Unless the Serbian government reacted with moderation on the Kosovo issue, it risked to find itself in international isolation, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremić in Sofia, the Government's press service said in a statement.
 
Bulgaria's national interests includemaximum stability in the Balkans and an European future for all countries in the region. Preserving Kosovo's and the region's security and stability required conforming to the new realities, Stanishev said in the statement.

Kosovo's independence was an expected move and came after the failure of all efforts to find a solution via negotiations, Stanishev said. He added that the best outcome, for which Bulgaria had worked for the past two years, would have been reaching a consensus decision between the two sides.

Bulgaria would not accept 'freezing' the Kosovo conflict, but at the same time would make every effort to prevent it from spreading, Stanishev said, calling upon the Prishtina authorities, Kosovo's neighbouring countries and the whole international community to oppose any attempt to escalate the tension.

He re-iterated Bulgaria's intention to closely watch the development of the Kosovo situation and once again emphasised that Bulgaria's decision to establish relations with the Kosovar authorities depend on local institutions adopting the necessary legislation. Stanishev assured Jeremić that the European Union's mission in Kosovo aimed to guarantee the building of a multiethnical and democratic Kosovo.

Bulgaria would also support Serbia's EU membership bid, that being the only real opportunity for stability and development of the whole Western Balkans region, Stanishev said, adding  that he expected Serbia to show, through its actions, that it would keep walking towards EU membership.

While he thanked Sofia for its commitment to fostering negotiations on the status of Kosovo, Jeremić repeated Serbia's stance that it would protect its interests by all peaceful means. He said that Serbian laws would be applied in Kosovo regions, wherever possible, but stressed that Serbia did not find any international law grounds that justified Kosovo's recognition and made clear the sanctions Serbia would impose upon the countries that recognised Kosovo would not be short-termed.