Turkey’s recognition of Kosovo independence and its reLations with Serbia
Turkey’s recognition of Kosovo independence and its reLations with Serbia

Author(s): Birgül Demirtaş
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, International Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Published by: Институт за међународну политику и привреду
Keywords: Turkey; Kosovo; Serbia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Balkan
Summary/Abstract: This paper has two basic aims: First, it seeks to analyse Turkey’s policies toward the Kosovo issue since the early 1990’s. Second, it tries to understand how Turkey’s relations with Kosovo affected its ties with Belgrade, especially after the declaration of independence by Kosovo. While Turkey had pursued a rather cautious policy concerning the independence of Kosovo during the Albanian-Serbian conflict, it extended diplomatic recognition only one day after Kosovo declared independence. Turkish recognition took place at a time when countries like Russia and Serbia were objecting to it and a heavy debate was going on regarding whether the Kosovo independence was in line with the international law. One of the main research questions of this study is why Turkey decided to extend its diplomatic recognition on 18 February 2008. The main argument of the paper is that change in Turkish foreign policy towards Kosovo occurred step by step and did not represent a radical transformation in its foreign policy orientation. The decision-makers in Turkey continued to follow the line of the Western countries in the first decade of the 21st century as it had been the case during the Cold War and in the 1990s. The article makes it clear that Ankara prepared the necessary background for the recognition of Kosovo in the previous years slowly. The main thesis of the paper is that although Ankara’s recognition created a tension in Turkish-Serbian ties, it did not last long. As a result of compartmentalisation of their foreign policies, they learned to cooperate in other fields despite disagreement on the Kosovo issue.

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