Merezhko: The recognition of Kosovo is being discussed in Kyiv, perhaps we should open a liaison office in Pristina

The President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, Oleksandr Merezhko, said in an interview with T7 that the issue of recognizing Kosovo was being discussed in Kyiv, although, as he said, it was not easy to make that decision.

As reported by Ekonomia Online, Merezhko said that there were MPs in the Ukrainian Parliament who supported the recognition of Kosovo's independence and said that perhaps a liaison office should be opened in Pristina in response to the support that Kosovo provided to Ukraine.

"In our Parliament, we have MPs who are great advocates of recognizing Kosovo, but we still have discussions, it is not an easy thing. There are advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, we see that the decisive majority of the European Union recognizes Kosovo as an independent state. Our closest allies such as the USA, and Great Britain recognize Kosovo. Therefore, that is a strong argument in favor of recognition," Merezhko said.

He also said that earlier there had been concern that it would give an argument to Russian propaganda if Ukraine recognized Kosovo.

He added that things had changed "after the full invasion", i.e. after February 24 last year.

"Now we see many things differently. What I see as a citizen of Ukraine is that Kosovo is on the side of Ukraine, since Kosovo imposed sanctions on Russia and you are trying to support us," he said.

On the other hand, he says that Ukraine does not receive support from Serbia.

"From the communication, I had with my Serbian colleagues, I see some doubts. I see that, unfortunately, sometimes Serbia tends to Russia. Serbia does not want to impose sanctions on Russia, which is very worrying for me. My position is simple - you have to support your friends, you have to support those who support you, especially when you are in a difficult position, when you are fighting for survival," he said, adding that there was still no final decision on this issue.

He announced the continuation of the discussion and added that the decision for Ukraine to recognize Kosovo "has both advantages and disadvantages".

"Recently, I have been in favor of taking some steps in favor of Kosovo, because when Kosovo supports us, we have to respond somehow. Perhaps the solution could be at least a liaison office in Pristina. Why not? But again I say that I represent parliamentary diplomacy and I don't see the whole picture because I don't represent the entire Ministry," Merezhko added.

He said that he had spoken several times with "colleagues from Kosovo".

Regarding the letter sent to senior diplomats of the West, where it was said that "Kosovo is a sovereign state", which he himself signed, he said that the goal was simple - "to try to stop the escalation and prevent unrest".

"The goal is to treat both sides equally and fairly," he said, referring to the behavior of the international community towards Kosovo and Serbia.

He added that he saw that "the situation in Europe is dangerous".

"A possible escalation in the Western Balkans could distract from our fight against Russian aggression; Russia is now desperate. It is losing the war against Ukraine and will try everything it can," Merezhko said.