Tolkač: More and more voices in Ukrainian society support the recognition of Kosovo's independence

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Serbia, Volodymyr Tolkach, announced on August 8 that more and more voices in Ukrainian society support the recognition of Kosovo's independence, as well as that there are a certain number of deputies in the Ukrainian parliament - supporters of the idea of ​​possible recognition, reports Radio Free Europe.

However, Tolkac states that Ukraine's position on recognition remains unchanged because the issue of "formation and implementation of foreign policy in accordance with Ukrainian legislation belongs to the President of Ukraine."

Ukraine, by the way, did not recognize the independence of Kosovo declared in 2008.

This comment by Tolkac comes after parts of an interview with Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, were published in the media in Serbia.

Oleksandr Merezhko told T7 on August 7, according to Serbian media, that recognition of Kosovo is being discussed in Kyiv.

In a statement on August 8, Tolkač states that it is "particularly important for Ukraine to respect and ensure the protection of the norms of international law by all states, especially with regard to territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized state borders."

"Ukraine's position is principled and stable – Ukraine respects the territorial integrity of Serbia," the ambassador's announcement states.

Nevertheless, Tolkac points out that there is an "unequivocal position of the Kosovo leadership regarding the condemnation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, especially joining the sanctions against the aggressors".

He states that it is therefore not surprising that more and more voices in Ukrainian society support the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

"Ukraine, as a democratic country that respects freedom of speech, cannot restrict the free expression of other opinions by politicians, professional circles or the public," the statement said.

Tolkac points out that Serbia, although it declares its support for Ukraine, is developing an active political dialogue and economic cooperation with Russia.

"Therefore, we once again call on Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, to harmonize its foreign policy, especially with regard to the Russian Federation's aggression against another candidate country - Ukraine, with the position of the common European family," Tolkac points out.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Belgrade previously called on Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Ivica Dacic, the first vice-president of the Government of Serbia and head of Serbian diplomacy, said yesterday that by recognizing Kosovo, Ukraine would do itself great harm, because it would violate the principle of protecting the territorial integrity of states.

"We will carefully monitor their views on this issue," Dacic told Kurir.

Previously, analyst Edward Joseph said that Ukraine is closer to recognizing the independence of Kosovo.