Hungary and Croatia to hold off on recognizing Kosovo

Hungary and Croatia are to wait before acknowledging Kosovo's independence, the foreign ministers of the two nations said on Thursday after meeting in Budapest.

'It is important for us to keep good relations with Serbia ... Hungary won't be among the first to recognise Kosovo's independence, but this will surely happen in the next few weeks,' MTI news agency quoted Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz as saying.

Hungary has a large ethnic minority in neighbouring Serbia, and Goncz said this made recognising Kosovo a delicate question.

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said Croatia would only recognise Kosovo after 'the majority of European Union member states' took the plunge.

The breakaway Serbian province declared its independence on Sunday, triggering mass protests in Belgrade.