Russian Foreign Ministry slams U.S. idea to set up armed forces in self-proclaimed 'Republic of Kosovo'
WASHINGTON. April 3 (Interfax) - The Washington-backed initiative to set up armed forces in Kosovo is irresponsible from the viewpoint of regional and European security, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Such a move would be extremely irresponsible from the viewpoint of security in the region and on the European continent as a whole," the ministry said on its website on Monday in commenting on remarks by the U.S. ambassador in Pristina regarding Washington's support for the initiative on creating armed forces in the self-proclaimed 'Republic of Kosovo', provided that this happens by passing amendments to Kosovo's 'constitution'.
"Of key significance is that this move [the creation of the "armed forces" of Kosovo] is per se a violation of international law since it runs counter to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which only provides for military presence in the territory on the basis of the Security Council mandate, namely, the Kosovo Force [KFOR] which currently predominantly consists of NATO members' troops," the commentary says.