Russia: Same standards for frozen conflicts

Russia: Same standards for frozen conflicts

“The international community needs to formulate and document in a legally binding form that is accepted in international law of the following two principles, which should be applied to such conflicts—respect for a country's territorial integrity or peoples' right to self-determination,” he said.

Denisov went on to explain that the international law envisioned both of these principles, stressing, however, that "they have displayed certain contradictions in a number of cases in recent years amid globalization processes."

"It has not had the most favorable influence on the settlement of conflicts in today's world, including Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

"Regrettably, a number of countries are now trying to impose double standards in resolving conflicts in various parts of the planet on us.”

“They propose using the principle of self-determination in some cases, for instance the Kosovo issue, and, for some unknown reason, the principle of territorial integrity primarily on former Soviet soil," he argued.

"We cannot accept this ambiguity in approaches to such sensitive issues, which, it would not be an exaggeration to say, are vital to the fate of entire nations. We stand by our position," Denisov stressed.

Denisov expounded the Russian stance, according to which “the most fair, mutually acceptable and bloodless solutions must be found to conflicts plaguing the world through exclusively peaceful methods and negotiations.“

“They must be documented in a legally binding form that is accepted in international law and must be obeyed by all of the parties involved. They should also outline appropriate military, political, economic and other guarantees that can by provided by mediators, should it prove necessary," he explained.

With respect to this position, Denisov said, "The situation in Kosovo is no exception."

Commenting on Russia’s relations with NATO, he said that Georgian and Ukrainian accession to NATO could complicate Russia's relations with the two countries and the alliance as a whole.

“Russia's negative attitude to NATO enlargement is well known, and the authorities in Moscow do not see any sensible arguments in favor this enlargement from the point of view the security interests of the countries in question," Denisov said.

"It is completely obvious that, to put it mildly, it will not help form an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding in Europe," he said.