kosovo is one of the youngest countries in the world it gained its independence from serbia after a bloody war [Music] and this 10 year old country has a really fascinating history [Music] kosovo has always existed in some form or another it was colonized by the ancient serbian kingdom ruled by the ottoman empire and most recently was part of the socialist federal republic of yugoslavia the breakup of yugoslavia in the early 1990s really came to a head as different regions tried to assert and connect with their identity language culture and religion when regions with christian majority populations like slovenia macedonia montenegro declared their independence the former head of yugoslavia serbia let them go on their merry way but when muslim majority regions like bosnia went for it serbia was not so accommodating when kosovo a region with 95 percent albanian muslim tried for independence in 1999 serbia sent in troops and began a campaign of ethnic cleansing the albanians were targeted by the orthodox christian serb troops and with the 1995 bosnian genocide still fresh on everyone's minds nato intervened and ended the 78 day war but the damage was done around 15 000 albanians were murdered from 1999 to 2008 kosovo exists in this gray area with its final outcome to be determined by negotiations between itself and serbia but these talks keep failing why serbia insists kosovo is theirs it always has been and it always will be even the head of the serbian orthodox church says recognition of kosovo as an independent country is a sin [Music] kosovo's position is that once serbia tried to ethnically cleanse its country of all albanian muslims it lost political and moral legitimacy and thus kosovo wants nothing to do with serbia ever again there's a deadlock then in 2007 this guy martial tasari an ex-finnish president and un special envoy to kosovo helped negotiations along and made a series of recommendations like if kosovo wants to be independent it could never unite with the albanians in albania they agreed kosovo announced their independence on february 17 2008 and since then about half the world including albania turkey and the us have recognized it but russia serbia china and many others still don't and 10 years on this young country is still struggling for recognition [Music] you