MOSCOW. May 31 (Interfax) - The Kremlin is concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Kosovo and is closely following developments there, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"We are following this. Certainly, we support Serbia and the Serbs. We believe all legitimate rights and interests of the Kosovan Serbs must be observed, must be guaranteed. There should be no place for any provocative actions infringing the Serbs' rights. And certainly, we are following the way the situation is developing very closely, and are concerned in this respect," Peskov told journalists on Wednesday.
Asked whether any contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic were planned and whether Belgrade had requested such a conversation, Peskov replied, "Not at the top level. But we are communicating continuously via diplomatic channels."
He was also asked to comment on European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak's remark that the agreements concluded between Kosovo and Serbia in early 2023 would be implemented, unlike the Minsk Agreements.
"Any activities, any steps, and any measures taken to overcome this acute phase and guarantee the rights of all parties concerned can be welcomed. But certainly, we wouldn't blindly trust such statements," Peskov replied.
"They need to be treated very cautiously, as there have been instances in the past when obligations were not honored. We can speak about this based on our own experience. Obligations [undertaken] by high-ranking European representatives...Let's recall the document signed with [former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovich by the foreign ministers of European countries in 2014," he said.
"All those obligations remained [only] on paper," Peskov said. "Moreover, that document essentialy served simply as a smokescreen for the subsequent coup and illegal change of government in that country. There have also been other instances which we could recall," he said.
"Of course, we hope that everyone who is able to positively influence this situation will do so. We're following them very closely," Peskov said.
The situation in northern Kosovo worsened last week, when Kosovan security forces took control of local government bodies in communities made up predominantly of ethnic Serbs, which prompted clashes and the use of stun grenades and tear gas. Local ethnic Serbs previously barred Kosovan Albanians from entering their offices in local administrations, which they were elected to in municipal elections boycotted by Serbs at the end of April.