Savic: Kosovo does not have full independence because Serbia has not recognized it

Zoran Savic from the NGO Aktiv stated for Kosovo Online that the key reason why Kosovo does not have full independence after 17 years is that Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence.

"Although, on the other hand, we have the Brussels Agreement, which effectively abolished the institutions of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo, integrating a large number of people into the Kosovo system, we still do not have official independence for Kosovo. Additionally, there are five European Union member states that have not recognized Kosovo, which is also one of the reasons," Savic noted.

According to data from Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he says, Kosovo has been recognized by 117 countries, with the latest recognition coming from Israel four years ago. However, according to Serbia’s calculations, Kosovo has been recognized by fewer than 100 countries, with some having even withdrawn their recognition.

Savic says it is too early to speculate on whether geopolitical changes will speed up or slow down the resolution of Kosovo’s status.

"The US administration has now changed, and its decisions have already affected the entire world. Between Kosovo and Serbia, there are agreements, some verbally accepted, some signed, so we will have to see how they are implemented in practice," Savic concluded.