ICJ Presidency Supports The Independence Of Kosovo:Declaration of independence of Kosovo from Serbia is not a violation of international law, International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has ruled.Court President Hisashi Owada said that international law does not prohibit the declaration of independence. Judges voted 10-4 to support the sovereignty of Kosovo. The decision could have serious consequences for the other separatist regions throughout the world, as well as for the deadlock march of Serbia towards EU membership. Meanwhile, it helps pave the way for Kosovo's entry into the EU.
For Switzerland, this issue hits home for another reason. Some 170,000 Kosovar immigrants currently living in the country, about one-tenth of the population of Kosovo, as well as one of the largest minority groups in Switzerland. Kosovo's Embassy in Bern, puts the figure closer to 200,000 people.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the decision of the ICJ.
"We view this as an opportunity for all stakeholders to initiate a dialogue to respond to open questions related to the independence of Kosovo, said Foreign Ministry in a statement Thursday.
In 2005 Switzerland was the first country to call for the independence of Kosovo. When it happened on Feb. 17, 2008, the Swiss recognized the new republic 10 days later, and diplomatic relations were established. Of Serbia and its close ally Russia have long argued, the continuity is illegal. In 2008, Serbia has asked the UN General Assembly to consider this issue. UN handed the task to the ICJ, which ruled on Thursday.
The court's decision is legally binding. Kosovo's independence and called it irreversible.
Kosovo in Switzerland (upper left), close to home
Kosovo in Switzerland (upper left), close to home (swissinfo)
Troubled history:
Serbia considers Kosovo the cradle of the Serbian people and was unable to take its independence. He annexed the area in 1913 after 500 years of Turkish rule. Serbia still describes Kosovo as an autonomous region.
After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1990, challenges the independence of Croatia, Serbia in 1991 and in Bosnia in 1995. The fighting led to the genocide, as the massacres in Srebrenica and Vukovar.
The other war since 1998 - this time against the Albanians in Kosovo. NATO troops to end it in 1999, the bombing of Serbia, the Serb soldiers forced to retreat.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo voted for secession from Serbia in full in 2008 after international negotiations on the status of the region failed.
With about 100,000 to 150.000 Serbs living in the area, Serbia insists that the declaration of independence was illegal violation of human rights.
Others argue that in light of the genocide, as the prosecution, just the status of autonomy within Serbia is unlikely to be possible.
Swiss interest:
Recognized Kosovo's independence, 69 countries today. Embassy of Switzerland in Pristina opened just weeks after Kosovo break away from Serbia.
With so many Kosovars living in Switzerland, the Swiss are particularly interested in the situation and ensure stability in the region. Until the end of 1980, many residents of Kosovo immigrated to Switzerland for business reasons. Switzerland
In the 1990's, many began to come to Switzerland as a political refugee.
Switzerland is one of the main supporters for the reconstruction and development of Kosovo. According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland poured at least SFr100 million in the region in 2008 to help with infrastructure projects such as water and power lines, as well as programs offering training in the workplace.
Switzerland has also sent experts to be part of the European mission in Kosovo, mandated to support and assist Kosovo authorities in the rule of law, in particular, with the police, judicial and customs systems.
