WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Kosovo is on the road to creating a multi-ethnic democracy even though problems remain, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.
The United States congratulated the European republic as it celebrated its first anniversary of unilaterally declaring independence from Serbia, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said during a briefing in Washington.
"(If) you look back at where we were 10 years ago, I think there's no doubt that Kosovo now is much more stable and is on the road to creating that multi-ethnic democracy," he said. "However, problems remain. One cannot paper over the problems that do remain."
Fifty-four countries have recognized Kosovo, which also is working with several international entities "to build a sound and sustainable economy, a single and transparent rule of law system, and other institutions of a modern multi-ethnic European democracy," he said.
However, the governments of Serbia and Russia haven't recognized the Kosovo's independence, which is why several international missions remain in Kosovo, Duguid said.
"But our concern is to help Kosovars, all of them, develop a multi-ethnic modern European state," Duguid said. "We are there because there are historic problems that we've all been witness to that we -- many of us understand. And you're not going to build that state in a short period of time."
He said the United States would remain in Kosovo "as long as the Kosovars need our help."
