7 nations ready to revoke recognition of Kosovo – Belgrade – RT World News
Belgrade managed to convince seven nations to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Saturday, addressing the nation. The president did not name the specific countries that had told Belgrade they would, but still hailed the development as an achievement of Serbian diplomacy, demonstrating that Serbia enjoys the support of the majority of the world.
« At the moment, in my drawer and in the drawer of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, there are seven documents confirming the de-recognition of Kosovo », Vucic said during his address. He then said that Pristina in particular was seeking recognition from Vietnam and Kenya, adding that Belgrade « also worked » with these nations. It was not clear, however, if the positions of these two nations on Kosovo had changed in any way.
Instead, Vucic said his country’s diplomats “did not sit idly by” against Kosovo « constant » attempts to rally the international community to its cause. “Now the number of countries that have withdrawn their recognition has increased from four to seven,” he added.
Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said in May that four nations had withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo, but did not name them either. These nations would be named if necessary, he said at the time.
Vucic made the remarks as Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on freedom of movement. Belgrade agreed to allow Kosovo ID card holders to travel freely to Serbia and Pristina said it would grant the same rights to Serbian ID card holders, including Kosovo Serbs living in the northern part of the separatist region. Vucic maintained that the measure was taken only « for practical reasons » and does not constitute a step towards the recognition of Pristina by Belgrade.
The EU-brokered deal follows weeks of tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. Some issues straining relations between Pristina and Belgrade, including license plates, remain unresolved.
Less than half of UN member states have recognized Kosovo since the breakaway region unilaterally declared independence from Belgrade in 2008. Not all EU members recognize Kosovo either: Greece, Romania , Slovakia and Spain have not done so so far.
On the G20, 11 nations recognize it and eight do not. Those who do not recognize the independence of the separatist region are Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Indonesia and Mexico.
Previously, Belgrade claimed to have succeeded in convincing 18 nations to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo. The list of nations that allegedly did so, according to Serbian authorities, mainly includes countries located in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia-Pacific region. Kosovo dismisses statements such as « Serbian Propaganda. »
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