Bilateral Relations between Kosovo and Austria

Abstract

After the escalation of the crisis in Yugoslavia in 1989, Austria took a leading role as compared to many other European countries and undertook numerous initiatives to internationalize the Kosovo issue (1989–1999). The active role of Austria in its Kosovo policy is best manifested in its function as an early warner, since it was Austria which was the first European country – due to its geographical proximity and its historical and economic relations – to repeatedly bring the Kosovo issue onto the agenda of European foreign policy and point out the dramatic developments that took place there. This active Austrian stance for Kosovo was continued after the Kosovo war (1998–1999) on different levels (political, economic, humanitarian, military, reconstruction, cultural, school, and universities). Austria's role was closely linked to developments in the process of Kosovo's independence, which were held in Vienna (Vienna talks between 2005 and 2007). Furthermore, following Kosovo's independence (2008), Austrian foreign policy remains one of the biggest supporters of Kosovo's. This book chapter, based on various sources (interviews, scientific literature, official documents, and press articles), analyzes the bilateral relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Austria through the prism of Austrian policy.