Cyprus : We would never recognize an independent Kosovo
Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said in Belgrade on Tuesday that her country, as a member of the EU, would never recognize Kosovo's independence if it opted for a unilateral proclamation of independence.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Kozakou-Marcoullis said that Cyprus fully supported the Serbian position in the status talks, and announced that her country would absolutely back Serbia's EU membership.
"When it comes to Kosovo, our position is crystal clear and well known to the EU. We support Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty and the implementation of U.N. principles and international law. That is our principled stand, not only regarding Kosovo," Kozakou-Marcoullis stressed.
She went on to say that Cyprus also supported the efforts made by the Contact Group's mediating Troika and EU envoy Wolfgang Ischinger, adding that she hoped a mutually acceptable solution would be reached in the negotiations.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic reiterated Belgrade's position that a solution for Kosovo should be sought through the two negotiating sides' compromise, underscoring that Serbia found any solution that would jeopardize the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty unacceptable.
"Serbia advocates the implementation of international law, the resolution of frozen and all other conflicts under the U.N., with the implementation of U.N. resolutions, be it in the Balkans or in Cyprus," the Serbian foreign minister said, and added that Belgrade and Nicosia fully agreed on this.
