Mitrovic: If Egypt were to withdraw the recognition of Kosovo, some others might also consider this option

A researcher at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, Sava Mitrovic, tells Kosovo Online that Serbia is working through diplomatic channels to lobby for the revocation of Kosovo's recognition among countries in Africa and Asia, and occasionally in Latin America, and that this is primarily done to strengthen Serbia's negotiating position in situations where Kosovo applies for or attempts to join international organizations.

"I am primarily referring to organizations such as Interpol, UNESCO, or other specialized agencies of the United Nations, as it is well-known that Serbia's red lines include allowing Kosovo's membership in the United Nations and specialized UN system agencies. Serbia enforces its commitment to never permit Kosovo's UN membership in practice by ensuring that slightly more than half of the world's sovereign states today do not recognize the independence of Kosovo and Metohija," Mitrovic explained.

He notes that changes in the stance on recognizing Kosovo have mostly occurred among small island nations and countries with little political influence in global affairs.

"Serbia has mentioned that two states are now prepared to withdraw their recognition, or have already done so, though this has not yet been disclosed. These states are significantly larger than Serbia. It remains unclear whether this means they are larger in terms of population and territory or have greater political power than Serbia. Some may speculate that these could be Peru or even Egypt, one of the leading Arab countries. Such a revocation of recognition could have more significant effects. If Egypt were to withdraw its recognition, it might lead other African or Arab states to consider the same option," Mitrovic emphasized.

He added that he does not believe recognition withdrawals will come from countries that support Kosovo's statehood consolidation, namely countries of the Global North or Western states, including European Union member states, the United States, Canada, or Australia.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated last week that he expects two countries larger than Serbia to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo in the near future.

To remind, Egypt recognized Kosovo during the presidency of Mohamed Morsi, but this recognition has been effectively "frozen" in practice.