Russia wants common approach over Kosovo, Abkhazia and Ossetia

Moscow /30/08/ 14:32

Russia insists that a common approach be taken to resolving the problem of Kosovo and other regional, "frozen" conflicts, Russian deputy foreign minister Vladimir Titov said Wednesday.

"It is extremely important to avoid a situation when one approach is taken to the Kosovo problem and another one to similar conflicts in other regions," Titov said.

Russia has repeatedly said that sovereignty Kosovo could have negative consequences for conflicts in the former Soviet Union that erupted in the early 1990s.

Russia has peacekeepers stationed in the zones of three conflicts in the former Soviet Union. Two of them are in Georgia, where the self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia refuse to recognize Tbilisi's rule, and the other is in Moldova, where the unrecognized Transdnestr has sought to break away from the central authorities.

"For us it is obvious that the Kosovo factor has influenced processes in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdnestr, and other regions in Europe and the world," Titov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in July against any double standards with regard to the unrecognized republics in Georgia and Moldova and said there had always been contradictions in the principles of international law.