Throughout long-lasting talks aimed at finding a solution to the status of Serbia's breakaway province, Russia has backed Belgrade in opposing Kosovo's sovereignty, warning it would have a knock on effect for other secessionist areas, such as Transdnestr in Moldova, South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia and Nagorny Karabakh in Azerbaijan, so called frozen conflicts since the 1990s.
"We note the precedent in possible recognition of Kosovo's independence, but we abide by international laws and concrete positions of parties to any given conflict. Anyway, we do not expect any automatic reaction," Andrei Denisov, first deputy foreign minister, told a news conference.
But the official added that a decision on Kosovo would be taken into account when dealing with unrecognized republics in former Soviet states.
"Another area of tension is building in international relations, which Russia has always opposed," the diplomat said, adding that measures to promote tolerance and cooperation were the best methods of settling conflicts.
The UN Security Council failed on Wednesday to bridge divisions over the future of Kosovo. Most Western countries are seeking independence for the volatile area, which has been a UN protectorate since NATO bombings of the former Yugoslavia ended a bloody war between dominating Albanians and Serb forces in 1999.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said last week Russia would undoubtedly apply its veto right in the UN Security Council if a decision on unilaterally proclaiming Kosovo independence was made.
Some other Security Council members, including Cyprus and Greece, have also voiced opposition to a unilateral declaration of sovereignty by Kosovo, fearing this could set a precedent for separatist regions on their territories.
