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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Russia supports Serbia-Montenegro's position concerning Kosovo problem

Belgrade, 7 November 2005

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica talked today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Russian Republic Sergei Lavrov and thanked Russia for strong and consistent support to the position that there can be no further fragmentation and disintegration of the state union of Serbia-Montenegro.

The Prime Minister voiced satisfaction with today's very important and successful talks with Russia’s foreign minister, to whom he laid out Serbia-Montenegro's three key principles in the solution of the problem of Kosovo-Metohija.

Kostunica said that fundamental international principles must be respected, first and foremost the principle of preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. He said that Kosovo-Metohija’s solution should be sought in a form of autonomy within Serbia and the state union of Serbia-Montenegro, similar to ways in which issues of these sorts have been resolved in all democratic states.

The Prime Minister stressed that the formula "more than autonomy, less than independence" means that we are ready to secure a very high level, that is, substantial autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija. Kostunica reiterated that there should not be imposed solutions because then that would not be a solution at all. He added that only through compromise and agreement will a lasting solution for Kosovo-Metohija be found, which is able to secure peace and stability in the region.

Sergei Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voiced strong support to the principles Serbia-Montenegro set forth for finding a solution in Kosovo and highlighted that Russia supports the proposal that Kosovo be resolved in the UN Security Council. He added that Russia contributed to fixing a just basis for the solution of that problem in the Security Council, based on international law.

Lavrov also completely supported the position that there can be no imposed solutions for Kosovo-Metohija. He added that parallel to the talks on the future status, work should also be done on fulfilling standards in Kosovo-Metohija, warning that Russia’s position on the issue is that in case standards are not fulfilled, talks will halt.

During the talks, Kostunica expressed gratitude for the help Russia has provided in the reconstruction of houses destroyed in Kosovo-Metohija during the period of aggression against Serbs, which happened March 17 to 18, 2004.

Economic cooperation between the two countries was also discussed and it was mutually concluded that relations are good but there is still possibility of improving them, thus resulting in the proposal that a business-economic council of Serbia-Montenegro and the Russian Federation be founded.

Particular satisfaction was expressed with the fact that Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica will visit Moscow at the end of the month, coinciding with a promotion of Serbian economy being held in Russia’s capital.

The importance of establishing military-technical cooperation between the two countries was also stressed in the meeting, an issue which will be discussed by the ministers of defence of Serbia-Montenegro and the Russian Federation.