"Kosovo is on the threshold of independence and our political institutions will continue close cooperation with UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo), KFOR (Kosovo Force) and other international organizations in the province during the transition period," Fatmir Sejdiu said after talks with the head of UNMIK.
He did not name a date for the predominantly Albanian province's formal secession from Serbia. However, top European Union diplomats have said they expect independence to be declared on February 17.
Of the 27 EU states, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania have joined Serbia and Russia in opposing independence for Kosovo, saying the move could set a dangerous precedent for other breakaway territories.
Sejdiu rejected suggestions that Kosovo's independence will set a precedent.
"Kosovo is a unique issue. It cannot set a precedent for another region or country," he said.
His position was echoed by Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency. He said that Kosovo must not be viewed as a precedent in dealing with similar crises around the world.
Presidential polls in Serbia on February 3 gave the country's incumbent pro-European President Boris Tadic a narrow victory over pro-Moscow nationalist Tomislav Nikolic.
Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since 1999, when a NATO bombing of Belgrade ended a bloody war between ethnic Albanian and Serb forces.
