

  6. 6.

    James Ker-Lindsay, ‘Britain, ‘Brexit’ and the Balkans,’ The RUSI Journal, 160(5), 2015, pp. 24–29.

  7. 7.

    ‘EU leaders voice fears over ‘fragile Balkans situation’ as Theresa May vows to counter Russia,’ The Independent, 10 March 2017. For more on Russian involvement in the Western Balkans, see Dimitar Bechev, Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe (Yale: Yale University Press, 2017).

  8. 8.

    ‘Who Does the UK Trade With?,’ Office for National Statistics, ONS Digital, 3 January 2018, http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-trade-partners/.

  9. 9.

    For a review of British foreign policy towards Kosovo in the lead up to independence and in the years immediately afterwards, see Nicholas Doyle with Engjellushe Morina, ‘The United Kingdom’s Foreign Policy Towards Kosovo: A Policy Perspective,’ Group for Legal and Political Studies and Prishtina Council on Foreign Relations, October 2013.

  10. 10.

    Tony Blair, ‘Doctrine of the International Community,’ Chicago, 24 April 1999, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.number10.gov.uk/Page1297.

  11. 11.

    For an account of the status process, see James Ker-Lindsay, Kosovo: The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans (London: I.B. Tauris, 2009), and Marc Weller, Contested Statehood: Kosovo’s Struggle for Independence (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).

  12. 12.

    Martti Ahtisaari, ‘Kosovan Questions: National, Regional, International,’ School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, 9 September 2008.

  13. 13.

    ‘Kosovo can win independence, says British diplomat,’ Reuters, 6 February 2006. A few days later, Sawers gave an interview to B92 in which he appeared to backtrack slightly, noting that independence was an ‘option’. ‘Independence is an option,’ B92, 31 January 2006.

  14. 14.

    ‘EU wants ‘timely’ UN resolution on Kosovo’s status,’ AFP, 18 June 2007. ‘EU ministers favor quick Kosovo solution,’ B92, 19 June 2007.

  15. 15.

    ‘UK to recognise independent Kosovo—PM,’ 18 February 2008, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090119045246/http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page14594. The others were Costa Rica, United States, France, Afghanistan, Albania and Turkey.

  16. 16.

    ‘A Balkan breakthrough,’ Interview with the Ambassador of Kosovo to the United Kingdom, Lirim Greiçevci, Embassy Magazine, 25 April 2013.

  17. 17.

    ‘Recasting Serbia’s Image, Starting with a Fresh Face,’ New York Times, 15 January 2010.

  18. 18.

    ‘US embassy cables: Belgrade lays out Kosovo partition scenario to EU,’ The Guardian, 9 December 2010.

  19. 19.

    James Ker-Lindsay, ‘Explaining Serbia’s Decision to Go to the ICJ,’ in Marko Milanovic and Michael Wood (editors), The Law and Politics of the Kosovo Advisory Opinion (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).

  20. 20.

    UN General Assembly Resolution 63/3.

  21. 21.

    International Court of Justice, ‘Request for an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Question “Is the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the Provisional; Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo in Accordance with International Law?”’ Written Statement of the United Kingdom, 17 April 2009. http://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/141/15638.pdf.

  22. 22.

    International Court of Justice, ‘Public sitting held on Thursday 10 December 2009, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Owada, presiding, on the Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo (Request for advisory opinion submitted by the General Assembly of the United Nations),’ CR2009/32 http://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/141/141-20091210-ORA-01-00-BI.pdf.

  23. 23.

    International Court of Justice, ‘Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo,’ Advisory Opinion, 22 July 2010. http://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/141/141-20100722-ADV-01-00-EN.pdf.

  24. 24.

    For a full evaluation of the case see Marko Milanovic and Michael Wood (editors), The Law and Politics of the Kosovo Advisory Opinion (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).

  25. 25.

    UN General Assembly Resolution A/64/L.65/Rev.1, 9 September 2010. ‘Serbia, EU reach resolution compromise,’ B92, 9 September 2010.

  26. 26.

    ‘Five minutes with Sir Robert Cooper: “The Brussels Agreement between Serbia and Kosovo was based on conversation, not EU pressure”’, EUROPP Blog, LSE, 6 February 2015, http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/02/06/five-minutes-with-sir-robert-cooper-the-brussels-agreement-between-serbia-and-kosovo-was-based-on-conversation-not-eu-pressure/.

  27. 27.

    ‘First agreement on principles governing the normalisation of relations’ (otherwise known as the ‘Brussels Agreement’), Brussels, 19 April 2013. For an analysis of the Agreement, see Adem Beha, ‘Disputes Over the 15-point Agreement on Normalization of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia,’ Nationalities Papers, Volume 43, Issue 1, 2015; Marko Prelec, ‘The Kosovo-Serbia Agreement: Why Less Is More,’ International Crisis Group, 7 May 2013; Francesco Martino, Kosovo: Beyond the “Brussels Agreement,” Analysis No. 254, ISPI, May 2014; ‘Serbia/Kosovo: The Brussels Agreements and Beyond,’ Workshop Report, SEESOX, University of Oxford, March 2014.

  28. 28.

    ‘Kosovo wins recognition from over half United Nations states,’ David Lidington, Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 21 June 2013.

  29. 29.

    ‘Kosovo fails in Unesco membership bid,’ AFP, 9 November 2015

  30. 30.

    ‘Pristina drops plans to apply for UNESCO membership,’ B92, 5 October 2017.

  31. 31.

    Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, Singapore and Bangladesh.

  32. 32.

    ‘South American country revokes recognition of Kosovo—FM,’ B92, 31 October 2017.

  33. 33.

    ‘Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau revokes decision on recognizing Kosovo,’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, 21 November 2017, http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/press-service/statements/17193-government-of-the-republic-of-guinea-bissau-revokes-decision-on-recognizing-kosovo.

  34. 34.

    ‘UK sent protest to Suriname for revoking Kosovo recognition,’ B92, 20 November 2017.

  35. 35.

    Serbian official, comments to author, November 2017.

  36. 36.

    ‘Confirmed: 10th Country Revokes Recognition of Kosovo,’ B92, 7 November 2018. The countries concerned are: Grenada, Dominica, Suriname, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi, Papua New Guinea, Lesotho and Comoros.

  37. 37.

    ‘US Won’t Oppose Serbia-Kosovo Border Changes—Bolton,’ Balkan Insight, 24 August 2018.

  38. 38.

    ‘Angela Merkel: No Balkan Border Changes,’ Politico, 13 August 2018.

  39. 39.

    ‘London and Berlin Against Border Correction in Balkans,’ N1, 10 August 2018.

  40. 40.

    European diplomat, comments to the author, September 2018.

  41. 41.

    Robert Cooper, ‘Breaking Old Habits in the Balkans,’ European Council on Foreign Relations, 26 September 2018.

  42. 42.

    British official, comments to the author, February 2017.

  43. 43.

    British official, comments to the author, February 2017.

  44. 44.

    British official, comments to the author, February 2017.

  45. 45.

    British official, comments to the author, June 2016.

  46. 46.

    ‘Kosovo opposition release teargas in parliament—video,’ The Guardian, 10 March 2016; ‘Tear gas used to disrupt Kosovo meeting,’ BBC News, 9 August 2016.

  47. 47.

    Kosovo official, comments to author, February 2017.

  48. 48.

    Kosovo MFA, comments provided to the author, November 2017.

  49. 49.

    ‘X Factor judge Rita Ora named honorary ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo,’ Evening Standard, 10 July 2015.

  50. 50.

    ‘Kosovo’, Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups [as at 8 November 2017] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/171108/kosovo.htm.

  51. 51.

    ‘Supporting reform of political parties in Kosovo,’ British Embassy Pristina, 21 March 2017, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/supporting-reform-of-political-parties-in-kosovo.

  52. 52.

    ‘Details of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Kosovo,’ British Embassy Pristina, 23 February 2016, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/details-of-the-prince-of-wales-and-the-duchess-of-cornwalls-visit-to-kosovo.

  53. 53.

    ‘A Balkan breakthrough’, Interview with the Ambassador of Kosovo to the United Kingdom, Lirim Greiçevci, Embassy Magazine, 25 April 2013.

  54. 54.

    ‘Who Does the UK Trade With?,’ Office for National Statistics, ONS Digital, 3 January 2018, http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-trade-partners/.

  55. 55.

    As Baroness Anelay, a minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, stated in early 2017: ‘We are encouraging more UK investment in Kosovo. A UK trade mission to Kosovo is planned for later this year which will include small and medium-sized businesses. The trade mission will strengthen existing business links following a UK/US Kosovo Trade and Investment Forum held in London in November, as well as forge new business opportunities between the two countries.’ ‘Overseas Trade: Kosovo: Written question—HL5966,’ House of Lords, 21 March 2017, http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2017-03-09/HL5966/.

  56. 56.

    Kosovo official, comments to author, Pristina, February 2017.

  57. 57.

    ‘UK troops to bolster NATO mission in Kosovo,’ Ministry of Defence, 23 October 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-troops-to-bolster-nato-mission-in-kosovo.

  58. 58.

    See James Ker-Lindsay, ‘The United Kingdom and EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans: From Ardent Champion of Expansion to Post-Brexit Irrelevance’, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, Volume 17, Number 4, 2017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK

    James Ker-Lindsay

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Correspondence to James Ker-Lindsay .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Ioannis Armakolas

  2. European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK

    James Ker-Lindsay

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Ker-Lindsay, J. (2020). The United Kingdom: Kosovo’s Strongest Supporter in Europe. In: Armakolas, I., Ker-Lindsay, J. (eds) The Politics of Recognition and Engagement. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17945-8_3

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