Message To Albania - Russia Says: Redrawing of Balkan Borders Unacceptable

Sergey Lavrov (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TANJUG - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on Tuesday that any redrawing of borders in Europe is unacceptable, and that everybody should adhere to the principles of the Helsinki Accords, and that fully refers to the situation in the Balkans. Lavrov said this in response to Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha's calls for creating an integrated Albanian state.

The Russian minister called on all European countries, including Albania, to strictly adhere to the Helsinki Final Act. This also refers to the situation in the Balkans, where much blood was shed. I believe that no one would want to witness the recurrence of such events, Lavrov said at a press conference after meeting his FYROM counterpart Nikola Poposki.

The FYROM minister said that Skopje does not back nationalism and redrawing of borders, noting that such actions would not lead to stability in the region. (Question... does FYROM instead support the redrawing of boarders to its south? - Or more specifically in Greece?)

Lavrov underscored that Moscow is disappointed with the way in which the West reacted to the acts of vandalism in Kosovo. "We are disappointed with the way in which Western partners reacted to acts of vandalism targeting Serb monuments in Kosovo, especially because these are World War II monuments. We are of the opinion that this is a dangerous trend," he noted.