Speeches and Interviews of the Permanent Representative

STATEMENT BY MR. ALEXANDER LUKASHEVICH,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION,

AT THE 1281st MEETING OF THE OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL

17 September 2020

On the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo

Mr. Chairperson,
We consider the agreements reached in Washington with the participation of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the representative of the authorities in Priština to have been made in the interests of a settlement. We have no reason to doubt that United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 remains the basis for the negotiation process. Russia firmly supports Serbia in the steps that the latter believes need to be taken within the framework of that resolution. We will support any agreements that have been reached voluntarily between the Serbian Government and the authorities in Priština, and as part of that we shall keep drawing attention to the need to implement what has already been agreed.
In 2013, an agreement was reached between the Serbian Government and the authorities in Priština, with the mediation of the European Union, on the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, which was to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Serbian population in that territory. Seven years have passed, yet nothing has been done in this regard. We hope that the European Union will not forget about the agreements reached with its mediation, which are being completely ignored by the authorities in Priština.
Thank you for your attention.