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Belarus will never recognize Kosovo's independence, says ambassador to Serbia

Belarus will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, Uladzimir Chushaw, the Belarusian ambassador to Serbia, said in an interview published by a Serbian paper on May 27.

"The Kosovo wounds are hurting us very much," he was quoted as saying.

Mr. Chushaw called for boosting bilateral trade and said that the two countries had great opportunities for stepping up economic, cultural, educational and sports cooperation.

"In the past five years trade between our countries tripled and reached a record high of $145 million last year," the ambassador said, adding that Belarus and Serbia planned to further increase two-way trade to $500 million.

He recommended Serbia to use a 2009 free trade agreement with Belarus for promoting their goods in the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. //BelaPAN