Asked if there are similarities between them, Ambassador Hoxha said that, “From the outside, we do not see any similarities between Kosovo as an independent state and the unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine and the prefabricated republics of Donbas for the simple reason that there is no similarity”.

“And for the sake of truth, Kosovo bears no resemblance to any other case in the world. The NATO operation in 1999 followed an intense diplomatic campaign by the UN and the Contact Group, in which Russia is also a member. There are 8 Security Council resolutions dealing with Kosovo prior to Resolution 1244 which established the UNMIK mission in Kosovo and that is still there. At the time, the Security Council evaluated ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and refugees as a security threat, and NATO’s mission put an end to serious human rights violations, the killing of civilians, and documented atrocities. Furthermore, the International Court of Justice ruled that Kosovo’s independence in 1999 did not violate international law. The same court rejected the Russian allegations of genocide that Ukraine had committed against the Russian minorities in Ukraine and ordered Russia to stop because it saw no reason to support the allegation of genocide,” continued Ambassador Hoxha.

“Today, there are many organizations that can deal with the concerns of the Russian population in Ukraine. But, Russia chose another path, went to war. Finally, Kosovo is not a matter of peace and security; it is not an issue that should be discussed, according to Chapter 7. Today, Kosovo is an issue that has to do with state building, the performance of institutions and the development of civil society,” said Hoxha.

“Seen from the point of view of Albania, Kosovo’s neighbor, the Western Balkans is a rapidly developing region. We do not forget what happened, but we have not fixed our minds on the past; we look to the future, how we can make the region move forward together according to the deserved Euro-Atlantic perspective “, concluded Ambassador Ferit Hoxha. /p.s./