MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The partially recognized state in Southeastern Europe managed earlier on Monday to garner 92 votes in favor of its accession to UNESCO, just a few votes short of the needed two-thirds majority. A total of 142 delegations voted, while another 29 abstained.
"Kosovo, still being under transitional UN administration (UNMIK), cannot be viewed as a state possessing juridical personality and, therefore, it cannot strive for a membership in an international organization," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, the voting confirmed that Pristina's bid to become a member of UNESCO was premature.
In 1998, an armed conflict broke out between Kosovo Albanian independence supporters and Yugoslavia, as the militias were seeking independence of Kosovo and Metohija. The following year, NATO intervened in the conflict without the UN approval, and started bombing Yugoslavia.
Since then, Belgrade actually lost control of Kosovo, as the Serbian government had to agree on the NATO military contingent in Kosovo, and the subsequent transition of the territory under the UN administration.
In 2008, the Albanian government of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.
Unlike the United States and some European countries, Russia, along with Belgrade, did not recognize the Kosovo statehood, and believes Kosovo is part of Serbia.
