MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/: Russia’s position on Kosovo is unchanged. Moscow calls for a viable and mutually acceptable solution between Belgrade and Kosovo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday at talks with visiting Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin.
"As for Kosovo, Russia’s position is unchanged. It has been repeatedly reiterated by President Vladimir Putin. We call for a viable, mutually acceptable solution between Belgrade and Pristina based on United Nations Security Council resolution 1244. Naturally, it must, first of all, be in line with international law and be approved by the UN Security Council," he said. "We will accept such a solution that will be acceptable for the Serbs. We will extend all-round support to our Serbian friends to achieve this result."
He also noted that the EU-mediated talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, which were held in Brussels, have yielded no progress.
"We know about the results of the latest round of talks between [Serbian] President Aleksandar Vucic and [Kosovo’s] Prime Minister Albin Kurti, which was held in Brussels with the European Union’s mediation. No results were reached. On the contrary, we see a backsliding on the existing agreements, with tension in the north of Kosovo being still in place," he said.
According to Lavrov, this is the result of the West’s policy, "which is geared to undermine all the principles of European security agreed within the OSCE." These principles envisage indivisible and equal security and Russia and Serbia are committed to them, he explained.
"We will insist on these approaches. The West’s policy toward breaking down its liabilities is continued, including on the Balkans and in the West-provoked situation in Ukraine," he added.
