MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – The self-proclaimed Kosovo Republic’s decision to introduce sanctions against Russia is not to be taken seriously, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia Mikhail Margelov told journalists on Thursday.
“This raises nothing more than an ironic smile,” Margelov said.
The chairman said that Kosovo has imposed the sanctions because it wants to “keep up with the EU.”
On Thursday, the government of Kosovo decided to impose sanctions against Russia, joining the European Union and the United States who began the imposition of sanctions back in March following Crimea’s reunification with Russia. Since that time, several rounds of restrictive measures targeting Russia’s defense, banking and energy sectors, as well as certain individuals have been imposed, with the latest announced last week.
It is not exactly clear how Kosovo intends to implement the decision, as there are no diplomatic relations between Russia and Kosovo. In addition, Kosovo cannot officially ship goods to Russia, which has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state considering it to be an integral part of Serbia.
Kosovo, a landlocked region with a population consisting mainly of ethnic Albanians, declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. Since then, more than 100 UN member states have recognized Kosovo.
