Putin: Support for independece is immoral

Supporting a unilateral Kosovo independence declaration is illegal and immoral, says Russian President Vladimir Putin. “A country’s territorial integrity is based on the founding principles of international law. All UN members should respect UN SC Resolution 1244 which speaks of Serbia’s territorial integrity,” said Putin at a press conference in Moscow. Putin: Support for independece is immoral “The independent republic of Northern Cyprus has existed for over 40 years. Why don’t you recognize it? Aren’t you Europeans ashamed to address the same situations in different parts of the world with such double standards?” wondered the Russian president, when asked how Russia would act in the Security Council when it came to Kosovo. He reiterated that Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria existed as independent states. “The whole time, we’re being told that Kosovo is a special case. That’s all a lie, there are no special cases, and everyone knows that. It’s all the same, ethnic conflicts, crimes on both sides, de facto complete independence,” said Putin. The Russian president said that a united approach had to be developed, which Russia advocated, to deter separatism. He cited the case of Spain, where people did not want to live in the same country and wondered why “the people there” did not receive support, as well as Northern Ireland’s relations with the UK. “If we’re going to behave like this, serving the interests of individual states, international law will flounder,” Putin stressed. “Of course we’ll ask that question in the Security Council,” concluded the Russian president. Vladimir Putin (FoNet, archive) Russian expert says Kosovo will be "criminal state" The former head of the Russian bureau of Interpol Vladimir Ovchinski warned Thursday that recognizing Kosovo's independence might lead to the creation of a criminal state no one can control, in which "extremism would become an almost official ideology." "The consequences will be extremely negative," he told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. "Kosovo Albanians have a pact with the Taleban and Al Qaida. Even today there is a massive influx of Middle Eastern and Central Asian militants into the territory," said Ovchinski who headed the Interpol bureau in 1997. "The ties between Kosovo Albanians and extremists were established long ago, he said," adding that former Serbian and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic "presented during his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia documents he had received earlier from the FBI which prove the existence of Al Qaida cells in Kosovo." Drugs are being smuggled from Afghanistan through the Balkans to Europe for decades, and Kosovo Albanians are one of the key links in that chain," Ovchinski noted.

Putin: Support for independece is immoral

“The independent republic of Northern Cyprus has existed for over 40 years. Why don’t you recognize it? Aren’t you Europeans ashamed to address the same situations in different parts of the world with such double standards?” wondered the Russian president, when asked how Russia would act in the Security Council when it came to Kosovo.

He reiterated that Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria existed as independent states.

“The whole time, we’re being told that Kosovo is a special case. That’s all a lie, there are no special cases, and everyone knows that. It’s all the same, ethnic conflicts, crimes on both sides, de facto complete independence,” said Putin.

The Russian president said that a united approach had to be developed, which Russia advocated, to deter separatism.

He cited the case of Spain, where people did not want to live in the same country and wondered why “the people there” did not receive support, as well as Northern Ireland’s relations with the UK.

“If we’re going to behave like this, serving the interests of individual states, international law will flounder,” Putin stressed.

“Of course we’ll ask that question in the Security Council,” concluded the Russian president.

Russian expert says Kosovo will be "criminal state"

The former head of the Russian bureau of Interpol Vladimir Ovchinski warned Thursday that recognizing Kosovo's independence might lead to the creation of a criminal state no one can control, in which "extremism would become an almost official ideology."

"The consequences will be extremely negative," he told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

"Kosovo Albanians have a pact with the Taleban and Al Qaida. Even today there is a massive influx of Middle Eastern and Central Asian militants into the territory," said Ovchinski who headed the Interpol bureau in 1997.

"The ties between Kosovo Albanians and extremists were established long ago, he said," adding that former Serbian and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević "presented during his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia documents he had received earlier from the FBI which prove the existence of Al Qaida cells in Kosovo."

Drugs are being smuggled from Afghanistan through the Balkans to Europe for decades, and Kosovo Albanians are one of the key links in that chain," Ovchinski noted.