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Russia, Serbia hold common stance on Kosovo-Metohija

Belgrade/Moscow, 22 November 2007

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that Russia and Serbia hold a joint stance regarding the solution to Kosovo-Metohija’s status which must be based on international law and result from an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.

Vuk Jeremic and Sergey Lavrov

Author: Tanjug

At a joint press conference following their meeting in Moscow, Jeremic and Lavrov said that the solution to the Kosovo issue can be legitimate only if it is brought within the UN Security Council.

Jeremic stressed that Serbia is ready to make one more step towards the Albanian side at the upcoming talks in Vienna, though this step will by no means question Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said that Serbia is ready to consider a range of solutions within the substantial autonomy and added that he is very pleased to say that Serbia has full support of Russia in its stance on Kosovo-Metohija.

According to Jeremic, this is the moment when everyone must be responsible concerning the talks, that is, Belgrade and Pristina as direct participants and the international community as a whole.

Jeremic reiterated that only a compromise solution may help to strengthen peace and stability in the Balkans and that any other course of events will have severe consequences on this region, as well as other regions in the world.

Lavrov warned that no artificial time limitations can be imposed on the talks and that UN Resolution 1244 must be respected along with the principles of the Contact Group.

He said that by December 10, the Contact Group’s mediating troika must submit a report to the UN Secretary General, but this does not mean that the entire process will thus end, only that the period given to the troika to try and find a solution through talks will conclude.

The Kosovo-Metohija issue will certainly remain within the UN jurisdiction and under control of the Security Council, stressed Lavrov and added that only the Security Council can approve of a solution to the future status of the Serbian southern province.

Jeremic began a two-day visit to Russia today with a meeting with Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary to the Central Federal District Georgy Poltavchenko.