The Kosovo precedent was not the declaration itself but instead it was the recognition by the United States of America and the majority of the European Union member states. Specifically the US administration has a number of mistakes without taking any action at all. When George W Bush promised Kosovo and Albanians of independence, this created the desire in other countries striving for independence, and incomprehension.
The reason why the desire of the Kosovo Albanians was more special than their own. The last minute inclusion into the final communique of the NATO Bucharest summit declaration that Georgia will become a NATO member probably in the future sometimes misled the Georgian government to believe that the USA would come in assistance to help them in a war with Russia. This was another promise given by the Bush administration, which pressured NATO during the Bucharest summit to include the issue of future membership into the declaration without any necessity.
The Russian government is however, however on no account better than its US counterpart. It denies its own federal subjects independence as in the case of Chechnya-and did not recognize Kosovo due to close ties to the Serbian government on the one hand, whilst being one of the two countries (the other being Nicaragua).to recognize Abkhazia and south Ossetia on the other hand .If the Kosovo case can be compared to the disputed territories in Georgia.
On February 17, 2008, there was a declaration by the parliament of Kosovo stating Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state. This declaration brought different reactions from many countries although it was supported by some countries including the United States, UK, France Germany and other EU member states. Russia, Romania, Moldova, Cyprus and Syria argued that Kosovo’s succession would be a breach of international law.
In the year before 2008 declarant, other scenarists leaders for example Transnistria’s Igor Simonov have essentially argued that if Kosovo should get independence even them should get.
The Kosovo case is highly emotional because what the government of the former president Milosevic did to the Kosovo Albanian population there’s no doubt it was terrible and to be condemned. The ordered killing of the Kosovo Albanian population through the Serbian army cannot be compared to the actions of the Georgian other fields.
The ethnicity of southern Ossetia and Abkhazia comprise the majority of the population, Montenegro the former partner of Serbia in state union from 2003 to 2006 has only 43% of their inhabitants considering themselves to be citizens Montenegrin which is the same number of Abkhazians in Abkhazia. The overall number of Abkhazia and south Ossetia make up together 6.9% of the population of Georgia. About 2 million Kosovo-Albanians, on the contrary amount of 26.6% of the Serbian population, which is roughly 7.5 million. The size of Abkhazia with 8600 km2 constitutes exactly the same percentage of the whole Georgian territory of 69700 km2 that the 10.887 km2 of Kosovo accounts for in the Serbian territory of 88.361km2 namely 12.3% .The percentage is even higher in Georgia if the territory of south Ossetia, roughly 3.855km km2 is added to the calculation. Then the loss of Georgian territory adds up to 17.9% and is therefore 5% higher than the loss of Kosovo meant for the territory of Serbia.
In this argument, it clearly depicts the similarities of the disputed Georgian territories and therefore become an implication of Kosovo’s precedent for Abkhazia and south Ossetia to want their independence.
The population in the disputed territories of Georgia might be smaller than in Kosovo both in absolute and relative figures.
Relative figures of the territory however can be compared and are exactly the same as in the case of Abkhazia compared to the territory of Kosovo. Absolute numbers of population cannot be an argument for incomparableness. However numbers can always be interpreted in certain ways to fit an argument. Aboard factor is the comparability during the times of socialism. All these entities had substantial autonomous rights during the cold war era. The socialist autonomous province (SAP) of Kosovo was established through the Yugoslav constitution of 1974.The SAP of Kosovo gained a seat in the Federal Yugoslavian presidency and held the annually elected chairmanship which was established after the date of Tito, twice before the break up of socialist federal Republics’ of Yugoslavia.(SFRY).Furthermore between 1984-1985 Ali shukrija from the SAP Kosovo was president of the presidium of the league of communists of Yugoslavia, which was the name of the communist party in Yugoslavia which was the name of communist party in Yugoslavia from 1952.Abkhazia was first a socialist soviet republic for ten years between 1921 and 1931 and later an autonomous socialist soviet republic(ASSR) within the Georgian soviet socialist republic(GSSR).until the breakup of the soviet union. Between 1922 and 1936 Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were members of the Transcaucasian socialist Federative socialist republic (TSFSR).in which Abkhazia had the status as an equal constituent of the federation. Southern Ossetia had the status of an autonomous oblast -an administrative unit within the Georgian SSR.
Again, Abkhazia in particular resembles the Kosovo case. The relatively high level of autonomy while being part of the Georgian SSR or SFRY respectively can be seen as one of the reasons why after the breakup of these states Abkhazia, south Ossetia and Kosovo established their own state structures and declared independence.
Both Ossetia and Abkhazia there has been a defector regime since the dissolution of the soviet union .Even if the international community did not recognize them, the administrative sovereignty lay in the hands of the government of Abkhazia and south Ossetia and no longer in the hands of the government in Tbilisi, even more so after the war in each other and this is the reason they are complaining over the Kosovo precedent.
The cases of Kosovo and Abkhazia /south Ossetia are comparable but that does not make the declaration of independence of Kosovo precedent.
However some argue that Kosovo has established a valuable precedent for other people who are ready to secede. Some of this leaders are Daniel Turp, who is a member of the pro-Quebec sovereignty party and sits in the National assembly of Quebec. He said that the recognition of Kosovo sets the stage of Ottawa to eventually recognize an independent Quebec.
Another personality is Lazlo Tokes who, an ethnic Hungarian who is a member of the European parliament for Romania. He states that Kosovo is a model for the Romanian region of Transylvania.
Lastly is Yasser Abed Rabbo who argues negatively, is a member of the executive committee of the Palestine liberation organization and the Palestinian negotiation team, said that if the United states and the majority of the European union (EU) have impressed the independence of Kosovo then this should happen with Palestine as well.
There are also a number of political leaders who have voiced their belief that the independence of Kosovo will create a dangerous precedent for other separists movements.
Jorge Taina Argentina foreign minister claims that recognizing Kosovo’s independence would set a dangerous precedent against the national claim to cover sovereignty over the Malvinas island.
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said Kosovo could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations, the established global order of sovereign states and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace and security.
Czech republic president; Vaclav Klaus says that for him Kosovo is , above all, a precedent that has opened a Pandora’s box in Europe that could have disastrous consequences.
The Indian ambassador to Serbia Ajay Swarup says Kosovo can set a very dangerous precedent for similar cases around the world.
President Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali says international norms must be respected because their abuse and the violation of territorial integrity could threaten a series a series of countries with a similar problem.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico says that Kosovo may become a dangerous precedent to be followed by separists in other regions.
Tajikistan Foreign minister Asomudin Saidov in his views he sees that this precedent may result in other people also demanding territorial independence.
Vietnams Ambassador to the United Nations Le Luong Minh claims that Kosovo’s precedent is bad and by creating it, this development has a negative implications for the international peace and stability.
In order to minimize the serious influence of Kosovo precedent to the solution of other conflicts, The OSCE parliamentary assembly held in Kyiv in July 2007 issued a warning which states that solution of certain conflicts should not be used as a model for the solution of other conflicts.
The Kosovo precedent led the Russian Empire establishing a diplomatic mission in the regions, with the foreign ministry to decide whether they are consulates or another type of mission.
It also led to the removal of goods created by businesses with Russian shareholders in the regions.
Lastly is the increased humanitarian and economic assistance for Russian passport –holders in the regions
The United States should and the Russian Federation should refrain from revenge game that they are currently playing. Recognizing one country as a reaction for the recognition of another nation destabilizes many regions around the globe and bears a potential explosive force that neither the USA nor Russia can afford. Promising countries either independence or territorial integrity without transparency can pose an additional unnecessary threat to the international relations. It’s time to control emotions and stop searching for which arguments are more logical for the recognition of a certain state .The international relations community should find a common position for the cases of Kosovo, Abkhazia and south Ossetia and set a new precedent.
Works cited
“Georgia rebels Abkhazia calls for independence recognition”, agence France presse (Paris) 2008-03-08
“Parallels between Kosovo and South Ossetia Rusiatoday.com, 2014-04-28
International recognition of Abkhazia sure to follow Kosovo precedent, messenger.ge, August 1,2007
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