A regular meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Kosovo has been suspended on Tuesday after Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy asked Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla participating in the gathering to change the insignia of the self-proclaimed republic on her background
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2021) A regular meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Kosovo has been suspended on Tuesday after Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy asked Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla participating in the gathering to change the insignia of the self-proclaimed republic on her background.
The Security Council currently holds its meeting in a virtual format with diplomats sitting in front of web cameras against their national flags.
"I want to draw the attention of the members of the Council to the fact that Mrs. Gervalla is sitting behind the insignia of Kosovo. As you know, Kosovo is not a universally recognized state, it's a territory, and eight members of the Security Council do not recognize Kosovo," Polyanskiy said. "I think that for us to proceed, we need to ask the representative of Kosovo, either to change the background or to remove the flag behind her back."
Polyanskiy stressed that Russia was not against the participation of Kosovo in the meeting since it has already become an established practice.
After the Russian diplomat finished his statement, a UK representative took the floor, pointing out that there was no reason for Gervalla to remove the Kosovo flag from behind her back.
"We understand that this is not a formal meeting of the Council to which the Rules of Procedure formally apply. And we believe that the last time Foreign Minister Gervalla spoke to the Council she did so behind the similar background to today."
Following the UK's statement, the UN Security Council President for the month of April, Vietnam's Dang Dinh Quy, requested to suspend the meeting for closed consultations.
Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008. The self-proclaimed republic is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, and a number of other countries, have not recognized Kosovar independence.
