India Kosovo Issue | Latest Burning Issues

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WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY?

India denied a visa to Kosovo boxer Donjeta Sadiku to participate in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships After this, Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) President wrote to the Sports Minister and the Indian Olympic Association President, saying the visa denial “c

KOSOVO BOXER DONJETA SADIKU

HISTORY OF KOSOVO

At one time, Kosovo had been the heart of the Serbian Empire, only to be lost to the Ottomans in 1398 Centuries later, in 1912, Serbia regained control of Kosovo, and by 1946, Kosovo was absorbed into the Yugoslav federation Around the 1960s, Kosovo began to assert its autonomy, being a majority-Muslim province after centuries of Ottoman rule, in a majority-Christian federation

HISTORY OF KOSOVO

The Yugoslav federation accepted this autonomy in the 1980s, giving Kosovo a ‘de facto self-government’
But from 1998-99, Kosovo was the site of a bitter and deadly war that killed thousands, largely fought between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians
In a conflict that spiralled into killings and revenge killings, NATO finally intervened against Yugoslavia, and the Kumanovo Agreement was reached in 1999 to end the war
In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, in a move that was summarily rejected by the Serbian government

KOSOVO

While Serbia recognises administration of the territory by Kosovo’s elected government, it continues to claim it as its own Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Kosovo is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Regional Cooperation Council and has applied for membership of Interpol and for observer status in the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO

As of 1 November 2018, the Republic of Kosovo has received 116 diplomatic recognitions as an independent state

ADHERING TO ITS PRINCIPLES

For India, this is about more than just Kosovo, a tiny European nation This is about a long- and tightly-held principle that India holds dear – that of sovereignty and respecting the territorial integrity India does not recognise Kosovo as an independent nation, despite it having declared itself independent from Serbia in 2008 As one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement in the aftermath of World War II, India’s foreign policy follows these principles: Non-interference in other nation’s internal affairs and an expectation of non-interference in its own; mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual non-aggression; and peaceful coexistence

COMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA

Kosovo can set a very dangerous precedent for similar cases around the world With a conflict-ridden Kashmir to the north, where cries of ‘azaadi’ are routinely heard, and a recurring Khalistani struggle, India is reluctant to lend weight to the notion that territories within a sovereign nation can secede at will Such an action would, India fears, open it up to legitimate charges of hypocrisy – ‘If you will accept the right of selfdetermination of xyz country, why not of your own Kashmiris/Khalistanis?’

WHAT COULD HAVE INDIA DONE TO AVOID CONTROVERSY?

India does not yet have a good enough reason to sideline its long-standing foreign policy principles on which it bases its interactions with other countries India didn’t need to sacrifice hosting all future international competitions We should (like China) have just given the boxer a visa on a piece of paper stapled to her passport.