Major Developments Major Developments by Calendar Year

In February 2008, the parliament of Kosovo, Serbia’s southern province with racial Albanian majority was declared independence. The province has been under the administration of U.N. and protected by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) troops since a 1999. The independence of Kosovo is supported by United States and superior European nations, including France, Britain, and Germany but was reluctantly opposed by Serbia and Russia as they feared that this can encourage separatist movements by other countries. Serbia considered Kosovo as beginning of their civilization, so did not accept Kosovo’s independence on its neighborhood. But in Kosovo, majority of people are Albanian, they opposed the discrimination of serbs on them and wished to have separate democratic province. The Protesters in Serbia argued with police outside the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade after the release of declaration. In Pristina, capital of Kosovo thousands of people large masses of people gathered in streets earlier to Sunday’s parliamentary declaration and it is followed by singing, dancing after Prime minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaci announced the independence. A 100-foot-long birthday cake was laid on Pristina’s main street. Hundreds of people celebrated this moment by waving Albanian flags in Times Square. Kosovo government has clearly announced its readiness and its desire to support rights of Serbian people in Kosovo.