TIRANA, Feb 17 /ATA/ – Kosovo marks the 18th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Serbia on Tuesday, a milestone in a statehood process that followed the 1998-99 war and years of United Nations administration.
Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008, in what is described as the culmination of a long and painful struggle.
Until June 1999, Albanians in Kosovo endured a campaign of repression and ethnic cleansing carried out by forces loyal to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic during the 1998–1999 conflict.
After the war ended and international troops were deployed, a formal process to determine Kosovo’s final status began in November 2005.
From June 13, 1999, when Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo following a NATO bombing campaign, the country was administered by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and Kosovo’s provisional democratic institutions, including its Assembly, President and government.
On Feb. 2, 2007, U.N. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari presented his proposal in Prishtina and Belgrade recommending supervised independence for Kosovo, a step that paved the way for statehood.
Following several rounds of negotiations, Kosovo declared independence on Feb. 17, 2008.
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