Romania will not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and Belgrade and Pristina should pursue negotiations, Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Wednesday, thus re-affirming the Bucharest stand on the issue.

He made the statement at an annual reunion of Romanian Ambassadors. His statement comes several days after the German Foreign minister demanded EU countries which have not yet recognized the independence of Kosovo to follow the majority of EU.

Basescu argued that a consultative stand of the International Court of Justice on the issue was not made following a thorough judgment of the case.

Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Bakonski reiterated in Bucharest that his country would not recognize a unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence and that it support the European perspective of the West Balkan countries.

In talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, Bakonski said that Romania supports the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Bakonski assessed that any slowdown in the EU enlargement pertaining to the West Balkans bears risk of destabilizing the region again.