Kosovo's declaration of independence is being scrutinized by the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It was initiated by Serbia, which refuses to recognize it as a sovereign state.
Kosovo has slammed the move as an effort to destabilize the region. The province, which lies within Serbia, unilaterally declared independence in February 2008.
Since then Kosovo has been recognized by 63 countries. However, the majority of states, including Russia, China and some EU members, haven't acknowledged its independence.
The court's verdict will not be legally binding, and is not expected for several months.
The first hearing hasn't led to any breakthrough over Kosovo's status, but there are still 8 more days of proceedings to come.
But no matter what the outcome of the enquiry, it won’t bring more recognition of Kosovo’s independence, says journalist and historian Nebojsa Malic.
“The court’s decision will have weight only with countries that care about international law,” Malic told RT. “It’s very hard for the court’s opinion to have any difference, and the fact that some 60 countries have recognized the independence of the Republic of Kosovo – despite the fact that it was declared illegally – shows that they don’t really care about international law that much.”