Saturday, February 14, 2009

Another Albanian Triumph: Kosovan Stability

Kosovo became independent a year ago to much fanfare. Its independence has been used by autocracies like Russia to justify the rape of independent Georgia. However, this poor Muslim nation has defied some expectations and is a strong, vibrant, pro-American democracy.

"It is peaceful here," says Nebojsa Popovic, one of the few Serbs left on the Kosovo police force. Popovic commands a station in Gracanica, the centre of a Serb enclave 5km from Pristina, where Serb and Albanian traders and taxi drivers chat openly in the street. A soldier still stands guard at the town's Orthodox monastery, but this might change in the next 12 months, according to Lt. Gen. Giuseppe Gay, head of KFOR, the international military presence.
...

Serbian products brought into Kosovo through the North -- without import taxes levied -- are worth as much as €500 million, roughly a quarter of Kosovo's GDP, according to Avni Zogiani, head of the Pristina-based anti-corruption campaign, COHU. "Serbia loses out through the re-importation of tax-free goods back into Serbia, but it gains much more because they have Kosovo as a market and can sell goods without paying government duty."


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4 comments:

Editor said...

Kosovo is the land of SERBIA! Do not compare Russia to Serbia in anyway, what Russia did was an act of war, wht Serbia did was trying to RETAIN THEIR LAND, THAT ALBANIAN INVADERS TOOK FROM THEM!

Get your damn facts straight.

Aurelius said...

Watch your tongue, seriously. If you want to squabble, go to another website. We're your fellow writers, and if you want to have a political talk, be candid and straight forward; also DON'T use CAPITAL LETTERS to emphasize because it's ANNOYING.

Now, in your opinion, what's the difference between land that Kosovo says is theirs and, let's say, land Georgia says is theirs?

Editor said...

I apoligize. I get passionate.

Kosovo - is Serbias land.
The fight that Georgia and Russia had - was over land that was historically Georgias land. The same situation as Serbia.

Facts, straight and simple.

Anonymous said...

1.The fact is that Kosovo is 95% populated with Albanians.
2. Kosovo never was part of Serbia even during Tito's Yougoslavia, Kosovo had constitutions rights like any other ex-Yougosllav republic like Slovenia or Croatia.
3. The 95% of Kosovo populations has declared for independent Kosovo according to Geneva conventions for human rights.
4. Albanians are native Kosovo inhabitants. Serbians invaded Kosovo many times during history.