PanARMENIAN.Net

Will Russia recognize Kosovo’s independence?
11.04.2009 19:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari is optimistic
Moscow will recognize Kosovo’s independence, now relations between the
US and Russia are thawing. The man who devised the blueprint for
Kosovo’s supervised independence told Voice of America that it may
take "some time in order for this to happen".

"I hope that the recognition will come," he added. "This is not a big
issue and shouldn’t be exaggerated."

He said the recognition issue was not mentioned in recent meetings
between USA and Russia because the countries do not want to waste time
talking about Kosovo, adding that "this is a good sign".

The Nobel Prize for Peace winner said he was disappointed some EU
countries have not recognized Kosovo yet but was optimistic they will
do it sooner or later.

Ahtisaari was appointed in 2005 as the United Nations special envoy
for talks on the final status of Kosovo, seven years after he played a
key role in bringing an end to hostilities.

After no results in the talks between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian
officials, he recommended "supervised independence" for Kosovo.

The Ahtisaari plan served as the basis for Kosovo’s declaration of
independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and the reforms it
prescribed were pursued in the following months by Kosovo’s
government, BalkanInsight reported.