Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania prepared to recognize Kosovo

Feb 18, 2008, 18:17 GMT

Riga - Three small Baltic nations that escaped from the clutches of the Soviet Union almost two decades ago are gearing up to recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

'Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, has always underlined the importance of security and stability,' Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said, urging the government to launch the process of official recognition.

'I am convinced that security in Europe is impossible without a stable Kosovo,' he said.

'Kosovo's independence will bring to the region clarity and, we can hope, stability,' Postimes newspaper Web site quoted Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet as saying.

Latvia has decided to recognize Kosovo in a few days, Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins said in an interview to the Latvian national radio after the meeting in Brussels on Monday.

At the meeting, EU foreign ministers couldn't issue a joint statement on the former Serbian province.