Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
Sergey Lavrov, in an interview (April 14) for Russian media Merchant, draws a direct comparison between the declaration of independence of Kosovo and the annexation of Crimea by Russia, to highlight, according to him, the double standards that the West uses towards international law and the principle of self-determination. He claims that the West accepted the independence of Kosovo without a referendum and without respecting the sovereignty of Serbia, while it did not recognize the referendum in Crimea, where the majority of the population voted for union with Russia.
Lavrov interprets this stance as a form of ethnic prejudice, stating that “the West did not accept the referendum in Crimea because Slavs live there, unlike Albanians in Kosovo.” According to him, this proves a racist and selective approach on the part of Western countries, and for this reason Russia will no longer be influenced by the standards they set.
This claim by Lavrov was widely reported in Russian media, including Russia Today Balkans (RT) and Sputnik, through their Serbian language services, and was distributed by several Serbian media outlets. (here, here, here, here)
What does Lavrov claim?
Sergey Lavrov claims that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was contrary to international law and UN Resolution 1244, as it occurred without a referendum and without any active conflict at the time. He accuses UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari of declaring Kosovo independent under US influence, without any democratic process or consultation with the people.
In comparison, Lavrov says that a referendum was held in Crimea and the people decided to join Russia, but the West refused to recognize it, according to him, due to ethnic prejudices. He calls this a racist approach, saying that Slavs are not allowed to self-determination, while Albanians in Kosovo were allowed, and for this reason Russia will no longer respect the West's positions.
However, the cases of Kosovo and Crimea are very different, both in context, in the manner of implementation and in international legitimacy. His statement is more political rhetoric than an objective legal analysis.
Where are the differences in this comparison?
NATO did not invade Kosovo after expelling Serbian forces, but sent a peacekeeping mission. Russian troops, on the other hand, have established control over Crimea, even before a referendum on unification with Russia was held.
NATO intervened in Kosovo after evidence of Serbian crimes against Albanians, which included mass killings and expulsions from their settlements. Russian forces have intervened in Ukraine, although there have been no reports of abuses or violence against ethnic Russians.
Kosovo declared independence but did not join Albania. Crimea, which is inhabited mainly by Russian citizens, signed an agreement to join Russia two days after a referendum that the West judged undemocratic (here).
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 (hereIn 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law and was not in conflict with UN Resolution 1244 (hereKosovo's independence has so far been recognized by over 100 countries, including the US and most European Union countries (here).
Furthermore, Crimea is an integral part of the state of Ukraine which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 (here). The referendum in Crimea, held on March 16, 2014, was rejected in the same year as illegal – by the votes of 100 member states of the UN General Assembly (see here).
Although the comparison of Crimea to Kosovo is untenable, senior Russian officials continue to use it as an alibi, starting with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (see here, here).
The fact-checking platform, hibrid.info, on November 11 published the report “Comparison of Ukraine and Kosovo in Russian disinformation narratives.” It compares Russian narratives about Ukraine and their connection to Kosovo for the first time. (Full report)
Analyze:
Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with Kommersant, compared Kosovo's independence to the annexation of Crimea, accusing the West of double standards. He described the rejection of the referendum in Crimea as ethnic prejudice against Slavs and a racist approach on the part of the West.
The facts show that the comparison of Kosovo with Crimea is unfounded, as Kosovo declared independence under international administration, while Crimea was forcibly annexed by Russia in violation of international treaties and without broad legal support.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses Lavrov's statement as "False statement".
Reasoning:
In the category of truthfulness, those statements that contain statements related to objective facts, the accuracy of which can be determined through objective verification, are evaluated. Statements treated in this category receive the assessment – false statement, half-truth, or even true statement.