Putin: Force does not solve problems

Russian President Vladimir Putin says force will not solve any of the regional problems, including Kosovo, Iran and Sudan. "Russia is interested in strengthening collective and legal principles in international relations. I am convinced that there is not a single regional problem today that can be solved with the use of force, with the use of sword, be it in Kosovo, Iran, or Sudan," Putin said Wednesday. Putin: Force does not solve problems The Russian president was addressing foreign diplomats and officials in the Kremlin when he said that he will not allow other states to destabilize the country ahead of parliamentary elections. Several days ago Putin accused the U.S. of trying to interfere in Russian internal affairs, which Washington rejected. Also today, his chief of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, said that the situation regarding Kosovo is "very alarming". Lavrov made the remarks for the Russian media as he returned from a visit to the United States. "Only now many of those who supported calls for a speedy declaration of Kosovo's independence are beginning to understand what the consequences can be for the region,” he said, according to Itar-Tass. For this reason, in order to make sure that the issues of Kosovo, missile defense system and Conventional Forces in Europe (CEF) agreement "do not become a problem for the whole world", Russia proposes to its partners, including the United States, "to analyze the situation", Lavrov said. Tuesday, Vasily Likhachyov, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's international affairs committee, said Kosovo falls short of standards for becoming an independent state from the point of view of international law. Likhachyov said in a RIA Novosti video linkup between Moscow and Beijing dedicated to the Kosovo status issue that the province is now one of the most problem-ridden areas in Europe. He said Kosovo has an unemployment rate of 60 percent, and described it as a hotbed of international terrorism, gangster crime, arms trade, and trafficking of drugs and prostitutes to European Union states. Likhachyov said the complete separation of the territory from Serbia would benefit primarily the United States, which is ready to unilaterally recognize Kosovo's independence, even though this could have negative repercussions both in Europe and in the world as a whole. The senator warned that recognizing Kosovo as an independent state would have a knock-on affect in former Soviet republics, some parts of which also have strong separatist movements. The agency also quoted another statement by Lavrov, who said Tuesday that claims by Western countries that Kosovo's independence is inevitable were disrupting collective efforts to broker an agreement on the province's status.

Putin: Force does not solve problems

The Russian president was addressing foreign diplomats and officials in the Kremlin when he said that he will not allow other states to destabilize the country ahead of parliamentary elections.

Several days ago Putin accused the U.S. of trying to interfere in Russian internal affairs, which Washington rejected.

Also today, his chief of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, said that the situation regarding Kosovo is "very alarming".

Lavrov made the remarks for the Russian media as he returned from a visit to the United States.

"Only now many of those who supported calls for a speedy declaration of Kosovo's independence are beginning to understand what the consequences can be for the region,” he said, according to Itar-Tass.

For this reason, in order to make sure that the issues of Kosovo, missile defense system and Conventional Forces in Europe (CEF) agreement "do not become a problem for the whole world", Russia proposes to its partners, including the United States, "to analyze the situation", Lavrov said.

Tuesday, Vasily Likhachyov, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's international affairs committee, said Kosovo falls short of standards for becoming an independent state from the point of view of international law.

Likhachyov said in a RIA Novosti video linkup between Moscow and Beijing dedicated to the Kosovo status issue that the province is now one of the most problem-ridden areas in Europe.

He said Kosovo has an unemployment rate of 60 percent, and described it as a hotbed of international terrorism, gangster crime, arms trade, and trafficking of drugs and prostitutes to European Union states.

Likhachyov said the complete separation of the territory from Serbia would benefit primarily the United States, which is ready to unilaterally recognize Kosovo's independence, even though this could have negative repercussions both in Europe and in the world as a whole.

The senator warned that recognizing Kosovo as an independent state would have a knock-on affect in former Soviet republics, some parts of which also have strong separatist movements.

The agency also quoted another statement by Lavrov, who said Tuesday that claims by Western countries that Kosovo's independence is inevitable were disrupting collective efforts to broker an agreement on the province's status.