Slovakia: We were right for not recognizing Kosovo
Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis said Bratislava was right for not recognizing Kosovo’s unilateral secession
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, December 29, 2008
He told the Slovak news agency TASR that Bratislava found itself in a minority within the EU, and that some "EU members showed interest in changing" Slovakia's stance on Kosovo.
"We believe that we are right. And we managed to defend it. We have even found solutions inside the EU and UN that took into account our specific position," Kubis said.
The minister, who is in January taking over a high office with the UN in Geneva, stated that Bratislava's refusal to recognize the secession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia proved that its policy was driven by principles.
"We believe that the principle of territorial integrity of states is of key importance for stability of regions, and for this reason we had no problem expressing our criticism of the Russian Federation as well. We are entitled to this. We are not moving away from our principled positions," Kubis concluded.
