Kosovo Independence Day () is a

national independence day Independence Day () is a national day in Poland celebrated on to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918 from the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires. Following the ...

celebrated in

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

every year on 17 February, marking the anniversary of Kosovo's

declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

the same day.

Background

is the second youngest country in the world (behind

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

which declared independence in 2011) and the youngest country in Europe to have been recognized (partially by over 100 UN member states). After a 2008 referendum,

declared Independence on 17 February 2008. Despite this,

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

still refuses to recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, disapproving of the nation's partial international recognition as an independent state, a stance backed by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, India and China, among others. After the controversy, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on 22 July 2010 that Kosovo’s independence was not in violation of international law.

References

{{Reflist Independence days February observances Society of Kosovo

Background

See also

References