Magic 97: Why it's important for number of states recognizing Kosovo to be below this figure

The decisions of several countries to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo's independence has had a strong impact among the public, and although Pristina denies that happened, Belgrade has evidence and official diplomatic notes in its hands.

Out of the 117 countries Pristina claims have recognized Kosovo's independence, Nigeria, Uganda and Mali never did so in the first place, while 14 have withdrawn their decision to recognize Kosovo.

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Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says Pristina's list of countries that recognize Kosovo's independence has been "completely torn apart" - and added that Serbia's goal is for that number to drop below 97 countries, which is less than half of UN member-states.

Why exactly is this figure important, and why would reaching it represent a major diplomatic victory for Serbia?

The foreign minister said that of the 117 countries Pristina claims have recognized Kosovo's independence, Nigeria, Uganda and Mali never did so, while 14 countries have withdrawn recognition.

Photo: Tanjug/Ognjen Stevanovic

"On their list are also the countries that officially say they have frozen the recognition decision, such as Egypt and Peru. That list of Pristina's with 117 countries has been torn apart, our goal is for that number to drop below 97, which is less than half of UN members, because that's important for us that, when it comes to voting in international organizations, they have the perspective of not managing to go through," Dacic told Pink TV.

According to him, Pristina is making constant provocations with its attempts to become a member of international organizations such as Interpol, UNESCO, or the World Customs Organization.

"We are succeeding in preventing this when the procedure allows us, but it's important to say that the vote in Interpol also showed that the Kosovo issue is alive and has not been resolved, like they say in Pristina," Dacic said.

The UN General Assembly today consists of 193 members, so if the number of those who have recognized Kosovo's independence is less than 100, it means that more than half the countries do not recognize the southern Serbian province as an independent state.

Photo: Wikipedia/Yuriy Abramochkin / Юрий Абрамочкин/RIA Novosti, Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

Since Pristina's key objective is to secure a UN seat, the Serbian diplomacy's intention is to secure the best possible position in the negotiation process.

"The claim that less than 100 countries in the world recognize Kosovo's independence, ten years after it was self-procalimed [as independent], can be an argument in the hands of Serbia," Stefan Surlic, president of the Center for Social Research and assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade, told Telegraf.rs earlier.

He explained that this would refute the claim that the only reason Kosovo is unable to join the UN is Russia's veto, and would instead point out that this is a majority position.

Diplomat Zoran Milivojevic explained earlier for our portal that Pristina was going for securing the votes of two-thirds of UN members, in order for Kosovo to possibly gain observer status, like Palestine.

"They are trying to enter the UN by the back door. However, if the number of countries that don't recognize Kosovo falls below 100, then they have nothing to promote the idea of ​​membership with, but also of independence," he explained.

Photo: Tanjug/Dimitrije Goll

This is also the main reason, analysts say, for Pristina being on a big defensive, with its representatives spending most of their time talking to countries that have already recognized Kosovo's independence, to make sure they don't change their mind.

At the last session of the UN General Assembly, a representative of Samoa, with which there are no diplomatic relations, said that the country was deceived when it recognized Kosovo in 2008.

Oman's foreign minister said his country didn't officially recognize Kosovo - but is nonetheless on Pristina's list of those who have done it.

"Many countries have been deceived after the unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, a vote had been made on behalf some ten years ago, so it's natural that decisions are now being reexamined," said Milivojevic, adding that every vote in the UN Security Council is of equal value - therefore the story that small countries deciding to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo has no weight - does not stand.

(Telegraf.rs/J.N.)