Papakostas: We will not recognize independence of Kosovo

Papakostas: We will not recognize independence of Kosovo
June 16, 2009

http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7578&Itemid=26

Cypriot Defence Minister Kostas Papakostas said that Cyprus will never recognize independence of Kosovo. That is a consistent stand of the Republic of Cyprus, which we represent in the EU as well, Papakostas said after talks with his Serbian counterpart Dragan Sutanovac in Belgrade. Papakostas said Cyprus supports official Belgrade on its EU course and that the issue of Serbia’s EU integrations is independent of the Kosovo issue. Serbia is part of Europe and should be an EU member-state if it wants to, he emphasized. Sutanovac said Cyprus and Serbia are exposed to the same security risks and threats and announced that by the end of the year the two countries would sign an agreement on cooperation in the defence field. We have offered Cyprus to have their cadets educated at our Military Academy, Sutanovac said.