"Crimea is Russia; Kosovo is Serbia" - Russian ambassador

"Crimea is Russia; Kosovo is Serbia" - Russian ambassador

"Our position remains unchanged - we will support that decision which Serbia and the Serb people will consider acceptable to themselves. We are proceeding from the Resolution (1244) of the (UN) Security Council forming the legal basis for an agreement," the Russian ambassador to Serbia stated.

He pointed out that parallels are being made unjustifiably between Kosovo and Crimea, because these are "two completely different stories" - since Crimea separated (from Ukraine) "in accordance with the UN Declaration of 1970."

"The Crime issue is definitely closed, Crimea is Russia, and Kosovo is Serbia. It's not just a slogan, it's the legal reality that must be respected," Chepurin said.

Speaking about the good relations between Russia and Serbia, he said they date back to the emergence of the Russian state in the 10th century, and added that they are now based on relations of trust between the leaderships of the states, on economic ties, and the centuries-old cultural and spiritual unity.