BRUSSELS --  Recognition of Kosovo independence and the dispatch of a EU mission would set dangerous precedents.

Warning of setting such precedents in international law, Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said that in the event of the EU recognizing Kosovo’s independence, Russia would not resort to extreme measures such as cutting off oil deliveries, as according to him, Moscow had not done this even during the Cold War, report Slovenian media referring to an article in the Financial Times.

“We do not link energy and economic issues to political issues,” said Chizhov, adding that Russia would sooner block Kosovo’s entry into international organizations, and would open this issue within the EU-NATO council.

The ambassador said that around seven EU member-states would not recognize Kosovo independence immediately.

Those who did so would, he said, be sticking “a thorn in Russia’s side.”

Chizhov added that Serbia would also apply counter-measures against countries that recognize Kosovo independence which, he said, should not be underestimated.

Kosovo will be one of the main themes at the forthcoming EU-NATO Troika meeting, to be held on February 13 in Brdo Pri Kranju in Slovenia.

Yesterday in Brussles, Chizhov had told reporters that unilateral or coordinated independence of Kosovo would be pointless because Kosovo could never become a member of the United Nations, OSCE or Council of Europe.

"It would not gain anything more than it could have if Priština accepted Serbia's proposals of 'essential autonomy'," he continued.

"An independent Kosovo might perhaps make some links with international institutions, such as the World Bank of International Monetary Fund, but it would gain nothing more than what Belgrade offered it during the status negotiations," the Russian diplomat said.

Russia earlier warned the EU against its plans to "coordinate" recognition of Kosovo Albanians' unilaterally declared independence, saying at the same time it would block the province's attempts to become a member of relevant international organizations, including the United Nations.

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