RPT - Moscow Says EU's Granting Of Visa-Free Travel To Kosovo Jeopardizes European Security

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2023) The cancellation of EU visa regime for Kosovo threatens European security, as Serbia's former province is still a "territory of lawlessness" with high rate of crime, Director of the Fourth European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Yuri Pilipson told Sputnik.

"Is it detrimental to security on the continent? Undoubtedly. Kosovo is still a territory of lawlessness where organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and radicalization flourish. The persecution of Serbs and Orthodox sanctuaries continues. It is regrettable against the backdrop of the task of strengthening the international legitimization of this quasi-state, the real risks are receding into the background of the EU," Pilipson said.

He also said that as of now there is no point in seeking logic in the EU's actions, as "the self-proclaimed 'Republic of Kosovo' emerged out of NATO's barbaric aggression against Yugoslavia, and no matter how aggressive Albanian nationalism rampages, Brussels and Washington would never admit the flaws of the Kosovo project.

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"This is an ideological blindness, not a sober approach," the diplomat said.

In April, the EU finalized a travel liberalization arrangement Kosovo effective January 1, 2024, entailing 90 days of visa-free stay in any 180-day period. Spain has refused to recognize Kosovo's travel documents.

In 1998, an armed conflict broke out between Kosovar Albanian independence supporters and what was then Yugoslavia, as the predominantly ethnic-Albanian province of Kosovo and Metohija sought to secede from the union. The following year, NATO intervened in the conflict without a UN mandate and started bombing Yugoslavia. In 2008, Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia, but its sovereignty remain unrecognized by Belgrade and dozens of UN member states, including Russia.