The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that the process of normalizing relations with Serbia should not be mixed with the issue of Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe (CoE).
If they mix, Kurti said, harm would be caused to the dialogue for the normalization of relations that takes place in Brussels, and to the Council of Europe as “the institution of preservation and promotion of democracy and human rights”.
According to a statement issued by his office, Kurti made these comments in a meeting with representatives of QUINT countries: the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France.
“The Prime Minister recalled that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia takes place in Brussels and not in Strasbourg” and that “the process of membership in the Council of Europe is a matter of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law – these values that the Republic of Kosovo embraces them”, says the statement to the media.
In recent days, there have been reports that France and Germany are preparing to block Kosovo’s admission to the Council of Europe, as a result of a campaign by the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.
This organization – leader in Europe for human rights – is expected to vote for Kosovo’s admission on May 16.
Last month, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted in favor of Kosovo.
The statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office states that Kurti told the international representatives that Kosovo is the most democratic country in the Western Balkans and that it has met the conditions for membership in the Council of Europe.
“With the letter of guarantee, Kosovo has met all the criteria for membership, therefore any other request is inconsistent with the vote of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on April 16, supported by 82% (131 against 29)” , Kurti is quoted as saying.
Right now there is no reaction from the representatives of the QUINT countries, but they have repeatedly called on Kosovo to take steps towards the normalization of relations with Serbia, by first forming the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority./ REL
