Russian parliament
© RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko
Russia will support Serbia in its ongoing diplomatic efforts to solve the Kosovo and Metohija issue, a speaker of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament said during a visit to Serbia Tuesday. "Russia has always supported stances based on norms of the international law. We will always support a decision that would benefit the Serbian people" State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said.

Kosovo, a landlocked region with a population consisting mainly ethnic Albanians, declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. More than 90 nations, including the United States and leading European Union members, acknowledged Kosovo's independence. Both Serbia and Russia do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

Kosovo and Serbia signed a groundbreaking accord to normalize relations on April 19, 2013. The implementation of the agreement is vital for the start of the talks on Serbia's accession to the European Union. The government of Serbia has approved a plan to improve relations with Kosovo in May 2013.