"If there is individual who ignores the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, why should we respect their territorial integrity?", said the president of Serbia, Alexandar Vučić, commented on Ukraine's attitude erstwhile voting on the acceptance of Kosovo's application for membership in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. A day earlier, Ukraine voted on membership not recognised by Belgrade of the Republic of Kosovo on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Kiev abstained, which the Belgrade authorities received as support for Kosovo's recognition.
The president of Serbia announced that his country could revise its approach to Ukraine, in terms of its territorial integrity. “Why should we rush to defend the territorial integrity of individual else erstwhile we can stay silent, since these people are openly against Serbia’s territorial integrity?” the Serbian president asked rhetorically.
When asked to comment on Ukraine's position on the vote, he pointed out that this was a very crucial matter. He besides announced "big changes" in Serbia's policy – "not tectonic but deep and thorough". However, he added that this does not mean that Serbia will refrain from respecting global law or the UN Charter. He warned that the vote at the May Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik, “where everyone will gotta support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and Moldova”, could take a different turn.
"The abstaining yesterday was equal to the designation of Kosovo," Vučić stressed. He added that before the vote, Ukraine had asked for a break to consult the US. So far, Serbia has officially condemned the violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity internationally.
The Serbian president had previously thanked Hungary for their position on Kosovo.
On Monday, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved the application for membership of the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo. Now he must be approved by the RE Parliamentary Assembly.
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