The authorities in Kosovo welcomed the decision of the Council of Europe's Committee for Politics and Democracy the day before to pave the way for Kosovo's membership in this council, while it is being severely criticized by the authorities in Serbia.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, called the decision a very big achievement for the country.
“Now the citizens of the Republic can have access to the European Court for Human Rights, but beyond that it is very good news for Europe, for the Albanian nation, for democracy that in this geopolitical and historical era, the Russian Federation is outside the Republic of Kosovo is entering,” he said.
Prime Minister Kurti said that Kosovo's institutions will continue their efforts for membership in other Euro-Atlantic institutions.
But the chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, said that opening the way for membership in the Council of Europe is the merit of the work of the country's allies.
“It is a clear position of the allies to advance Kosovo, I think that despite the obstacles that the government and Prime Minister Kurti have given to the allies, they still achieved this result, this success for Kosovo. It is completely their business”, said Mr. Haradinaj.
Serbia opposes Kosovo's membership in this council and its president Aleksandar Vučič has warned of the possibility of its departure if Kosovo becomes a member, although in the agreement reached a year ago in Brussels and Ohrid, both sides promise that they will not hinder each other in the integration processes.
The acting foreign minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that the decision of the Political Commission of the Council of Europe is a direct violation of state interests and a violation of the territorial integrity of Serbia. While the head of the office for Kosovo in the government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, said in a statement that the membership of Kosovo “would be a hostile gesture towards Serbia”.
Two delegates from Serbia and one from Bosnia and one from Montenegro voted yesterday against the Commission's recommendation to invite Kosovo for membership, while 31 voted in favor of the recommendation.
On April 18, the Parliamentary Assembly is expected to vote on this recommendation, while the final decision on Kosovo's membership is expected in May, at the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The committee said after the vote that it welcomed an extensive list of commitments made in writing by the Kosovo authorities while underlining that the establishment of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities should be a “post-accession commitment” for Kosovo, which would help ensure the protection of the rights of Kosovo Serbs.
The Commission drew attention to the risk of possible violence in Kosovo while emphasizing that security will depend on “the protection of the rights of the Serbian community, the escalation of the situation and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia”.
Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe in April 2022.
The process was blocked due to the non-implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the properties of the Monastery of Deçan. Two weeks ago, the government of Kosovo recognized the property of about 24 hectares of the monastery, paving the way for membership in the Council of Europe.