Western countries are making plans to destabilize the situation in Serbia, employing “color revolution” methods and applying pressure on the country’s legitimate authorities, while Russia is calling for an end to interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

“We view the developments in Serbia in the context of the West’s plans to destabilise the country and push its leadership to a line where it will be forced to choose between further pursuing its current policy that benefits the nation and changing track towards compromise,” said Zakharova, reported the Srna news agency.

She stressed that, with the connivance of the United States and the European Union, Pristina continues to invent ways to create intolerable conditions for the Serb population of Kosovo and, ultimately, to oust Serb communities from Serbia’s southern province, said a press release posted on the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry website.

There has been another outrageous case, she said, where Kosovo’s election authority tried to bar the largest ethnic Serb party, the Serb List, from participating in the elections. Zakharova stressed that the goal was to weaken the Serb List and eventually completely banish the party from the political scene.

“According to the statements of the Kosovars, (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti is premeditating new inter-ethnic incidents during the New Year and Christmas holidays, while publicly placing the responsibility for them on the Serb party and the region’s Orthodox community in advance,” the spokeswoman said.

Zakharova added that such actions violate the citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms and run the risk of a sharp aggravation of tensions with the most serious consequences in the region.

“The Western capitals still have the opportunity to influence their protégés in Pristina and prevent political reprisals against representatives of the Serb community. We resolutely support friendly Serbia and the fraternal Serbian people,” said Zakharova.