Dragana Trifkovic for SPUTNIK International
MOSCOW, October 31 (Sputnik) - Russia could take on the role of mediator in talks between Serbia and Kosovo, the deputy chairman of the Russian lower house's committee on international affairs, Alexey Chepa, told Sputnik on Thursday.
"If bilateral talks fail [to settle the problem], we need to engage a third party who will manage to skirt contentious issues. Russia could become a potential third party to the negotiations [between Serbia and Kosovo]," the lawmaker stressed.
Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, after years of conflict with Belgrade. The self-proclaimed republic is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Spain, Greece and a number of other countries, have not recognized Kosovar independence.
Belgrade has agreed to an EU-mediated dialogue with Kosovo since Serbia is trying to move ahead with the EU accession process. However, the talks, launched in Brussels in 2013, have since stalled.
Dragana Trifkovic, director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies:
"The EU-led talks on resolving the Kosovo problem have produced no positive results, and in particular no results that could contribute to a lasting peace between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija.
The Brussels negotiations format has been lasting for eight years, and it has exceeded its capabilities the moment it was raised to a higher level than the one of technical negotiations.
This is particularly problematic for Serbia because these negotiations are unconstitutional and Western powers are trying to impose a solution in violation of international law.
The only regular international legal basis for resolving the Kosovo issue is the UNSCR 1244.
Most citizens of Serbia as well as the Serbian Orthodox Church, are opposed to rushed solutions, especially those that would be unconstitutional and contrary to international law.
For this reason, it is necessary to find a new format for discussing the Kosovo problem at the UN, where Russia would also act as a mediator. Russian representatives at the UN are making great efforts to understand at and present the real situation in Kosovo and Metohia throughout the whole world.
Issues such as the return of over 200,000 displaced Serbs and the problem of the abducted property of Serbs and other non-Albanian populations need to be resolved in the Kosovo-Metohija negotiations.
Also at the international level, the issue of the illegal creation of a Kosovo army, which poses a security risk for the entire Balkan region, must be resolved.
The US want to overtake the initiative from the EU to resolve the Kosovo issue. In recent months, there have been frequent visits and initiatives by Matthew Palmer, the US Secretary of State's Special Representative for the Balkans. Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trump has appointed his personal envoy to Belgrade-Pristina talks, Richard Grenell. The US want the Kosovo issue resolved as soon as possible, before the regular elections in Serbia next spring.
After a successful role in the Middle East in crisis management and assistance to African countries, Russia should engage more in the Balkans.
I think this is the right moment. The US cannot have the right to be the only power imposing its own solutions. Especially when we consider the American role in the 1999 bombing of Serbia, which created the conditions for the realization of the separatist plans of the Albanians.
Russia can play the role of a stabilizing factor for the Balkans, as this is an opportunity to apply its political and diplomatic skills".
10. November 2019.