MFA: Montenegro did not vote for Kosovo's admission to the CoE, presentations highlighted that some states should be supported

"Kosovo's application for membership in the Council of Europe was not an item on the agenda of the 134th ministerial session of the Committee of Ministers, and therefore there could be no vote by states on this issue," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told "Vijesti"

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović, Photo: Đorđe Cmiljanić/Government of Montenegro

Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Aljoša Turović

15.05.2025. 17:05h

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) denied claims that Montenegro voted for Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe.

In their response to "Vijesti", they said that the agenda of the ministerial session within the Council of Europe is determined by consensus, at the proposal of the presiding state, and this is also the case with the session held in Luxembourg on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We note that Montenegro had no comments on the agenda, which is a public document and is available on the Council of Europe website. Kosovo's application for membership in the Council of Europe was not an item on the agenda of the 134th ministerial session of the Committee of Ministers, and therefore there could not have been a vote by states on this issue. Accordingly, we particularly emphasize that the information reported by certain media in Montenegro that there was a vote in the Council of Europe on this topic yesterday is completely incorrect. Therefore, the reactions of political entities regarding the above are also pointless," they said.

As they added, within the discussion on the topic "The Role of the Council of Europe in the New Geopolitical Context", the heads of delegations considered the challenges facing Europe, as well as the possibilities and opportunities for strengthening the role of the Council of Europe in strengthening democracy and strengthening the democratic security of societies.

"In this context, the representatives of the states, in their presentations, expressed their positions regarding the issue of expanding the membership of the Council of Europe. Montenegro, in accordance with the established foreign policy of the state and adopted foreign policy priorities, in its national statement pointed out the Government's commitment to European integration and its intention to become 2028 EU members by 28," they told "Vijesti".

"In the same context, it was emphasized that European integration represents the best framework for ensuring lasting stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans, and the importance of providing support to countries that are ready to build their democratic capacities in line with European standards, to become members of the Council of Europe, was emphasized," the responses conclude.