Azerbaijan, Baku, 3 March / corr. Trend I. Alizadeh/ The Azerbaijani parliament will discuss the withdrawal of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Kosovo on 4 March in connection with the province's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. The press service of the Azerbaijani parliament said on 3 March.
The statement by President Ilham Aliyev sent to the Azerbaijani parliament on the withdrawal of the peacekeepers from Kosovo was discussed in the Standing Commission on Security and Defense and was supported by the Commission. The statement stated that there is a new political situation in Serbia and the services of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Kosovo should be reconsidered.
The peacekeeping forces of Azerbaijan were established in 1997.
Since 1999 Kosovo, which is formally a part of Serbia, has been controlled by the UN. On 17 February the Parliament of Kosovo unanimously ratified the declaration on its independence. Some 30 countries, including the USA, UK, Germany, France, Turkey, recognized Kosovo's independence. However, Russia, Spain, China, Greece and Georgia support the position of Belgrade and do not recognize the independence of the region. Azerbaijan also refused to recognize Kosovo's independence.