Quotes

We are saying loud and clear that we have never planned to recognize Kosovo, nor do we plan to do so in the future. The solution for Kosovo was a hasty one.

If Kosovo can be independent, so can Abkhazia. 

The 'Kosovo precedent' is a convincing confirmation that the resolution of regional conflicts is not necessarily based on the principle of state's territorial integrity. The 17-year period of South Ossetia's independence confirms its viability, we demands only the legitimization of our sovereignty in accordance with the charter of the United Nations.

The Kosovo precedent is a terrifying precedent. In essence, it is breaking open the entire system of international relations that have prevailed not just for decades, but for centuries. And it will undoubtedly bring on itself an entire chain of unforeseen consequences.

What Kosovo does is to set a precedent that suggests that in certain cases, there is a moral imperative that allows the often arbitrary lines of states to be redrawn. And this will be felt not only in Abkhazia, but in unrecognized territories and separatist movements across the world.

By recognizing the unilateral independence of Kosovo, a taboo will be broken ... All those who are favoring independence in the world will be encouraged by the fact that the only thing that remains to be done is to convince the USA and Europe that their fight is a just cause.

The EU and the US can write in a million documents that Kosovo is a unique case, the facts on the ground worldwide will prove that mantra to be a farce.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's claim that "Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today" misses the point. It is doubtful that separatists from Xinjiang to Catalonia will accept the niceties of Rice's argument that Kosovo is exceptional due to its political and legal history. It is much more likely that these separatists will view the conflict for the precedent that it is: the carving off of a sovereign state's territory in favor of an ethnic and religious minority threatening violence -- a model to be replicated elsewhere.

Kosovo: Coming soon to a theater near you. 

Whatever trickery the West uses to override UN Security Council Resolution 1244 - which kept Kosovo in Serbia - the proclamation of the new state will have incalculable long-term consequences: on secessionist movements from Belgium to the Black Sea via Bosnia, on relations with China and Russia, and on the international system as a whole.