In the wake of the political discourse of Serbian state officials towards Kosovo, there is also a disinformation narrative about the withdrawal of recognition of Kosovo by some states that have previously recognized it. This narrative is commonly used by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Selaković.
The narrative about the withdrawal of recognition by states that have recognized Kosovo mainly comes to the fore in cases of developments or movements of the state of Kosovo in the international arena. Of course, through this narrative Serbia is trying to undermine the legitimacy of Kosovo's statehood in the international arena.
In May of this year, after the meeting of the National Security Council in Serbia, which was convened due to Kosovo's application to the Council of Europe, the then Foreign Minister, Nikola Selakovic, declared that he had delivered to President Vučić the diplomatic notes of the four countries that had withdrawn their recognition of the state of Kosovo. (here) Neither Selakovic nor Vucic made public the diplomatic notes of the countries that had withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo's independence.
In late August, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that he and the Foreign Minister had seven documents in their files to withdraw recognition of Kosovo's independence. He said the number of countries willing to withdraw recognition had increased from four to seven. (here)
Despite the fact that the documentation was said to be in their drawer, that documentation, as well as the names of the seven countries, were not made public by Serbian officials. (here)
The publication of the list of countries that have decided on this move comes after another crisis in Kosovo and the removal of barricades, which were erected in protest of the arrest of Serbian police officers and in response to reports that the focus should now be on concluding an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, on the evening of January 4, in his annual presentation to present Serbia's achievements, among other things, spoke about the recognitions of Kosovo. According to him, there are nine countries that have already withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo, among which are Somalia, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Eswatini, Libya, Guinea, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and the Maldives. Despite the fact that Vučić publishes the names of the countries that have withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo, he does not provide any official information or facts (diplomatic notes) to support his claim. (here, here)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of the Republic of Kosovo has announced that there is no notification in the official diplomatic institutions of Kosovo about the withdrawal of recognitions. (here)
At the same time, Somalia denies that the Serbian president, after meeting with the Kosovo ambassador in Ankara, wants to deepen relations with Kosovo. (here)
Kosovo's Ambassador to Belgium, Agron Bajrami, has published a photo on Twitter, where he is seen together with the Libyan Ambassador, Amel Jerary, adding that they agreed on the need to deepen Kosovo-Libya relations, as a form of denial of the claims of Serbian officials. (here)
In addition, Kosovo's ambassadors have held meetings with diplomatic representatives of Gabon, Eswatini and the Maldives to discuss opportunities for cooperation and the continuation of bilateral relations. (here, here, here)
In his annual address on January 4, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at the annual conference that currently 106 countries do not recognize Kosovo's independence, while 84 countries recognize it unequivocally. (here)
Based on official data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo (referring to alternative sources because the publications on the official website for recognition are non-functional), Kosovo has been recognized by 117 states out of a total of 193 in the United Nations (UN). (see here)
The last recognition that Kosovo received was from the state of Israel, on February 1, 2021This recognition was part of an agreement with Serbia to normalize economic relations, signed in Washington on September 4, 2020, in the presence of then-US President Donald Trump.
Serbia's campaign to convince various countries to de-recognize Kosovo's independence or withdraw such recognition has continued for many years and in various ways.