October 3 (SeeNews) - Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic has accused the European Commission (EC) of using double standards in declaring Sunday's referendum on independence of Catalonia from Spain illegal while recognising the independence of Kosovo.
"This is the best example of the double standards and hypocrisy in the global politics," Vucic said in a video file posted on the website of Serbian news agency Tanjug on Monday.
The European Commission said on Monday it considers the referendum for the independence of the region of Catalonia illegal and that it is an internal matter for the Spanish government that has to be dealt with in line with the constitutional order of Spain.
Earlier on Monday, the Chief Spokesperson of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said that the situations in Catalonia and in Kosovo are not comparable as Spain is a member state of the European Union. "For the recognition of Kosovo, there was a very specific context," Schinas said.
"How come you voted for the legality of separation [of Kosovo] without any referendum?" Vucic said during a news conference after a meeting with Greek president Prokopios Pavlopoulos in Belgrade.
In a separate statement on Monday, Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabic said the government would send a letter to the European Commission to ask whether there is a separate international law valid for the EU and another one valid for all non-EU countries.
"We have been very much surprised by the position of the European Commission and everything its spokesperson said," Brnabic said.
In a meeting on Monday with Spanish ambassador to Serbia, Miguel Fuertes Suarez, Serbian defence minister Aleksandar Vulin expressed the support of the Serbian government for the territorial integrity of Spain.
Serbia does not recognise Kosovo, its former province predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians, as a sovereign state. Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in February 2008 and has so far been recognised by 108 of the 193 members of the UN.