Czech President Milos Zeman says that he personally does not recognize Kosovo as independent and therefore is not sending an ambassador to Pristina.

When a reporter for the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti noted his "well-known position that Kosovo is ruled by a mafia regime financed by drug trafficking," Zeman stated that he "said it many times publicly that Hashim Thaci is a war criminal".

Asked whether he thinks that the EU has "a principled policy" towards Serbia, Zeman told the newspaper's May 1 special holiday edition: "It all depends on what Serbia and Kosovo agree on. In my opinion, any interference from any side can be counterproductive, a mistake."

Zeman does not think "a necessary condition for Serbia's admission to the EU is to recognize Kosovo."

"Five members of the EU, Slovakia, Spain, Greece, Romania and Cyprus do not recognize Kosovo," he said.

Zeman thinks that Serbia "could become a full EU member in the next few years."

"I sincerely hope so," he added.

Ethnic Albanians in Serbia's southern province in 2008 unilaterally declared independence, which Serbia rejected as a violation of its territorial integrity.

The Czech president thinks that the Kosovo precedent "opened Pandora's box and began the dangerous process of changing borders and territorial integrity worldwide."

For him, the western sanctions against Russia "are not a good solution." He criticized Western powers because of their interventionist policy of "exporting human rights and the habit of bringing democracy to others on bayonets."

Tanjug quoted the Vecernje Novosti article, to be published on Friday, as stating that Zeman said Serbs supported Czechs "in 1934 and in 1944" after the Soviet aggression. "We are in your debt and we need to repay our debt. Friendship is one of the best ways to do this," said the Czech president.

In the interview, Zeman referred to Serbs as "a brave people who do not need to be given advice."