Zakharova on withdrawal of KFOR from Kosovo: "That decision can't be made by only one state"

Zakharova says that it can only be a collective decision

It is not just one state that decides about the withdrawal of KFOR from Kosovo, that is a collective decision, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, commenting on the possibility of KFOR leaving Kosovo, which Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about earlier in the day.

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"There are certain structures that provide mandates and send missions to regions. That doesn't happen spontaneously, the parties coordinate it. Within these structures, mechanisms are discussed, decisions are made, it is not a decision to be made by one state, but collectively, in accordance with international law. These issues should be discussed within that framework," Zakharova told a press conference, reports Sputnik.

She also referred to the recent visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlic Radman to Priština, and his statement that Croatia intends to open a military base in Kosovo and Metohija.

"We are not aware of the Croatian side's plans to open a military base. As for the foreign military presence in the province, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, that function is performed only by KFOR," said Zakharova.

Speaking about the frequent attacks on Serb churches in Kosovo and Metohija, she pointed out that international missions there are "under obligation to take measures to ensure security of religious buildings and believers. Russia is also persistently calling for that."

She condemned in the strongest terms the violence of radical Albanians which has been going on for years, and whose targets are Serbs and Orthodox shrines.

"This best shows the unsustainability of Kosovo's quasi-statehood and proves that this region has been turned into a criminal black hole on the map of Europe," concluded the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)