Russia Resolute Till the Very End
Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Russian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
Russia: No Independence for Kosovo-Metohija
Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Duma, has ruled out the possibility of setting up an independent state in Serbian province of Kosovo-Metohija.
“I believe even less in the possibility of setting up a NATO state in the territory of Kosovo-Metohija,” Kosachev, who is also Chairman of the Russian Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe, said in an exclusive interview for the Tuesday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti.
Commenting the recent statements of a number of Serbian ministers that the United States, for one, should give up the creation of a NATO state on the territory of the southern Serbian province, Kosachev said that Russia would not allow that, since such a project is in direct contravention of the score of international laws.
Kosachev, credited by the Novosti as one of the main creators of Russia’s policy towards Serbian province, said that official Moscow expected direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina—the most efficient form of negotiations—would take place at the end of negotiation process.
Pristina Must Understand Status of the Serbian Province Has Not Been Determined
“However, in order for direct talks to take place certain conditions need to be fulfilled, and the main condition is the absence of all previous conditions, or to be even more precise — Pristina has to finally realize and accept the fact that Kosovo-Metohija’s status has not been determined,” Kosachev underlined.
The high Russian official also strongly opposes the possibility of setting any deadlines whatsoever within this negotiating process.
“We have been trying to resolve the Palestinian issue for a several dozen of years now, and no one views as a tragedy the fact that a solution has not been found for Palestine by some specific date,” he reminded, pointing to the fact that the problem of northern Cyprus had also been present for years.
“In the case of Serbian province, negotiations also have to last as long as the two sides do not reach compromise solutions,” Kosachev said.
“Therefore, Russia’s stand is clear — no deadlines,” he underscored.
Russia’s Principled and Strategic Support Will Not Waver
Kosachev rejected the dilemmas as to whether official Moscow will remain firm in its present position, following certain speculations that Russia was pursuing such policy towards Serbian province only to trade with the West.
“This is a principled strategic support Russia will not give up,” Kosachev stressed.
The Russian official also assessed that the relations between Belgrade and Moscow were at the highest level ever since World War Two.
“All what has been happening over the last decade proves that our friendship is strong,” he said.
“We back Serbia, its authority and people, and from them we feel support for the Russian leadership and nation,” Kosachev said, adding that Serbia-Russia relations are not concentrated solely on the issue of Kosovo-Metohija province, but are rather a lot wider.