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Kosovo president declares two Russian diplomats personae non grata

The president of the unrecognized state of Kosovo accused Russia of exerting "malign influence in order to wreck Pristina’s, as well as the US’, NATO’s, and European Union’s achievements"

BELGRADE, October 22. /TASS/. Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu has declared two Russian diplomats personae non grata.

According to Osmani, she issued a request to the vice prime minister to declare personae non grata "two officials of Russia’s Liaison Department in Kosovo because of their harmful activities that adversely impacted national security and constitutional order" in Kosovo. "Today, the foreign ministry passed a decision to declare these two Russian officials personae non grata," she wrote on her Facebook account on Friday.

The president of the unrecognized state of Kosovo accused Russia of exerting "malign influence in order to wreck [Pristina’s], as well as the US’, NATO’s, and European Union’s achievements." "That is why we will continue to closely cooperate with our American and European allies to thwart any attempts to make Kosovo and our region a victim to Russia’s destabilizing ambitions," she wrote.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija escalated dramatically twice during the autumn due to the aggressive actions of the Pristina authorities, who use riot police units. As a result of the latest outburst of tensions, several dozen Serbs were hurt, one receiving a serious gun wound.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on October 15 that the situation in Kosovo’s northern areas had deteriorated dramatically in the past month and was a cause for serious concern.

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