Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Gasimova / High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, Dr. Javier Solana, believes that granting Kosovo independence cannot be a precedent for separatist regimes in different countries, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"The Kosovo issue is a special case that cannot be compared to any other region," Solana said in an interview for Trend. According to him, there is the historical context of Yugoslavia's violent and non-consensual break-up, as well as the massive violence and repression that took place in Kosovo in the period up to and including 1999. There is also the unique situation of the extended period of international administration under the UN resolution 1244, where Kosovo has basically been run by UNMIK since 1999. These specifics have been acknowledged by the Contact Group, which also includes Russia.
Solana said that it is regrettable that an agreement could not be reached within the United Nations Security Council. "I think that the best way forward now is to give negotiations another chance. This is also what the EU ministers agreed at their meeting on 23 July. But I want to be clear on the fact that these negotiations should not be open-ended. There should be a time limit of more or less 120 days," the Commissar emphasized.
"I would therefore appeal to Belgrade and Pristina to engage actively and constructively in this final round of negotiations. The EU wants to move this process forward and find a lasting solution to the Kosovo status. We are determined to remain united on this issue in support of European interests, notably the stability and prosperity and European future of the Balkans," Solana stated.