Post by superman on Nov 25, 2007 6:02:56 GMT -5
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/23/content_7129554.htm
Romania, Greece say unilateral Kosovo solution inadequate
BUCHAREST, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A unilateral solution to the issue of the future status of Kosovo is inadequate, since the settlement should be international, stressed the foreign ministers of Romania and Greece on Thursday.
"We talked about Kosovo, which since it lies at the heart of the European continent, concerns us all. Establishing the future status of Kosovo is no easy task, the condition is that the solution found should be in accordance with the European Union's principles and wishes. Kosovo is an international matter that requires an international settlement, and a unilateral solution is inadequate," Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said during a visit to Bucharest on Thursday.
She stressed Romania and Greece share the goal of promoting stability, democracy and economic development in the Balkans.
"At this moment we must back the negotiating efforts of the Troika, in which the EU has an important role to play both now and in the future. No matter what the result will be, the international community and the EU in particular must stay committed to the Kosovo issue," the Greek minister underscored.
"We back the Euro-Atlantic prospects of the entire Balkan region, certainly on condition that the candidate states meet the Alliance's criteria, particularly the ones referring good neighborliness," the Greek foreign minister stressed.
"Romania and Greece equally signal the importance of good neighborliness, the utter prerequisite for a genuine alliance," Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu said, recalling that Romania, in the late 1990s, settled its relations with Ukraine and Hungary, two neighboring states with which it had problems in history.
Cioroianu and Bakoyannis also tackled the need for a coordinated policy of their two countries alongside Bulgaria and the EU in the Black Sea region. They said they wished to revive the Romania-Greece-Bulgaria trilateral, particularly since the three countries are NATO and EU members.
Romania, Greece say unilateral Kosovo solution inadequate
BUCHAREST, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A unilateral solution to the issue of the future status of Kosovo is inadequate, since the settlement should be international, stressed the foreign ministers of Romania and Greece on Thursday.
"We talked about Kosovo, which since it lies at the heart of the European continent, concerns us all. Establishing the future status of Kosovo is no easy task, the condition is that the solution found should be in accordance with the European Union's principles and wishes. Kosovo is an international matter that requires an international settlement, and a unilateral solution is inadequate," Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said during a visit to Bucharest on Thursday.
She stressed Romania and Greece share the goal of promoting stability, democracy and economic development in the Balkans.
"At this moment we must back the negotiating efforts of the Troika, in which the EU has an important role to play both now and in the future. No matter what the result will be, the international community and the EU in particular must stay committed to the Kosovo issue," the Greek minister underscored.
"We back the Euro-Atlantic prospects of the entire Balkan region, certainly on condition that the candidate states meet the Alliance's criteria, particularly the ones referring good neighborliness," the Greek foreign minister stressed.
"Romania and Greece equally signal the importance of good neighborliness, the utter prerequisite for a genuine alliance," Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu said, recalling that Romania, in the late 1990s, settled its relations with Ukraine and Hungary, two neighboring states with which it had problems in history.
Cioroianu and Bakoyannis also tackled the need for a coordinated policy of their two countries alongside Bulgaria and the EU in the Black Sea region. They said they wished to revive the Romania-Greece-Bulgaria trilateral, particularly since the three countries are NATO and EU members.