Kosovo on Friday asked the UN Security Council to back its bid for membership in UNESCO, a move that would raise Kosovo’s profile in international diplomacy but is fiercely opposed by Serbia. ‘We call on all members of the Security Council to support Kosovo’s bid to (join) UNESCO. You can do that even though you may not yet recognize Kosovo,’ Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci told the council. But Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic accused Kosovo of failing to protect Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries from attacks, which he argued showed poor credentials for joining UNESCO. Kosovo and Serbia fought a war in 1998 and 1999, and the predominantly ethnic Albanian territory unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognized as a state by more than 100 countries, including the United States and a majority of
