Russia: Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo if joins NATO

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Konuzin warned Serbia that if Serbia joins NATO that means that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo independence.

He said that Russia’s relation to other countries depends on whether they are NATO members on not.

Ambassador Konuzin pointed out that if Serbia continues to insist on becoming a NATO member state it might come to worsening the strong ties it has with Moscow.

“NATO has a strong position on Kosovo status and if you want to join in an institution that has considers Kosovo as an independent country, that means that you share the same position”, Konuzin pointed out.

He added that it’s up to Serbia to decide whether they want to join NATO and of course no pressure from outside should be put on Serbia’s decision.

Ambassador Konuzin agrees with Serbia’s political leadership, which wants to put the question of joining NATO on referendum.

NATO bombarded Serbia in 1999. Each Serbian family has their own opinion on NATO. NATO believes that Kosovo’s situation is stable, while KFOR presence has been decreased.

“Only naïve people believe in NATO”, Ambassador Konuzin declared.