The Kosovo Declaration of Independence
Item
Title
The Kosovo Declaration of Independence
Creator
Kosovo Government
Description
The comprehensive document that established Kosovo as a country.
Date
2008
Date Created
2008
Source
https://mycourses.binghamton.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1841950-dt-content-rid-17179965_1/courses/0M202120/Kosovo%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.pdf
extracted text
KOSOVO DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Source: International Legal Materials , 2008, Vol. 47, No. 4 (2008), pp. 467-468
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20695830
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
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Cambridge University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access
to International Legal Materials
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KOSOVO DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
[February 17, 2008]
+Cite as 47 ILM 467 (2008)+
Sunday, 17/02/2008 17:20
Kosovo Declaration of Independence
Assembly of Kosovo,
Convened in an extraordinary meeting on February 17, 2008, in Pristine, the capital of Kosovo,
Answering the call of the people to build a society that honors human dignity and affirms the pride and purpose
of its citizens,
Committed to confront the painful legacy of the recent past in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness,
Dedicated to protecting, promoting and honoring the diversity of our people,
Reaffirming our wish to become fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic family of democracies,
Observing that Kosovo is a special case arising from Yugoslavia's non-consensual breakup and is not a precedent
for any other situation,
Recalling the years of strife and violence in Kosovo, that disturbed the conscience of all civilised people,
Grateful that in 1999 the world intervened, thereby removing Belgrade's governance over Kosovo and placing
Kosovo under United Nations interim administration,
Proud that Kosovo has since developed functional, multi-ethnic institutions of democracy that express freely the
will of our citizens,
Recalling the years of internationally-sponsored negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina over the question of
our future political status,
Regretting that no mutually-acceptable status outcome was possible, in spite of the good-faith engagement of our
leaders,
Confirming that the recommendations of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari provide Kosovo with a comprehensive
framework for its future development and are in line with the highest Europiean standards of human rights and
good governance,
Determined to see our status resolved in order to give our people clarity about their future, move beyond the
conflicts of the past and realise the full democratic potential of our society,
Honoring all the men and women who made great sacrifices to build a better future for Kosovo,
Approves
KOSOVA DECLARATION OF INDIPENDENCE [sic]
1. We, the democratically-elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosovo to be an independent and
sovereign state. This declaration reflects the will of our people and it is in full accordance with the recommendations
of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement.
2. We declare Kosovo to be a democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic, guided by the principles of non
discrimination and equal protection under the law. We shall protect and promote the rights of all communities in
Kosovo and create the conditions necessary for their effective participation in political and decision-making
processes.
3. We accept fully the obligations for Kosovo contained in the Ahtisaari Plan, and welcome the framework it
proposes to guide Kosovo in the years ahead. We shall implement in full those obligations including through
priority adoption of the legislation included in its Annex XII, particularly those that protect and promote the rights
of communities and their members.
* This text was reproduced and reformatted from the text appearing at the Republic of Kosovo assembly website: (visited
May 21, 2008) <http://www.assembly-kosova.org/?krye=news&newsid=1635&lang=enpdf>
This content downloaded from
128.226.136.66 on Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:58:09 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
468
International Legal Materials
[Vol. 47:
4. We shall adopt as soon as possible a Constitution that enshrines our commitment to respect the human rights
and fundamental freedoms of all our citizens, particularly as defined by the European Convention on Human
Rights. The Constitution shall incorporate all relevant principles of the Ahtisaari Plan and be adopted through a
democratic and deliberative process.
5. We welcome the international community's continued support of our democratic development through
international presences established in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). We
invite and welcome an international civilian presence to supervise our implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan, and
a European Union-led rule of law mission. We also invite and welcome the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
to retain the leadership role of the international military presence in Kosovo and to implement responsibilities
assigned to it under UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and the Ahtisaari Plan, until such time as Kosovo
institutions are capable of assuming these responsibilities. We shall cooperate fully with these presences to ensure
Kosovo's future peace, prosperity and stability.
6. For reasons of culture, geography and history, we believe our future lies with the European family. We
therefore declare our intention to take all steps necessary to facilitate full membership in the European Union as
soon as feasible and implement the reforms required for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
7. We express our deep gratitude to the United Nations for the work it has done to help us recover and rebuild
from war and build institutions of democracy. We are committed to working constructively with the United Nations
as it continues its work in the period ahead.
8. With independence comes the duty of responsible membership in the international community. We accept
fully this duty and shall abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, other acts
of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the international legal obligations and principles
of international comity that mark the relations among states. Kosovo shall have its international borders as set
forth in Annex VIII of the Ahtisaari Plan, and shall fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all our
neighbors. Kosovo shall also refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes
of the United Nations.
9. We hereby undertake the international obligations of Kosovo, including those concluded on our behalf by
the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and treaty and other obligations of the
former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to which we are bound as a former constituent part, including
the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations. We shall cooperate fully with the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. We intend to seek membership in international organisations, in
which Kosovo shall seek to contribute to the pursuit of international peace and stability.
10. Kosovo declares its commitment to peace and stability in our region of southeast Europe. Our independence
brings to an end the process of Yugoslavia's violent dissolution. While this process has been a painful one, we
shall work tirelessly to contribute to a reconciliation that would allow southeast Europe to move beyond the
conflicts of our past and forge new links of regional cooperation. We shall therefore work together with our
neighbours to advance a common European future.
11. We express, in particular, our desire to establish good relations with all our neighbours, including the
Republic of Serbia with whom we have deep historical, commercial and social ties that we seek to develop further
in the near future. We shall continue our efforts to contribute to relations of friendship and cooperation with the
Republic of Serbia, while promoting reconciliation among our people.
12. We hereby affirm, clearly, specifically, and irrevocably, that Kosovo shall be legally bound to comply with
the provisions contained in this Declaration, including, especially, the obligations for it under the Ahtisaari Plan.
In all of these matters, we shall act consistent with principles of international law and resolutions of the Security
Council of the United Nations, including resolution 1244 (1999). We declare publicly that all states are entitled
to rely upon this declaration, and appeal to them to extend to us their support and friendship.
D- 001
Pristina, 17 February 2008
President of the Assembly of Kosova
Jakup KRASNIQI
This content downloaded from
128.226.136.66 on Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:58:09 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Source: International Legal Materials , 2008, Vol. 47, No. 4 (2008), pp. 467-468
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20695830
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms
Cambridge University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access
to International Legal Materials
This content downloaded from
128.226.136.66 on Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:58:09 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
KOSOVO DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
[February 17, 2008]
+Cite as 47 ILM 467 (2008)+
Sunday, 17/02/2008 17:20
Kosovo Declaration of Independence
Assembly of Kosovo,
Convened in an extraordinary meeting on February 17, 2008, in Pristine, the capital of Kosovo,
Answering the call of the people to build a society that honors human dignity and affirms the pride and purpose
of its citizens,
Committed to confront the painful legacy of the recent past in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness,
Dedicated to protecting, promoting and honoring the diversity of our people,
Reaffirming our wish to become fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic family of democracies,
Observing that Kosovo is a special case arising from Yugoslavia's non-consensual breakup and is not a precedent
for any other situation,
Recalling the years of strife and violence in Kosovo, that disturbed the conscience of all civilised people,
Grateful that in 1999 the world intervened, thereby removing Belgrade's governance over Kosovo and placing
Kosovo under United Nations interim administration,
Proud that Kosovo has since developed functional, multi-ethnic institutions of democracy that express freely the
will of our citizens,
Recalling the years of internationally-sponsored negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina over the question of
our future political status,
Regretting that no mutually-acceptable status outcome was possible, in spite of the good-faith engagement of our
leaders,
Confirming that the recommendations of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari provide Kosovo with a comprehensive
framework for its future development and are in line with the highest Europiean standards of human rights and
good governance,
Determined to see our status resolved in order to give our people clarity about their future, move beyond the
conflicts of the past and realise the full democratic potential of our society,
Honoring all the men and women who made great sacrifices to build a better future for Kosovo,
Approves
KOSOVA DECLARATION OF INDIPENDENCE [sic]
1. We, the democratically-elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosovo to be an independent and
sovereign state. This declaration reflects the will of our people and it is in full accordance with the recommendations
of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement.
2. We declare Kosovo to be a democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic, guided by the principles of non
discrimination and equal protection under the law. We shall protect and promote the rights of all communities in
Kosovo and create the conditions necessary for their effective participation in political and decision-making
processes.
3. We accept fully the obligations for Kosovo contained in the Ahtisaari Plan, and welcome the framework it
proposes to guide Kosovo in the years ahead. We shall implement in full those obligations including through
priority adoption of the legislation included in its Annex XII, particularly those that protect and promote the rights
of communities and their members.
* This text was reproduced and reformatted from the text appearing at the Republic of Kosovo assembly website: (visited
May 21, 2008) <http://www.assembly-kosova.org/?krye=news&newsid=1635&lang=enpdf>
This content downloaded from
128.226.136.66 on Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:58:09 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
468
International Legal Materials
[Vol. 47:
4. We shall adopt as soon as possible a Constitution that enshrines our commitment to respect the human rights
and fundamental freedoms of all our citizens, particularly as defined by the European Convention on Human
Rights. The Constitution shall incorporate all relevant principles of the Ahtisaari Plan and be adopted through a
democratic and deliberative process.
5. We welcome the international community's continued support of our democratic development through
international presences established in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). We
invite and welcome an international civilian presence to supervise our implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan, and
a European Union-led rule of law mission. We also invite and welcome the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
to retain the leadership role of the international military presence in Kosovo and to implement responsibilities
assigned to it under UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and the Ahtisaari Plan, until such time as Kosovo
institutions are capable of assuming these responsibilities. We shall cooperate fully with these presences to ensure
Kosovo's future peace, prosperity and stability.
6. For reasons of culture, geography and history, we believe our future lies with the European family. We
therefore declare our intention to take all steps necessary to facilitate full membership in the European Union as
soon as feasible and implement the reforms required for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
7. We express our deep gratitude to the United Nations for the work it has done to help us recover and rebuild
from war and build institutions of democracy. We are committed to working constructively with the United Nations
as it continues its work in the period ahead.
8. With independence comes the duty of responsible membership in the international community. We accept
fully this duty and shall abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, other acts
of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the international legal obligations and principles
of international comity that mark the relations among states. Kosovo shall have its international borders as set
forth in Annex VIII of the Ahtisaari Plan, and shall fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all our
neighbors. Kosovo shall also refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes
of the United Nations.
9. We hereby undertake the international obligations of Kosovo, including those concluded on our behalf by
the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and treaty and other obligations of the
former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to which we are bound as a former constituent part, including
the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations. We shall cooperate fully with the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. We intend to seek membership in international organisations, in
which Kosovo shall seek to contribute to the pursuit of international peace and stability.
10. Kosovo declares its commitment to peace and stability in our region of southeast Europe. Our independence
brings to an end the process of Yugoslavia's violent dissolution. While this process has been a painful one, we
shall work tirelessly to contribute to a reconciliation that would allow southeast Europe to move beyond the
conflicts of our past and forge new links of regional cooperation. We shall therefore work together with our
neighbours to advance a common European future.
11. We express, in particular, our desire to establish good relations with all our neighbours, including the
Republic of Serbia with whom we have deep historical, commercial and social ties that we seek to develop further
in the near future. We shall continue our efforts to contribute to relations of friendship and cooperation with the
Republic of Serbia, while promoting reconciliation among our people.
12. We hereby affirm, clearly, specifically, and irrevocably, that Kosovo shall be legally bound to comply with
the provisions contained in this Declaration, including, especially, the obligations for it under the Ahtisaari Plan.
In all of these matters, we shall act consistent with principles of international law and resolutions of the Security
Council of the United Nations, including resolution 1244 (1999). We declare publicly that all states are entitled
to rely upon this declaration, and appeal to them to extend to us their support and friendship.
D- 001
Pristina, 17 February 2008
President of the Assembly of Kosova
Jakup KRASNIQI
This content downloaded from
128.226.136.66 on Sun, 25 Apr 2021 14:58:09 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
