The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the joint meeting of the governments of Albania and Kosovo on October 2.
In a press statement issued on Monday, they highlighted that the idea of “eliminating borders” between Kosovo and Albania is “alarming”, it is a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and a violation of Serbia’s territorial integrity, of which Kosovo is part.
The Albanian and Kosovo governments held a joint meeting on October 2, with the motto “Together without borders, in a region without borders”. Several such meetings have been held in the courts of the last four years.
The motto comes amidst attempts by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to include Kosovo in the Mini-Schengen initiative launched by Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia. The initiative aims at eliminating trade barriers in the Balkans, and free the flow of goods, people and services.
In relation to the alleged plan for the two countries to unite, Russia stated that the announcement of such intentions damages the settlement of the Kosovo dispute, nullifies the efforts aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution.
They added that agreements signed between Albania of Kosovo during the meeting aimed at uniting various areas.
“There is an unambiguous impression that, despite the dubious and risky nature of their “rapprochement”, the authorities in Tirana and Pristina continue to promote Greater Albania, no matter how they conceal their plan. Such actions pose a real threat to peace and stability in the Balkan region. We count on a clear reaction to this activity from the international community – first of all, the European Union, which has been entrusted by the UN General Assembly with the mission of mediator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue,” the statement concluded.
Albania and Kosovo agreed to cooperate on several areas during the latest joint governments meeting.
