Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija

autonomous province of Serbia

The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, or in Serbian: Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохиja; in Albanian: Krahina Autonome e Kosovës dhe Metohisë, commonly known as Kosovo and Metohija, or in Serbian: Косово и Метохија; in Albanian: Kosova dhe Metohija, or Kosovo, or in Serbian: Косово; in Albanian: Kosova, for short, and abbreviated as KiM Serbian: КиМ, romanized: KiM or Kosmet from Kosovo and Metohija; Serbian: Космет[3] means the area of Kosovo[4] as the Constitution of Serbia says. The land is disputed between Serbia and the self-declared Republic of Kosovo, which currently has actual control over the land. Before the Republic of Kosovo, the area was controlled by Serbia (while Serbia was part of Yugoslavia) between 1912 and 1999.

Kosovo and Metohija
Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохиja
Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija
Krahina Autonome e Kosovës dhe Metohisë
Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
Location of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia
Location of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia
Coordinates: 42°40′N 21°10′E / 42.667°N 21.167°E / 42.667; 21.167
Country Serbia
Formation of FR Yugoslavia1992
Establishment of UNMIK1999
Administrative centerPriština
Area
 • Total10,910 km2 (4,210 sq mi)
Population
 (2011 census)
 • Total1,780,021
 • Density160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official languages
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Map of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija

The Constitution and laws of Serbia say that Kosovo in the southern part of Serbia and covers the areas of Kosovo and Metohija. The capital is Pristina. In the past, Kosovo was an autonomous province of Serbia when Serbia was part of Socialist Yugoslavia (1946–1990). When Socialist Yugoslavia ended in 1990, Kosovo became part of Serbia until the Kosovo War (1998–99). After the war, it became a United Nations (UN) controlled area due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 but legally it was still part of Serbia. In that time, the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) governed. In 2008, some Albanian politicians said that Kosovo would be its own country. 98 member countries of the United Nations agree, but Serbia does not. It still thinks that Kosovo is part of it.[5][6]

In 1990, when Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević's Anti-bureaucratic Revolution happened. This meant that Kosovo's government became less powerful and that Serbia had more control, like in 1971–74. That year, Kosovo's Albanian majority and also the Republic of Albania agreed with the declaration of independence of the Republic of Kosova. Because of the Kosovo War in 1999,[7][8] the Serbian army was kicked out of Kosovo.

In February 2008, the Republic of Kosovo declared independence.[9][10] Serbia does not agree, but in the Brussels agreement of 2013, it got rid of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija government.. Kosovo's independence is currently recognized by 95 UN member states.[7][11] In 2013, the Serbian government said it was getting rid of the Serb minority councils it had made in northern Kosovo, in order to allow the Kosovo Serb minority to become more like the general population of Kosovo.[12]

References change

  1. "Региони у Републици Србији" (PDF). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of Serbia. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  2. "Autonomous Province of Vojvodina". vojvodina.gov.rs. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. Krieger, Heike (12 July 2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999. Cambridge University Press. pp. 282–. ISBN 978-0-521-80071-6.
  4. "Šta donosi predlog novog ustava Srbije" (in Serbian). 30 September 2006.
  5. "Republic of Palau suspends recognition of Kosovo". The Government of the Republic of Serbia (Vlada Republike Srbije). 21 January 2019.
  6. Sputnik (27 July 2019). "Sve manje "države Kosovo", sve više — Kosovo je Srbija!". Sputnik Srbija (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "NATO – Topic: NATO's role in Kosovo". Nato.int. 31 August 2012.
  8. Steven Beardsley. "Kosovo aims to form military force and join NATO – News". Stripes.
  9. "Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law – UN court". UN News Centre. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  10. "ICJ,International Court of Justice:Declaration of independence of Kosovo from Serbia is not a violation of international law". Bbc newsamerica.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  11. Dačić: Centralnoafrička republika povukla priznanje Kosova; Priština: Nevažno je šta kaže Dačić | Insajder
  12. Serbia Pulls Plug on North Kosovo Assemblies