EU: Serbia’s Delegation in Council of Europe Violated Agreement with Kosovo
The European Union has expressed concern over a recent statement made by Serbia’s delegation in the Council of Europe, which is seen as a violation of the agreement reached in the ongoing dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. The Serbian delegation publicly declared that it successfully managed to remove Kosovo’s request for “special guest status” from the agenda of the Political Committee in the Council of Europe.
Last week, Biljana Pantić Pilja, head of Serbia’s delegation to the Council of Europe, stated to Serbian media that the delegation had “successfully” removed Kosovo’s request from the agenda, calling it a diplomatic success for Serbia and President Aleksandar Vučić. She further claimed that Serbia had received support from Spain and Hungary on this matter.
In her statement, Pantić Pilja said, “It is clear that they are not giving up on their goals of becoming a full member of the Council of Europe, and they are attempting to improve their status step by step. However, it is also evident that they are gradually losing the support of their former sponsors. It seems as though the international community is losing patience with Kurti and his one-sided actions.”
However, the European Union has condemned this statement, viewing it as a violation of the normalization agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. According to the agreement, Serbia is obligated not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in any international organization. This was confirmed by the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security, Anitta Hipper, in her response to Koha Ditore.
“The Agreement on the path to normalization, accepted by both Serbia and Kosovo, includes Article 4, Paragraph 2, which stipulates that Serbia will not oppose Kosovo’s membership in any international organization. The statement made by Serbia’s representative in the Council of Europe is a violation of Serbia’s obligations under this agreement,” Hipper stated in her response.
