Kosovo will be on the agenda of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which will meet this weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria.
On this occasion, the Assembly of Kosovo intends to advance its status from observer to associate member of this organization.
In the communiqué of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, it is stated that its deputies, among other things, “will decide on the requests of Malta and the Assembly of Kosovo to become delegations of associated members”.
“Continuous challenges in the Western Balkans will be addressed, as well as strategies for supporting partners at risk and for increasing engagement with the Global South”, the communiqué states.
The Kosovo authorities announced as early as March that the Permanent Commission of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has advanced the status of the Assembly of Kosovo in this body.
In Serbia, the International Security Institute was committed to preventing Kosovo’s advancement in this organization.
In a call addressed to her, he said that he considers that granting the status of an associate member to the Assembly of Kosovo, “would be harmful both to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and to the processes of stabilization and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans”.
“Democracy in Kosovo is not functional. Its institutions are burdened with an extremely high level of corruption and other undemocratic practices, while the rights of minority communities, especially Serbian ones, are not protected,” the Belgrade-based organization claimed.
Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, is constantly engaged in lobbying campaigns against Kosovo – recently also against its membership in the Council of Europe.
The Serbian organization also said that the nine current associate members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly are from “independent and internationally recognized countries” and that “giving the same status to the Assembly of Kosovo would be a dangerous precedent.” .
How does the NATO Parliamentary Assembly work?
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO, but serves as an important link between NATO and member countries’ parliaments.
It consists of 281 delegates from all 32 NATO member countries.
In addition to them, delegates from 9 associated countries, 4 associated Mediterranean countries, as well as 8 parliamentary observer delegations also participate in its activities.
Associate members – what Kosovo intends to become – can present resolutions and amendments to resolutions. Also, they can serve as special rapporteurs associated in committees, to present their perspectives in NATO-Parliamentary Assembly reports.
However, they do not have the right to vote on the Assembly’s reports, resolutions or leadership, nor do they contribute to its budget.
Currently, there are nine associate members – among them Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Assembly of Kosovo, for years, has been an observer delegation with two seats. With the increase in the level of representation, the participating Kosovar delegation would also expand.
At the meeting in Sofia, the participants will be received by the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and other senior officials of NATO and the Bulgarian state.
They will discuss topics related to Euro-Atlantic defense and security, with a focus on support for Ukraine and the priorities of this year’s NATO summit, which will be held in July in Washington.
“During the session, the Assembly is expected to reinforce its unwavering stance on Russia’s unjustified, unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine, discuss the provision of immediate and long-term aid to Ukraine, and adopt a declaration of support for Ukraine until in its victory”, announced the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Kosovo and NATO
After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kosovo authorities have sought accelerated NATO membership.
“The accelerated membership of Kosovo in NATO and the establishment of the permanent base of American forces are an immediate need to guarantee peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans and beyond”, said the then Minister of Defense in Kosovo, Armend Mehaj.
NATO has not commented on this request of Kosovo, but has assured that its peacekeeping mission in the country, KFOR, “enables the immediate handling of any development that may affect the security situation”.
NATO forces have been present in Kosovo since June 1999, after the end of the war and the withdrawal of Serbian forces.
Kosovo borders three NATO member states: Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
In the ranks of NATO, there are four countries that still do not recognize the independence of Kosovo: Greece, Spain, Romania and Slovakia, reports REL.
