The Solomon Islands, an independent nation in the southwestern Pacific, just east of Papua New Guinea, announced August 13th that it was granting diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Kosovo. It becomes (see map below) the 108th United Nations member-state to do so, following the similar move by the Republic of Togo last month. The portion of the General Assembly recognizing Kosovo is now 56%, but its membership is effectively blocked by the Security Council veto power wielded by the Russian Federation, an ally of Serbia, which still claims Kosovo as its own.
The foreign minister of the Solomon Islands, Clay Forau (left), with his Kosovar counterpart, Enver Hoxhaj (no relation to the former Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha) |
Countries that recognize Kosovo as independent are shown in green. |
[For those who are wondering, yes, this blog is tied in with my new book, a sort of encyclopedic atlas just published by Litwin Books under the title Let’s Split! A Complete Guide to Separatist Movements and Aspirant Nations, from Abkhazia to Zanzibar. (That is shorter than the previous working title.) The book, which contains 46 maps and 554 flags (or, more accurately, 554 flag images), is available for order now on Amazon. Meanwhile, please “like” the book (even if you haven’t read it yet) on Facebook and see this special announcement for more information on the book.]
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