Kosovo Won't Recognise Georgia Regions

Pristina _ Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu says Kosovo cannot serve as an example for Russia to recognise Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"We have always stressed that Kosovo has special characteristics," he said.

"That it is sui generis and it cannot be used as a precedent for other conflict zones, areas or regions,” he said.

He did not explicitly comment on Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - a move which has been condemned by western powers as a violation of Georgia's territorial integrity - but said that Kosovo was “on the side of the great world powers” on that issue.

Kosovo, which was administered by the United Nations after the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority - unilaterally proclaimed independence from Belgrade in February, and has been recognised by the United States and most European Union countries.

Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Moscow's move to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states had no parallel with Kosovo, backtracking on his earlier statements that international support for the Balkan province would trigger a chain reaction of secessionist regions declaring independence.

"Belgrade had never tried to use military force or cast doubt on peace talks from 1999, but they were thwarted by Kosovo Albanians supported by the West. However it was Tbilisi that undermined settlement mechanisms in South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Sergei Lavrov argued.

Russia's move came after fighting between Russia and Georgia began on 7 August after the Georgian military tried to retake South Ossetia by force.

Russian forces subsequently launched a counter-attack and the conflict ended with the ejection of Georgian troops from both South Ossetia and Abkhazia - which already had de facto independence - and a European Union-brokered ceasefire.

Serbia said it would respect international laws and the territorial integrity of states when it came to commenting on Russia's move. However the decision by Russia, a key ally of Serbia in the Kosovo dispute, to recognise the breakaway regions leaves Belgrade in an awkward position. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/12654/

Meanwhile Kosovo's President rejected that Russia's move would have negative consequences for Pristina's bid to secure further recognitions of its independence from world countries. The United States and most European Union countries are among less than 50 countries to have recognised Kosovo's independence from Serbia so far.

“I believe that this tempo of recognitions will go on,” Sejdiu predicted.