Serbia Expects Russia To Uphold Position On Kosovo Even If Belgrade Joins Sanctions

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published April 10, 2023 | 08:52 PM

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday that Russian is unlikely to change its non-recognition of Kosovo even if Serbia decides to join Western sanctions against it

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2023) Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday that Russian is unlikely to change its non-recognition of Kosovo even if Serbia decides to join Western sanctions against it.

"I do not think that Russia will change its stance on Kosovo if Serbia imposes sanctions, but the relations will not be the same as now," he told Serbian broadcaster tv Prva, adding that Belgrade does not support Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine but does not impose sanctions against Russia "for principled reasons."

According to Dacic's data, only 84 out of 193 UN member states currently recognize Kosovo. The Serbian official expressed his hope that Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, will exercise their veto power in the event of a vote on Kosovo's accession to the UN.

Dacic also cited the experience of "many European countries that are more developed than Serbia" and have only expanded their cooperation with Russia after sanctioning it.

On Saturday, Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta urged the government to make up its mind on sanctions against Russia, saying that Belgrade is already paying "a high price" for not supporting the Western restrictive measures against Moscow. The Movement of Socialists, a part of the governing coalition in Serbia, demanded Basta's dismissal over his statement.

In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia. In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-mediated agreement to normalize relations, but the dialogue soon came to a standstill. Tensions have been simmering on the border since mid-2022, escalating several times into road blockages in northern Kosovo and belligerent rhetoric on both sides.