Kosovo successfully passes the vote for joining the Council of Europe

The Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Council of Europe has approved the report of the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, where it is recommended that the state of Kosovo has fulfilled the conditions to become a full member of the Council of Europe.

Kosovo successfully passes the vote for joining the Council of Europe

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Kreshnik Ahmeti, said that the opinion of rapporteur Bakoyannis recommends Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe "without any additional preconditions".

"None of the commitments that Kosovo must take on are required to be fulfilled before membership. Even in point 11 it is clearly stated that the pledge must be addressed after membership", he wrote on Facebook.

After this vote in Strasbourg, the matter proceeds to the Parliamentary Assembly and if it receives approval in this institution as well, then the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe must give the final word on Kosovo's membership during a meeting to be held in May.

Kosovo applied in May 2022 for membership in the Council of Europe, but its membership is opposed by Serbia.

The membership of Pristina has been updated in recent weeks, after the request of the Government of Kosovo to the Cadastral Agency for the transfer of 24 hectares of land in the name of the Monastery

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said today that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, is threatening Serbia with a lawsuit for genocide right now, because he wants to use the institutions of the Council of Europe (EC) and through them start a lawsuit against Serbia.

"It is part of a massive plan for attacks and pressure on the Serbian people and Serbia. We will endure and we will win", Vucic is quoted as saying during a visit to the units at the military airport in Batajnica, Serbian media write.

He has claimed that Kurti was enabled to do this a few days ago by the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyani, and the western countries by recommending that Kosovo join the Council of Europe.

As Vuçic further said, Kurti has been waiting until now for another state to sue for genocide because Kosovo is not recognized by the United Nations and cannot sue at the International Criminal Court.

While the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, today accused Serbia of continuing to deny the crimes committed against Albanians by its criminal forces even 25 years after the end of the war in Kosovo.

"Serbia still lacks the acceptance of the truth and justice for the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. As the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, we reiterate our commitment not to stop seeking the enlightenment of the truth and justice for war crimes," Kurti wrote on Facebook.