RT.com
01 Aug 2022, 23:43 GMT+10
PM Pedro Sanchez said the breakaway region's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia violated international law
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was illegal and can't be recognized by Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday during a visit to Albania's capital, Tirana.
As Sanchez met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama amid his tour of the Balkans, he stated that the "unilateral declaration of independence, in the view of the Spanish government and with respect to the Albanian government, was a violation of international law" and therefore "unacceptable" to Madrid.
The Spanish PM also told Rama that Madrid fully supports Albania's bid for European Union membership, citing the applicant's "commitment and the reforms it has made."
His comments come after tensions flared up over the weekend on the border between Serbia and its breakaway province, officially called the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija in the Serbian constitution, which received recognition by several Western powers in 2008.
The government in Kosovo planned to ban the use of Serbian-issued license plates and ID papers starting from August 1, and was to use its police force to enforce the measure. Belgrade officials called it an attack on Kosovo's Serbian population as President Aleksandar Vucic accused Pristina of violating the rights of local Serbs.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in turn has accused local Serbs of opening fire on police, and claimed his government is facing "Serbian national-chauvinism" and "misinformation" from Belgrade.
On Sunday, Serbs in the north of the breakaway province set up roadblocks and rang alarm bells as heavily armed Kosovo special police took control of two administrative crossings with Serbia.
The situation received a temporary resolution after Washington called on Kosovo officials to postpone the implementation of the controversial law until September 1. Pristina agreed, on condition that Serbia remove barricades from the de facto border. Vucic has said that he hopes for tensions to ease and promised that Belgrade would do everything within its power to preserve the peace through compromise.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Europe Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.
More InformationAUSTIN/SANTA FE: Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico increased to 317 on March 18, up from 294 four days earlier, as the U.S. faces...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is considering strict new travel restrictions for citizens of dozens of countries, according...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration announced this week that Maine's education officials violated federal law by allowing transgender...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Severe storms and tornadoes continued to threaten parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and several Mid-Atlantic...
As Israeli tanks rolled into Gaza on Wednesday heralding a new ground invasion, a UN building was destroyed in a bombing, killing one...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Johns Hopkins University announced this week that it will cut over 2,000 jobs in the U.S. and other countries. This...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is seeking a delay in the legal battle between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel over their blocked...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were on the defensive Thursday as investors and traders weighed the Fed's policy decision of a day...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The expansion of U.S. natural gas infrastructure in 2024 significantly boosted the country's ability to transport...
BERLIN, Germany: Audi has announced plans to cut up to 7,500 jobs in Germany by 2029 as part of a broader restructuring aimed at reducing...
SEATTLE/WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rose Wednesday despite the U.S. Federal Reserve signalling a potential slowdown in the U.S. economy,...