Committee: The government should have conducted wider consultations before the decision to support Kosovo

Committee for International Relations and Emigrants adopted conclusions regarding the decision today Vlade to support the proposal that Kosovo be a member of the Council of Europe (SE), in which, among other things, it is stated that the Government should have conducted wider consultations before withdrawing that move.

The Ambassador of Montenegro to the Council of Europe Božidarka Krunić supported the proposal for Kosovo's entry into the Council at the end of April at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Krunić voted that way according to the Government's instructions.

In the conclusions, it is written that the Board believes that the vote at the Committee of Ministers of the SE was inadequate in two parts.

"The Government's decision-making process was improvised and questionable. The government did not make a decision about it, and even one part of the government spoke out, saying that such a vote was unacceptable. That is why the Board believes that such a decision did not contribute to the seriousness and reputation of the state. The board especially believes that when embarking on this improvisation, the political dimensions of the decision should have been taken into account, both internationally and domestically, bearing in mind the high sensitivity of citizens on this issue," said the chairman of the board. Miodrag Lekić.

In the second conclusion, it is stated that it was necessary for the representatives of the Government to make wider consultations, including the parliamentary structures, the delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro in the SE Parliamentary Assembly and the Board.

"A serious transgression was committed by the fact that the delegation of Montenegro in the Parliamentary Assembly of SE, including our Committee, were absolutely not consulted," Lekić pointed out.

In the third conclusion, it is written that in the further decision-making process in the SE, the delegation of Montenegro in the Parliamentary Assembly of the SE should take steps and determine itself in a "state-diplomatically adequate manner, by taking an appropriate position through wider consultations".

Last week, the committee had a control hearing with Prime Minister Dritan Abazović regarding the state's decision to support the proposal on the admission of Kosovo into the SE.

Abazović then said that Ambassador Krunić was given written instructions on how to make a statement, and that the decision was not directed against Serbia.

"I was very collegial, said that we would vote 'for', and that there was nothing against Serbia." We are the country that recognized Kosovo, we behaved like all the countries that recognized it, but we understand the countries that did not recognize it. In this way, we conduct a consistent policy. This is not a decision that is made at the Government sessions... We are rooting for a sustainable solution to be found between Serbia and Kosovo in the dialogue," he said.