MOSCOW. Oct 25 (Interfax) - Kosovo's decision to declare the unwelcome presence of two Russian diplomats working in Pristina at the outpost of the Russian Embassy to Serbia will have no consequences for their legal status, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
"We are working on a premise that this move by the Pristina administration will not entail consequences for the legal status of said diplomats. By international law, and in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo, they are accredited with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and have nothing to do with the entities of this self-proclaimed 'state'," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a comment on the ministry's website on Saturday.
All signs are pointing to this being "a deliberate provocation for the sake of servicing a Western project to create an Albanian-populated puppet state-entity pursuing an aggressive policy, not least against Russia and its constructive role in the Balkans," she said.
The UNMIK and the Kosovo Force should, within their remit as per UN SC Resolution 1244, "provide reliable safety and necessary proper working conditions for the staff at the Russian chancellery in Pristina. We are awaiting relevant written guarantees from the UN administration," Zakharova said.
"We hope that Kosovo's arrogant behavior will be given a proper critical evaluation from partners in the settlement process," the spokesperson said.
The diplomats were declared personae non gratae on October 22 at the behest of the Kosovo administration leader Vjosa Osmani.
According to Osmani, the diplomats were allegedly involved in activities aimed at violating security and constitutional order in the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo.