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Russia's likely next president, Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday (February 25) that Belgrade and Moscow would continue to co-ordinate their efforts against Kosovo's recognition, as Serbs in the divided city of Mitrovica continued their protests against Kosovo's declaration of independence. Medvedev, the Kremlin-backed frontrunner for president, met pro-Western President Boris Tadic and nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who has long leaned on Moscow for help against the secession of Serbia's southern province. Currently Russia's first deputy prime minister, Medvedev is expected to win a presidential election on Sunday (March 2). He was travelling with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a signal that Russian support for Belgrade would continue after his election. Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin have condemned the Feb. 17 secession of Kosovo and charged the United States and major European Union states with breaching international law by recognising it as independent. In a statement on Sunday (February 24), the Russian foreign ministry again demanded a "compromise" on Kosovo. "We have agreed to coordinate our efforts in helping Serbia to get out of this complicated situation and in solving the issue of Kosovo. And we have agreed to coordinate these efforts in all relevant institutions," Medvedev told a news conference after meeting Kostunica in Belgrade. He added that Russia would strengthen economic ties with Serbia, referring to the signing of an agr...