The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, stated on Wednesday that the formation of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority is not a condition for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
She told journalists in Pristina that the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakojanis, recommends that Kosovo become a full member of that international organization, and that it has fulfilled the conditions.
"If you read her letter, especially the 11th article in the report, it is clarified that the Community is an obligation (of Kosovo) after admission (to the Council of Europe). So there is no question that at this stage the establishment of the Community is a condition," said Osmani.
The union of municipalities with a Serbian majority was agreed upon within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on the normalization of relations, and it should provide greater rights to the Serbs in Kosovo.
The US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, in an interview with Radio Free Europe on March 15, said that the Union of Serb-majority municipalities and the issue of expropriation in the north of Kosovo could be set as additional conditions by some members of the Council of Europe.
It was announced that the Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Council of Europe will hold a session on Wednesday afternoon, where a vote on Dora Bakoyanis' report is expected.
In the meantime, at the request of the Government of Kosovo, 20 hectares of land and forest were returned to the Visoki Dečani monastery on March 24, based on the decision of the Constitutional Court from 2016.
That issue could be decisive for Kosovo's request for membership in the Council of Europe, during the Parliamentary Assembly of that institution, which will be held in April.
For years, the Kosovo authorities refused to allow the Visoki Dečani monastery to register 24 hectares of land and forest in the cadastre because they believed that the property belonged to social enterprises Apiko and Ilirija, and that it never belonged to the monastery.
DON'T MISS IT
Prime Minister of Kosovo Aljbin Kurti stated that the Government's attitude towards "this never more harmful decision" will not change, but that, on the other hand, there is no doubt that Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe "would not only be a historic victory but also a giant step" if Kosovo were to recognize five members of the European Union that have not done so.
President Vjosa Osmani stated that Kosovo institutions are committed to lobbying for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
"There are still a few steps left, but what I can say is that all levels of institutions are engaged," she stated.
The Council of Europe is the leading organization in Europe in the field of human rights. In May 2022, Kosovo applied for membership in that international organization.
There are 46 countries in the Council of Europe, including 27 members of the European Union and all the countries of the region.
Bonus video:
