The struggle for independence

Ongoing Tensions

A landlocked and the smallest country in the Balkans, Kosovo is another member of the Balkan elite. It borders with Serbia to the North & East, Macedonia to the South, Albania to the West, and Montenegro to the North West.

The official languages are Albanian and Serbian.

The Ottomans ruled Kosovo for more than four centuries, until Serbia acquired the territory during the First Balkan War. Then they were part of Yugoslavia and the struggle for independence began, with a height of crisis in 1998 which prompted the NATO bombings in Serbia to end the violence in Kosovo. 

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and while many countries formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state not evert country does. There are ongoing tensions at the border between Serbia and Kosovo.