“North of Kosovo, Russian government co-operates with Serb extremists”

Lulzim Peci é former ambassador of Kosovo to Serbia and executive director of KIPRED has said that Russia in the Balkans has the biggest influence in Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then in Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia.

According to him, Russia in the Balkans has also suffered defeat as in the case of Montenegro, when it has failed to prevent its membership in NATO.

Peci says Russia's influence in Kosovo is multidimensional.

“We cannot see this impact only in territorial terms, within Kosovo, because Russia is a member of the UN Security Council, rightly veto, and Russia's role in Kosovo's UN accession is vital. Without Russia's deprived or without its abstention, Kosovo cannot be admitted to UN”, Peci has declared. So Russia is the key factor in Kosovo's integration into the international community, and that applies to OSCE”.

As far as influence is concerned within Kosovo, Peci has said that this influence is notable in the country's north.

The Russian government in northern Kosovo has extremist associates”, Peci has said. /Telegraphy/