Putin: Russia remains Serbia's ally
Serbian President Boris Tadic told a joint news conference with Russian PM Vladimir Putin that their meeting in Belgrade was "very successful"
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, March 24, 2011
Serbia and Russia have the highest possible degree of agreement on international policy issues, while Russia's contribution at the UN to the preservation of Serbia's sovereignty and integrity in Kosovo is of exceptional importance, Tadic noted.
"Essential contribution to all those processes was made by Putin," the Serbian president praised his guest.
Russia has been and will remain Serbia's ally when it comes to Kosovo, said Putin, adding that it was "not necessary to elaborate on the reasons for this, as they are deeply rooted in the two countries' long history of relations and their closeness".
According to Putin, Russia's stand on the Kosovo issue is based on the principles defined in UNSC Resolution 1244, which Moscow will continue to respect because it was not annulled.
"It is solely up to the people of Serbia to decide on how to conduct their policies, any kind of negotiations are better than conflicts and if required to do so, Russia would back the process," Putin said when asked to comment on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.
Boris Tadic also spoke to touch on the Kosovo issue, stating that they discussed Russian support for Serbia's initiative before the UN Security Council to have an independent investigator look into the claims made in Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty's report on human organ trafficking in Kosovo and Albania.
The Marty report alleges that members of the ethnic Albanian KLA kidnapped and killed Serb civilians in Kosovo in 1999 and 2000 for their body parts.
"It is needed in order to identify all the culprits, so they could be tried, which would allow for reconciliation in the region," Tadic explained.
Serbia wants a full investigation into the allegations made in the report, as well as into all other war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, Tadic stressed.
Asked to comment on a recent decision of an assembly of Serb municipalities in Kosovo to declare him an honorary citizen of the province, Putin responded by saying that "anything that benefits Serbia is also in Russia's interest".
Putin said he understood the political background of the question, then noting that anything that benefits Serbia was in Russia's interest.
