Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s Foreign Minister, said on Thursday that out of 193 UN member states 95 never did or had withdrawn its recognition of Kosovo’s independence, while 93 had diplomatic ties with Pristina, and five, as Dacic put it, were “fluid,” the Beta news agency reported.
He said that before Belgrade launched a worldwide campaign for the withdrawal or suspension of decisions to recognise the independence of Serbia’s former province which went on its own in 2008, 131 countries had recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state.
Addressing a joint news conference with his Palestine counterpart Riyad al-Malik, Dacic said that since it would take 97 countries at the UN General Assembly for Kosovo to become a member state it wasn’t possible now.
He added that Russia would veto such request at the UN Security Council, but that “Serbia must insure itself even if that doesn’t happen.”
Dacic named the five countries which, as he said, were “fluid” regarding Kosovo’s independence as Egypt, Peru, Oman, Guinea Bissau and the Dominican Republic. “They recognised Kosovo, some said they withdrew the decision, some were not clear on it. However, they don’t vote in its favour in international institutions. Nevertheless, I can’t count them among those who haven’t recognised Pristina.”
Dacic has said on several occasions that Belgrade would continue with the campaign to reduce the number of countries that recognised Kosovo as an independent state, despite warnings from the West to stop doing that.
On Thursday he said that “Serbia’s activity” regarding Kosovo “is not against anyone, but aims at preserving national interests.”
Source: rs.n1info.com
