Mikhail Kamynin made the statement in an interview ahead of a visit to Russia by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who is due to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday, where the status of the Albanian-dominated province is expected to dominate the meeting.
"If implemented, the scenario of Kosovo unilaterally proclaiming independence would bring about a new round of instability in the Balkans," Kamynin said.
Another round of negotiations on the status of Kosovo is underway in Brussels between Belgrade and Pristina, mediated by the European Union, the United States and Russia.
The UN set December 10 as a deadline for an agreement, but all negotiations have so far been unconstructive with Belgrade offering wide autonomy to Kosovo, while Pristina insists on full sovereignty.
Belgrade and its long-time ally Russia have spoken out against strict timeframes in the long-running dispute, but Kosovo Albanian leaders have said they will declare independence unilaterally if no deal is reached by December 10.
The U.S. and some EU states have pushed for Kosovo's independence, while Russia has strongly opposed this, saying that security and humanitarian requirements should be met first and that independence would set a dangerous precedent, including for post-Soviet states.
Kosovo held parliamentary elections November 17, which, according to unofficial results, were won by former rebel leader Hashim Thaci, who vowed to declare independence for Kosovo. The province's ethnic Serb population (around 6%) boycotted the election, which Kamynin said put into question the legitimacy of the authorities in the breakaway republic.
Kosovo has been a UN protectorate ever since NATO's bombing of the former Yugoslavia in 1999 ended a bloody war between Serb forces and Muslim Albanian separatists in the region.
Kamynin said the ministers are also expected to discuss other issues on the Balkan agenda, primarily the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as bilateral relations and consider important issues of common European cooperation, including within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe.
