The 27th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 has brought back allegations of violations of "international law" against Serbia.
Senior officials in Serbia have hinted that Serbia considers the resolution as the main document on which it claims to be given a legal basis for the claim that Kosovo is part of Serbia.
They also claim the existence of a “double standard” in respecting international law. Through this claim, officials aim to present Serbia as a party that demands respect for UN resolutions.
With these statements, officials reiterate Serbia's position regarding non-recognition of Kosovo as a state.
The Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, on June 10, in an interview with "TV Prva", said that Resolution 1244 is Serbia's "treasure trove" and that it should be insisted on.
The notice of ZQSregarding Petkovic's statement:
"The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said today, on the occasion of the anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which confirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the then Yugoslavia and its successor Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, that this is our deed on which we must insist and adhere to international law, principles and norms of the United Nations.
He told 'TV Prva' that we are a small state in terms of territory, but we must adhere to these principles, because despite the situation in the world where 'might is not God's will', we must adhere to this course, because they will be forced to return to the order of international law.
"This is the only way for the world to survive," Petkovic stressed.
And Serbia's Foreign Minister, Marko Djuric, has alleged continuous violations of the resolution and selective compliance with UN Security Council decisions.
Post of Djuric in X on June 10:
"The continued violation of this resolution has seriously undermined the rights of our citizens living in the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as those living in the Republic of Serbia as a whole. It is particularly important to remind everyone today that international law cannot be a matter of choice or political convenience. When binding decisions of the UN Security Council are selectively respected, it not only weakens Serbia's position, but also erodes trust in the entire international order. A law that is not applied equally to all ceases to be law. By defending its position, Serbia defends universal values."
Through such statements, the Kosovo issue is intended to be presented as not politically resolved, but as an open international issue, with Resolution 1244 as the legal basis.
Statements by Serbian officials were published in several Serbian-language media outlets (see here, here, here and here).
Hibrid.info has also dealt with claims by Serbian officials regarding Resolution 1244 in the past (see here)
How did Resolution 1244 come about and what does it contain?
In early June 1999, it was signed Military-technical agreement in Kumanovo between NATO and Yugoslavia, as a result of NATO's continued military pressure on the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the worsening humanitarian situation in Kosovo, with the aim of stopping the bombing and ending the conflict. This agreement provided for the complete withdrawal of Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces from Kosovo, as well as the establishment of an international military presence led by NATO (KFOR) to guarantee security and the return of refugees.
It paved the way for the adoption of Resolution 1244This resolution, adopted on 10 June 1999 by the UN Security Council, does not define Kosovo as part of the "Serbian statehood", but temporarily recognizes the formal sovereignty of the FRY (Serbia and Montenegro at the time), while establishing an international UN administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO peacekeeping force (KFOR) and provides for a political process to determine the final status of Kosovo, which implies that the status at that time was not permanent (see here).
On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo an independent state. The declaration of independence was contested by Serbia. However, in 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law, because it “did not violate any general rule of international law, nor Resolution 1244, nor the UNMIK interim constitutional framework” (see here).