Alekseyev: Russia will lobby for Kosovo talks
Russian MFA European Department head Aleksandr Alekseyev says his country will lobby for talks between Belgrade and Pristina on Kosovo's status.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, June 03, 2010
In a statement published by Belgrade daily Politika, Alekseyev, who previously served as Russia's ambassador in Belgrade, said that Moscow is "absolutely in favor of negotiations on the status of Kosovo".
This means that we may discuss the issue with our colleagues, who are in charge of South East Europe abroad, said the former ambassador.
When asked whether he refers to the colleagues within the EU, Alekseyev said: "Not only them, because Kosovo is not only a European issue."
"Kosovo is an international issue. The United Nations Security Council is the number one organization in charge of resolving the Kosovo issue."
When asked whether he is lobbying on the status in coordination with the Serbian side, he replied: "Certainly, our relations with Serbia are great and we have to work together on all issues that Belgrade and Moscow share the same interest in. I am confident that the Kosovo issue is the number one."
"The unilateral declaration of independence jeopardizes the minority rights. The rights of the Serbs in Kosovo are an enormous problem," said Alekseyev.
"Technical talks are definitely not enough, because the issue of Kosovo is not a technical but political issue," underscored Alekseyev.
