During the debate on Kosovo at UN SC on Wednesday, the representative of Russia emphasized that he fully agreed with the assessments of Ivica Dacic, pointing out that there are serious and deep problems in Kosovo that require urgent resolution.
“The stories about some ideal situation in Kosovo do not impress us at all,” the Russian representative said, adding that six years after the signing of the Brussels agreement, the Community of Serb Municipalities has not been formed, that Pristina blocked the process, while Belgrade fulfilled all its obligations.
As he pointed out, as soon as proposals for resolving the Kosovo issue arrived recently from Belgrade, the Albanian side used it to launch provocations and pretensions to the south of central Serbia, and the provocations also include the decision on additional tax on goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is a violation of the regional free trade agreement CEFTA.
According to the Russian representative, the situation in Kosovo is worrying, and possible re-emergence of the conflict would have catastrophic consequences for the entire region. He assessed that Pristina’s behavior during the visit of the president of Serbia to Kosovo and the arrival of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to Gazivode was nothing but provocation, while the storming into the north by the armed forces was a violation of all existing agreements.
He also referred to Pristina’s plans to transform the Kosovo security forces, KSF, into the armed forces, stating that such a thing would represent a violation of Resolution 1244. “Pristina already says that a garrison will go to the north, which is a road to conflict,” the Russian representative said. The Special Court for the crimes of the former KLA has not yet started to work, he also remarked.
The final solution must be mutually acceptable and have an international legal form and support from the international community, the Russian diplomat said, and stressed that the Security Council sessions dedicated to Kosovo should not be made fewer, and that the attention of the UN towards Kosovo should not be reduced.
China respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, said the country’s ambassador to the UN Security Council. He said that Beijing welcomed the commitment of Belgrade and Pristina to normalize dialogue and calls for the implementation of the agreements reached.
UK’s ambassador, as well as the representative of the US, spoke in favor of holding fewer sessions dedicated to Kosovo, and supported Pristina’s membership in Interpol – something Serbia is strongly opposed to.
The US representative said that “now is the time for both sides to be flexible in order to reach a compromise.” He added that the United States will support the talks in every possible way, and that it will “seriously consider” any agreement that is durable and applicable “in both countries” and encourages stability.
