Russian embassy: Moscow's view on Kosovo remains same

Russia's view on Kosovo remains the same. It is based on the legal framework regarding Kosovo, UN Security Council Resolution 1244 above all. The resolution remains fully in force, the embassy said after Moscow's opinion that the Crimean declaration of independence was legal.Russia has not recognized Kosovo's independence, which the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo declared unilaterally on February 28, 2008, while the territory was under UN provisional administration.Kosovo is Serbia's southern province, and, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, it should have a substantial autonomy.As for the situation regarding Crimea, this case is a good example of double standards by some of Russia's partners in the west, the embassy said.The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier the Crimean declaration of independence adopted on Tuesday was entirely according to the law. The release was made ahead of the referendum on Sunday where the people of Crimea will vote on whether to make that region a part of Russia.Russia will recognize fully the results of the freely expressed will of the people of Crimea in the referendum, the ministry said.The Crimean declaration of independence, adopted by the Crimean parliament, invokes, among other things, the opinion of the International Court of Justice concerning Kosovo from July 22, 2010.The declaration says that the decision was made based on the UN Charter and a whole series of international documents that guarantee the right to self-determination to any people, while also keeping in view that the UN International Court of Justice confirmed on July 22, 2010, that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was not in violation of international law in any way.