Serbian media today (September 12) published an article with the claims of the head of the office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, who links the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity with Kosovo, interpreting Kosovo's independence as a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity.
Petkovic's claim relates to the narrative of linking the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity with the liberation and independence of Kosovo.
In an interview with Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), Petkovic said that "everyone is now talking about the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and this is exactly what happened to Serbia in the Kosovo and Metohija issue."
This comparison by Petković was also published in other major media outlets in Serbia. (see here, here, here and here)
Excerpts from Petar Petkovic's statements published on RTS:
"This is a clear violation of international law and President Vučić will speak about this at the UN General Assembly session... Everyone is now talking about the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and this is exactly what happened to Serbia in the issue of Kosovo and Metohija," said Petković, adding that Serbia is expected to decide which side of the curtain it will be on.
"They cannot allow any new conflicts and unrest on European soil. President Vučić has warned and spoken about this repeatedly, they want to refute the arguments used by President Vladimir Putin when he talks about the Kosovo precedent, about the recognition of Western countries, to justify his actions in Ukraine. That is why President Vučić says that Serbia is collateral damage of the conflicts between the great and powerful in the world. The more Kosovo is talked about in the context of the war in Ukraine, the worse it is for us."
However, the comparison made by Petkovic has nothing in common. The two cases have major differences. Hibrid.info will bring some of the moments that prove the opposite of Petkovic's claim.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 – nine years after NATO bombed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (here). In March 1999, NATO forces began bombing due to the exodus and crimes committed by Serbian military and police forces against the Albanian population in Kosovo.
More than 10,000 people were killed in that war and thousands went missing (here).
In 2010, the International Court of Justice declared that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law (hereKosovo's independence has so far been recognized by over 100 countries, including the US and most European Union countries (here).
Developments in Ukraine, since independence from the USSR, had a completely different course compared to those in the case of Kosovo.
As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate in 1990–91, the legislature of the Ukrainian SSR declared sovereignty (July 16, 1990) and then full independence (August 24, 1991), a move that was confirmed by popular approval (December 1, 1991). With the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991, Ukraine gained full independence. The country changed its official name to Ukraine. (here)
Crimea is an integral part of the state of Ukraine which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 (here). Ukraine is not a “Russian world”, but an internationally recognized state. The Russian occupation (territorial annexation) began on February 24, 2022. (here)
That Russia violated international law in Ukraine was confirmed before the United Nations General Assembly. The UN resolution against Russian aggression against Ukraine was adopted by 141 votes in favor, five against, and 35 abstentions. The UN General Assembly called on Russia to withdraw its troops. (here)
Therefore, the comparison made by the head of the office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, regarding the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity with the declaration of Kosovo's independence as a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity is inappropriate given the facts listed above.
Analyze:
The head of the office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic, in a statement to Serbian Radio and Television, RTS, linked the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity to Kosovo, claiming that even Kosovo's declaration of independence is a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity, just like Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukrainian territories.
The facts tell us that Kosovo was declared independent after the war for liberation from the Serbian occupier, and that the declaration of independence of Kosovo does not constitute a violation of international law and that it has been recognized by more than 100 countries in the world, including the USA and most of the countries of the European Union. Therefore, the declaration of independence of Kosovo does not constitute a violation of the territorial integrity of Serbia, but an international law.
Meanwhile, Russia has violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine starting with the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the occupation launched on February 24, 2022, despite the fact that Ukraine is independent and internationally recognized.
Hibrid.info, based on its work methodology, assesses that Petkovic's claims are classified as "manipulation of facts".
Rating:
The evaluation as "Manipulation of facts" is given to those media reports that use facts known to be correct, but interpret them in a distorted way. These reports typically use inaccurate information to draw inaccurate conclusions or claims, thereby misdirecting consumers' conclusions of media content in relation to the actual meaning of the facts presented.