Greifenberg welcomes Kosovo independence; denounces Serbian riots.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Greifenberg Press Agency (GPA)
GREIFENBERG (GPA): On 17 February 2008 the former Autonomous Province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Today, 22 February 2008, Mr. Joseph Hilger, Foreign Minister of the Grand Duchy of Greifenberg, announced that the grand ducal government has officially recognized the Republic of Kosovo.
"The Grand Duchy of Greifenberg today officially recognizes the Republic of Kosovo,” the foreign minister announced, adding that "Greifenberg supports Kosovo’s right to self-determination as a matter of principle." Nevertheless, Mr. Hilger sounded a cautionary note in his announcement, asserting that the swift decision by the United States and other Western countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence may in future prove to be a miscalculation. “Nothing happens in isolation, particularly in the Balkans,” Foreign Minister Hilger warned. Noting that Russia has long been an ally of Serbia and has consistently and fiercely opposed Kosovo's independence, the foreign minister opined that “Moscow may decide to take a harder line with Western Europe and NATO in future in retaliation for its political isolation and embarrassment over Kosovo." Such a situation, he remarked, "would be regrettable."
Meanwhile, in the days following Kosovo's declaration of independence, protests have increased tensions across the region. When asked his opinion on the recent attacks by rioters on the U.S. embassy and other Western diplomatic posts in Belgrade, Foreign Minister Hilger said he found such actions "deplorable" and quickly pointed out that “The 1961 Vienna Convention obliges host governments to protect embassies located in their respective nations and the fact that the Serbian police were nowhere to be seen when rioters attacked the American embassy in Belgrade brings into question their intent to fulfill such obligations in future.”
Asked if he thought there were likely to be new attacks on Western embassies in the Serbian capital, Mr. Hilger replied “I certainly hope cooler heads will prevail. Such action only damages Serbia’s image abroad.”
Related Weblinks:
Serbian Protesters Burn US Embassy in Belgrade
Map of Kosovo
