Introduction
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Kosovo is a self-declared independent republic in southeastern Europe.

After international negotiations failed to reach a consensus on an acceptable constitutional status, Kosovo`s provisional government unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008.

The newly-declared Republic of Kosovo is anticipated to receive partial international recognition from most European countries and the United States.

The flag of Kosovo was officially adopted following the unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008.

The flag is partly the result of an international design competition, organized by the United Nations backed provisional government, which attracted almost a thousand entries.

The competition rules insisted that the final design must not use ethnic or national symbols or colour schemes in order to ensure that it represented all citizens.

Why a short leash
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1) To prevent Kosovo joining Albanian republic in near future.

2) To prevent Serbians dominated provinces (Red) separating from Kosovo and joining Serbia.

Learning from history
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Cyprus was declared an independent state on August 16, 1960 from Britain.

Two main ethnic communities have been living in Cyprus:

The Greek Cypriot community is with approximately 65% of the population, and

The Turkish Cypriot community is with approximately 35% of the population.

Greek Cypriots largely consider themselves Greeks living in Cyprus rather than Cypriots with Greek ethnicity.

Turkish Cypriots likewise largely saw themselves as Turks living in Cyprus rather than Cypriots with Turkish ethnicity.