BELGRADE, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Spain is against the independence of Serbia's province of Kosovo, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Josep Borrell told Serbian officials on Wednesday.
At separate meetings with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Borrell highlighted Spain's opposition to the unilaterally-declared independence of Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, in 2008.
According to an official press release, Borell told Vucic that Spain is against the unilaterally-declared independence of Kosovo, "because the secession is contrary to the principles of international law.
He added that Spain supports the search for a compromise solution within the framework of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
Borrell denied, however, any parallel between Kosovo and Spain's province of Catalonia, saying at the press conference with Dacic that "the two situations have nothing to do with each other."
"Such comparisons... appeal to Catalonia's independence advocates," Borrell added.
Dacic said the two cases coincide only due to the fact that "separatism is characterized by unilateral acts," adding that the authorities both in Kosovo and in Catalonia are not truly interested in dialogue.
Thanking Spain for the "protection of vital state and national interests of Serbia," Vucic said Serbia also respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Spain.
He pledged that Serbia will remain committed to peace and stability in the region, adding it already fulfilled all its obligations under the 2013 Brussels Agreement with Kosovo.
