Bulgaria has reiterated its support for Kosovo’s European integration.
 
This emerged on April 21 2010 during a visit to Sofia by Jakup Krasniqi, president of the Kosovo assembly. After the February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia by Kosovo, Bulgaria, like most European Union states, recognised Kosovo as independent.
 
The Speaker of Bulgaria’s National Assembly, Tsetska Tsacheva, expressed her country’s support for the establishment of Kosovo as a multi-ethnic state and for the development of its institutions.
 
The question of the independence of Kosovo is currently before the International Court of Justice, which heard evidence from a large number of countries – with Bulgaria speaking in favour – on the issue of the legality of the breakaway from Serbia.
 
Belgrade, backed by Russia among others, rejects Kosovo’s independence, but the declaration of independence in Pristina so far has been endorsed by 65 states, including the United States and all but five of the 27 members of the European Union.
 
In his latest report on the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that UNMIK "remains uniquely placed" to facilitate dialogue among the communities in Kosovo, the UN News Service said.
 
"The continuing support for UNMIK activities by the communities on the ground, by Pristina and by Belgrade (respective capitals of Kosovo and Serbia), as well as by the Security Council and the broader international community, is of crucial importance," Ban said in a report to the Security Council, in which he voices concern at possible increased tensions in northern Kosovo, where many Serbs live.
 
UNMIK administered Kosovo from 1999 when North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) forces drove out Yugoslav troops amid bloody ethnic fighting between Serbs and Albanians, but it gave up its administrative role after the independence declaration.
 
"The strategic goal of UNMIK remains the promotion of security, stability and respect for human rights through engagement with all communities in Kosovo, as well as with Pristina and Belgrade and regional and international actors. During the present reporting period (starting in January), UNMIK continued to support minority communities, encourage reconciliation and facilitate dialogue and regional cooperation," Ban said.
 
"The longer-term stability and development of Kosovo and the region rests on a successful process of reconciliation between communities," he said, noting that the security situation remains relatively calm but fragile.
 
"Overall, there has been no increase in the number of incidents, including those affecting the minority communities, in comparison with the previous reporting period; however, the persistence of incidents continues to represent an obstacle to returns [of those who fled the earlier fighting] and perpetuates a perception of insecurity among the minority communities.
 
"Bringing perpetrators of crimes to justice, publicly condemning such incidents and reaching out to the victims, as occurred in a few instances during the reporting period, would serve to alleviate some concerns among the communities and foster a feeling of increased security."
 
Although voluntary minority returns remain "disappointingly low" in absolute numbers, they increased from 2008, with 1153 people returning from displacement in and outside Kosovo in 2009, compared with 679 in 2008. UN statistics show that 259 returnees, including 90 Serbs and 89 Ashkali, between January and February 2010, compared with 55 in the same period last year.
 
Ban said that several Serbian cultural and religious sites were vandalised during the reporting period.
 
"Securing respect for the rights of all communities continues to be a challenge, as evidenced by continued reports of security-related and other incidents affecting minority communities," he says.
 
Ban said that UNMIK maintains close cooperation with the 3200-strong EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), which has 1400 international police officers and operates under the overall authority and within the status-neutral framework of the UN.
 
Meanwhile, the question of Kosovo’s participation in international meetings, summits and conferences continues to be the subject of diplomatic efforts. There have been a number of standoffs between Belgrade and Pristina on the issue.
 
On April 21, Kosovo daily Koha Ditore said that talks between Spanish and Turkish foreign ministers Miguel Angel Moratinos and Ahmet Davutoglu and Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic the previous day had continued for several hours without producing a solution.
 
Kosovo, in turn, is reported to be preparing a strategy for the way ahead of the International Court of Justice announces its ruling. The court’s judgment will not have binding status but will serve only as an opinion.
 
According to Koha Ditore, Kosovo deputy prime minister Hajredin Kuci said that Pristina would co-ordinate with its international allies, and said that after the court had issued its rulings, all dilemmas for countries still hesitating about recognising Kosovo as independent would be removed.