Kosovo has gained “full sovereignty” after the International Steering Group (ISG) announced on September 10 that it will end its supervision of the country. The International Steering Group (ISG) is comprised of 23 European Union members, United States and Turkey which had monitored Kosovo since its independence in 2008 from Serbia.
US President Barack Obama described the end of supervision as a “historic milestone”. In a written statement he added, “Kosovo has made significant progress in solidifying the gains of independence and in building the institutions of a modern, multiethnic, inclusive and democratic state.”
Russia sided with Serbia, recognising Kosovo as a “quasi-state with no international legal personality”.
Oversight of Kosovo will still continue however, in the form of 6,000 NATO peacekeepers and 1,000 European Union police officers to prevent ethnic clash between minority Serbs living in the northern region of Kosovo and majority ethnic-Albanians.
Kosovo’s independence has been recognised by 90 other countries which include most EU nations.