Russia Concerned About Reports Syrian Opposition Training In Kosovo

Kosovo's Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, has told the UN Security Council that his country is concerned about reports that Syrian rebels are receiving training in Kosovo.

Churkin said that if the reports are true, the presence of Syrian fighters in Kosovo would undermine international efforts to restore peace to Syria.

Churkin added that "turning Kosovo into an international training center for insurgents of various armed units could become a serious destabilizing factor going beyond the Balkan region."

Kosovo's Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj admitted that the Kosovar government is in contact with the Syrian opposition but explained that Kosovo was "among the first governments in Europe supporting the opposition in Libya and other Arab countries" in 2011 because "we were fighting for the same aspirations."

Hoxhaj rejected claims Syrian opposition fighters were training in Kosovo.

Based on reporting by Reuters