Albanian Prime Minister's Remarks On Kosovo Complicate Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue - Moscow

Recent statements by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about the unification of Kosovo and Albania are unacceptable and complicate the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) Recent statements by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about the unification of Kosovo and Albania are unacceptable and complicate the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

According to Zakharova, in one of his recent interviews, Rama said that "for him, Kosovo is a part of Albania," while "the unification of Albania and Kosovo is not plan B, but plan A."

"We consider such rhetoric completely unacceptable. In essence, it is about the infringement of the territorial integrity of Serbia and the status of the autonomous region of Kosovo in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 .

.. I would also like to say that such statements undermine stability and the climate of trust in the Balkan region, and complicate the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina," Zakharova said at a daily press briefing.

The spokeswoman added that Moscow expected the West, including NATO and the European Union, to react to this kind of statements.

Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. The self-proclaimed republic is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Spain, Greece and a number of other countries have not recognized Kosovo's independence.