Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that the judgment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague contains factual, historical and legal inaccuracies that, in his view, must be corrected on appeal.
According to Kurti, the court’s deep lack of transparency and what he described as its entirely mono-ethnic approach remain concerning.
In his full statement, Kurti also welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Kosovo, describing her visit as her sixth in six years. He said Kosovo remains committed to reforms and has made significant democratic progress and sustained economic development.
Kurti said Kosovo is fully aligned with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and meets all the criteria for candidate status and the opening of accession negotiations. As the fourth anniversary of Kosovo’s EU membership application approaches, he said Kosovo expects support for a merit-based accession process and deserves candidate status.
He also said that five days earlier, the Kosovo Government had approved 10 of the 12 laws due in June and resubmitted them to the Assembly. Kurti expressed confidence that MPs would act quickly so citizens could fully benefit from the EU Growth Plan, warning that parliamentary deadlock could put European funding for the reforms at risk.
Regarding the Specialist Chambers, Kurti said the judgment contains factual, historical and legal inaccuracies that should be addressed through the appeals process. He noted that the so-called “Yellow House” was not included in the indictment and that allegations concerning crimes against humanity and widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population had fallen away.
However, Kurti said he remained concerned about what he characterized as the court’s profound lack of transparency and its entirely mono-ethnic approach.
