EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO BRING KOSOVO AND METOHIJA BACK UNDER BELGRADE’S CONTROL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

BELGRADE, AUGUST 25 /SRNA/ - It is necessary to work towards the swift and complete return of Kosovo and Metohija under Belgrade’s control to avoid a catastrophic scenario, Acting Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE Aleksandar Volgaryov said.

Speaking at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Volgaryov said that this would constitute historical justice and would also strengthen stability in the Balkans. “It is obvious that Priština’s Western patrons have given Albin Kurti carte blanche to take all steps aimed at driving the Serbian population out of the province. At the same time, they are not concerned at all about the inevitable consequences of his destructive policies,” Volgaryov said. He warned that the international missions deployed in the Serbian province under the auspices of NATO, the EU and the UN are in no way intervening in what is happening, but are essentially turning a blind eye to the lawlessness being carried out under the leadership of Albin Kurti. “The search for a solution will at the same time have to be pursued in strict accordance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Any attempt at arbitrary interpretation is unacceptable,” Volgaryov said. The Russian diplomat called on Switzerland’s OSCE chairmanship and the relevant structures of the organization to pay the utmost attention to the dire situation facing the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “Instead of fruitlessly pushing the Ukrainian issue without consensus, we believe it is necessary to draw attention to the worsening situation in Kosovo and Metohija, where the local Serbian population, as a result of the efforts of the so-called ‘authorities’ there, is finding itself in an increasingly desperate situation,” Volgaryov said.