"On October 22, the so-called Kosovar" authorities "undertook a gross anti-Russian provocation, announcing - including publicly - the undesirability of the stay in Kosovo of two Russian diplomats working in the Pristina Chancellery of our embassy in the Republic of Serbia," the Russian Foreign Ministry quotes Zakharova.
According to her, this decision does not have any consequences for the legal status of these diplomats.
“We proceed from the fact that this attack by the administration in Pristina does not entail any consequences for the legal status of the above-mentioned Russian diplomatic staff.
In accordance with international law and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which is fundamental for the Kosovo settlement, they are accredited with the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and are not related to the structures of this self-proclaimed "state", she said.
As Zakharova emphasized, this step on the part of Pristina is a deliberate provocation for the sake of "serving the Western project of creating a puppet Albanian-populated state education, pursuing an aggressive policy."
Last but not least, this policy is “aimed against Russia”.
Earlier, the president of self-proclaimed Kosovo, Vios Osmani, declared two Russian diplomats persona non grata.
The Russian Embassy in Serbia announced that it did not recognize the decision of the "government of Kosovo" to "expel" Russian diplomats, and the diplomatic mission also considered this statement a provocation.