Kosovo PM Warns Against Crimea Comparisons

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci warned against making parallels between Crimea and Kosovo.

"Under no circumstances can the cases of Kosovo and Crimea be compared. We didn't change any borders, we had our borders already. Kosovo was also created after a genocide was committed by Serbia, after the deportation of 1 million citizens of Kosovo", Thaci told Business New Europe magazine.

The Kosovar PM added that his country was created in the context of post-war negotiations, something which is utterly different from the situation in Ukraine.

Thaci's comments come as a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement that the West had created a precedent in Kosovo for the secession of other autonomous regions, like Crimea.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognized by 107 out of the 193 UN member states, but not by Russia.