The head of Russian diplomacy made these remarks in an article written for the Serbian newspaper Politika on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Accords.

Lavrov emphasized that the Western parties in Kosovo have ignored the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 for many years, which is fundamental to the solution in that Serbian region and guarantees Serbia’s territorial integrity.

After recognizing the region’s unilaterally declared national “independence,” they continue to foster the Serb-phobic anarchy perpetrated by the leaders in Pristina, including the formation of an illegal Kosovo Albanian army.

They are initiating the creation of military alliances in which Pristina participates on equal footing with sovereign states.

The dangerous trends toward increased military potential and a shift in the balance of power in the Balkans are evident, the diplomat noted.

We consider this a direct violation of the Dayton Accords, particularly those enshrined in Appendices 1-A, “On the Military Aspects of the Peaceful Settlement,” and 1-B, “On Stabilization in the Region,” Lavrov concluded.

jdt/jav/dfm/gfa