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Pristina’s actions against Russian diplomats not to affect their legal status - diplomat

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the expelled diplomats have no relation to any bodies of the self-proclaimed state, as they are accredited to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. The expulsion of two Russian diplomats from the unrecognized republic of Kosovo will not entail consequences for their legal status, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Saturday.

"We proceed from the fact that this step of Pristina’s administration will not entail any consequences for the legal status of the mentioned Russian diplomats," she said.

According to Zakharova, the expelled diplomats have no relation to any bodies of the self-proclaimed state, as they are accredited to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Additionally, Russia urges the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the NATO-led international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (known as the Kosovo Force, or KFOR) to provide secure conditions for the staff of the Russian Representative Office in Pristina. Zakharova added that Russia expects corresponding written guarantees from the UN.

"We expect that the defiant behavior of Kosovan figures will receive a sound critical assessment from the settlement partners," she noted.

On Friday, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadri declared personae non grata two Russian diplomats from the liaison office in Pristina of the Russian embassy to Serbia. According to Osmani, the activities of these diplomats allegedly "adversely impacted national security and the constitutional order" in the self-proclaimed entity.

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