Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia does not contradict the norms of international law, the president of the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on Thursday.
Serbia had claimed that Kosovo's secession violated its territorial integrity.
The court's ruling was non-binding.
Kosovo's independence was supported by the U.S. and a large number of EU states, while Russia has always maintained its strong opposition.
ICJ president Hisashi Owada said international law "contains no applicable prohibition" of Kosovo's declaration of independence and that the court had ruled that "the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law."
Ten of the court's judges supported the opinion, while four opposed it.
MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti)
