MOSCOW. May 24 (Interfax-AVN) - A decision on the final status of Kosovo will not set a precedent for the self-proclaimed republics that have emerged in former Soviet territory, Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov said.
"Kosovo will not set a precedent for Transdniestria, South Ossetia, or Abkhazia," Smirnov said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
The three self-proclaimed republics have "much more right to be independent in terms of international law," Smirnov said.
The three republics have signed an agreement on rendering military assistance to other in cases of external aggression, he said.
"The form in which it will be rendered will depend on the level of the threat," Smirnov said.
He accused Western countries of pursuing a policy aimed at weakening Russia's influence in the region.
"There is pressure on the part of the European Union and the United States with the aim of ousting Russia from the region," he said.