Russia will open a permanent representation in Kosovo

Russia will have a permanent representative office in Kosovo, the special representative of the UN in Kosovo Soren Jensen-Petersen said on Tuesday at a press conference, telling about the results of his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov.

"The minister informed me that it was decided to open the Russian communication mission in Kosovo. We are looking at it as a very positive fact, because Russia was the only member of the UN Security Council that did not have its representative office in Kosovo. Now it will have it," said Soren Jensen -Petersen.

He described his meeting with Sergey Lavrov as a very constructive one, Interfax reports.

According to Sorin Jensen-Petersen, he told the Russian minister about priorities in resolving the situation in Kosovo and how these goals can be achieved.

“In general, Sergei Lavrov supported me, although there were certain nuances. And this is very important because, I believe that Russia plays a very important role in solving the Kosovo problem as a permanent member of the Security Council and as a member of the contact group,” said Soren Jensen -Petersen.

Telling journalists about their vision of the ways of resolving the situation in Kosovo, the UN special representative dwell on five points: "The establishment of standards of life that are present in any normal society; an increase in not only the powers of temporary institutions of the authorities, but also responsibility for what is happening; development and conclusion of a framework agreement on local self -government; protection of national minorities and, primarily, Serbian minority; Effective development of the economy. "

“To solve all this, we need a dialogue. We must resume the dialogue between Protina and Belgrade and strengthen it, then involving neighboring countries in this dialogue, and ultimately reach an international agreement regarding the final solution of the Kosovo issue,” said Soren Jensen -Petersen.

He noted that "ultimately Kosovo should be a multi -ethnic edge, where every resident should live in safety and have all the rights."

NATO will introduce additional forces in Kosovo for the period of parliamentary elections in the region

The North Atlantic Alliance decided to enter an additional two thousand military personnel to ensure security for the period of the parliamentary elections in Kosovo, which will be held on October 23. This was announced at a press conference on Tuesday by the UN special representative in Kosovo Soren Jensen-Petersen.

“NATO’s decision on entering an additional contingent of 2 thousand military personnel is one of the precautions to be prepared for any circumstances for the election period. This is a regular, normal, responsible precaution and this is not at all a reaction to any information and assumptions,” said Soren Jensen -Petersen.

The UN special representative expects the parliamentary elections in Kosovo will be held in a calm atmosphere. "To date, everything indicates that we can expect a very peaceful and calm election campaign.

But Kosovo continues to be a very explosive society, and we must take all precautions, ”said Soren Jensen -Petersen.

He stated that recently, efforts have been made to prevent a repetition of the unrest that occurred in Kosovo in March. "A large number of initiatives were undertaken aimed at improving the safety situation after tragic events in March, in order to ensure the greater preparedness of the international community for such events, God forbid, if they are repeated," said the UN special representative.

Currently, Kosovo is under the control of the UN interim administration. In Kosovo, the multinational peacekeeping forces KFOR operate. They contain 18 thousand military personnel from 37 NATO countries.

About 2 million Albanians and about 70 thousand Serbs live in the region. More than 250 thousand Serbs still cannot return to their homes in Kosovo, for security reasons.

Kosovo Serbs during the upcoming elections will be able to vote by mail

The organization for cooperation and security in Europe (OSCE) is ready to accept the votes of Kosovo Serbs by mail during the upcoming elections on October 23. This was announced at a press conference in Moscow by the UN special representative in Kosovo Soren Jensen-Petersen.

He also added that Belgrade’s hopes for ensuring safe elections and the provision of guarantees from the international community will be provided.

Jensen-Petersen emphasized that participation in the elections is one of the solutions to the problem, RIA Novosti reports.