Freedom to Kosovo no solution for others breakaways: Russia

By RIA Novosti

Moscow : Independence of Serbia’s breakaway Kosovo province will not be a solution for other breakaway regions, a Russian diplomat has said and warned it would create new tensions, instead.


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Andrei Denisov, first deputy foreign minister, said at a press conference here Monday that Kosovo’s independence could set secessionist precedence for other areas such as Transdnestr in Moldova, South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia and Nagorny Karabakh in Azerbaijan, so called frozen conflicts since the 1990s.

“We abide by international laws and concrete positions of parties to any given conflict,” Denisov said.

A decision on Kosovo will be taken into account while dealing with unrecognised republics in former Soviet states, he said.

Serbia and its ally Russia have been firmly opposing Kosovo’s drive for independence, which has been backed by the West.

“Another area of tension is building in international relations, which Russia has always opposed,” the diplomat said, adding that measures to promote tolerance and cooperation were the best methods of settling conflicts.

The UN Security Council failed last week to bridge divisions over the future of Kosovo. Most Western countries are seeking independence for the volatile area, which has been a UN protectorate since NATO bombings ended a bloody war between dominating Albanians and Serb forces in 1999.

Last week, Russia said it would apply its veto right in the UN Security Council if a decision on unilaterally proclaiming Kosovo independence was made.

Western nations also said the European Union and NATO should take over police duties in Kosovo from the United Nations.

Some other Security Council members, including Cyprus and Greece, have also voiced opposition to a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo, fearing this could set a precedent for other separatist regions.

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