BELGRADE, April 26. /TASS/. Moscow will continue to actively support Belgrade on the Kosovo issue, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin wrote on Twitter on Friday, commenting on a meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia held on the sidelines of the Belt and Road forum in Beijing.
"Today’s meeting has confirmed that Russia will continue to actively support Belgrade’s rightful cause. The issue cannot be resolved without Serbia, let alone against Serbia," the tweet reads.
"Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has been at a standstill for six months due to provocative steps by Kosovo, including its decisions to rise customs tariffs to 100%, create an army in breach of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, as well as attempts to usurp Serbian property," the ambassador added.
Putin and Vucic discussed the Kosovo issue and bilateral relations at their Beijing meeting.
On March 7, Kosovo’s parliament passed a bill laying the foundation for talks with Belgrade to resolve the Kosovo conflict. The document says the Kosovo authorities reject any exchange of territories with Serbia, and that Belgrade must unconditionally recognize Kosovo’s independence. In addition, it proposes establishing a tribunal to deal with alleged Serbian crimes against Albanians.
Kosovo’s independence
Serbia’s autonomous province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in February 2008. In 2010, its independence was recognized by the International Court of Justice (CIJ). Kosovo claims to have been recognized by 117 countries so far, while Serbia says Kosovo enjoys the support of 105 nations. More than 60 countries, including Russia, China, India, Israel, Greece and Spain, oppose Kosovo’s independence.