Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Kosovo's independence could lead to the break-up of the European Union.
In an article published in Russia's “Profil” Magazine, Lavrov suggests nationalist outbreaks are dragging the EU backwards, and are a sign of the reduced value of sovereign states. “The question is will the European Union be able to hold on to its positions of post-modernism if its internal development and international policy are going in different directions,” Russia’s Foreign Minister said. According to Lavrov, Kosovo represents “an outrageous example of such a dichotomy”. “We can’t rule out the possibility that under the condition of their dramatically reduced value, certain European Union states will start to fragment before Europe becomes a ”continent of regions," Lavrov added.