Canada recognized Kosovo's independence on Tuesday, but stressed it was not setting a precedent to be exploited by the Quebec separatist movement.
The move swiftly triggered an angry response from Belgrade, which recalled its ambassador to Ottawa in protest, as world powers called for calm after some of the worst violence since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia last month.
"Today, we joined the international community and recognized Kosovo as a new state," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier told public broadcaster CBC one day after Serbs clashed with UN police in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica.
However, Bernier made it clear that Kosovo's new nation status was a "unique case" that would have no bearing on the aspirations of Quebec nationalists to split from the rest of Canada.
"As the declaration issued by Kosovo's parliament also makes clear, the unique circumstances which have led to Kosovo's independence mean it does not constitute any kind of precedent," Bernier said in a statement. "Statements made by other countries recognizing Kosovo's independence have echoed this point."
"You cannot compare that with Quebec," he told CBC.
Quebec has twice voted in referendums to separate from the rest of Canada, in 1980 and 1995. Federalists narrowly won the last ballot.
Last month, Quebec nationalists welcomed Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, saying it would bolster their own position should they one day sever ties with Canada.
"It's encouraging for Quebec separatists," said Alain Gagnon, a politics professor at Quebec University in Montreal.
"For them, it's an important moment that Kosovo is being recognized by the international community," Gagnon said.
Kosovo is overwhelmingly Albanian, but Serbs consider it a cradle of their civilization. It has been under UN administration since 1999 when NATO intervened to stop Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.
Japan also recognized Kosovo on Tuesday, joining the US and most of the EU, including Britain, France, Germany and Slovenia.
Earlier, Serbian Ambassador Disan Batakovic said: "For Serbia, [Canada's decision] is a total catastrophe because it signifies a violation of international law and the UN charter."
Batakovic was immediately recalled in protest at Canada's decision, his staff said.
Russia has stood by Serbia in fiercely opposing the loss of the territory since it declared independence on Feb. 17.
Belgrade is also supported by a few EU states, including Cyprus and Spain, as well as China.
More than 150 people were wounded on Monday in the northern town of Kosovska Mitrovica during clashes between international security forces and Serbs opposed to Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
‘BODIES EVERYWHERE’: The incident occurred at a Filipino festival celebrating an anti-colonial leader, with the driver described as a ‘lone suspect’ known to police Canadian police arrested a man on Saturday after a car plowed into a street party in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, killing a number of people. Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 8pm in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighborhood as members of the Filipino community gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day. The festival, which commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century, falls this year on the weekend before Canada’s election. A 30-year-old local man was arrested at the scene, Vancouver police wrote on X. The driver was a “lone suspect” known to police, a police spokesperson told journalists at the
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has unveiled a new naval destroyer, claiming it as a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, state media said yesterday. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim attended the launching ceremony for the 5,000-tonne warship on Friday at the western port of Nampo. Kim framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the US and its allies in Asia, who have been expanding joint military exercises amid rising tensions over the North’s nuclear program. He added that the acquisition
RSS