Serbia plans to convene a meeting of the UN Security Council over Kosovo’s intention to apply for membership in the Council of Europe, President Alexander Vucic said.
He explained that the country’s foreign minister, Donika Gervala-Schwartz, had confirmed to him that Pristina was working on the issue.
The Serbian leader argues that he believes the violation is contrary to international public law, but also to documents such as Security Council Resolution 1244 (regulating Kosovo’s status in 1999) and the Washington agreements signed between Serbia and Kosovo under President Donald Trump.
Vucic already threatened Kosovo last week with a “powerful and serious” response if he decides to fulfill his stated intention and apply for membership in the Council of Europe. His words followed his conversation with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Berlin, mediated by EU envoy to the Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak, as part of the normalization dialogue.
Following the meeting, which was postponed tonight due to tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, Kurti announced that his government would run for the Council of Europe and NATO’s Partnership for Peace program. A German lawmaker said last week that he had received confirmation from ministers that Germany would support such a candidacy.
Vucic explained that Serbia will not limit itself to words if Kosovo does so. “The day we find out that they have officially applied for membership in the organization, our answer will be much stronger than they think. Believe me, we will show our teeth,” he said.
Kosovo President Vyosa Osmani announced last month that she had asked for all necessary preparations to be made for such a request. The reason is Russia’s decision to leave the Council of Europe weeks after the start of the war.
Providing support for admission to the Council of Europe can be a complex process. The committee of ministers must first vote on a resolution (Kosovo claims to have secured the votes) seeking the opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the PACE consultation took three years since the request was sent. According to some experts, Pristina has delayed the submission of this candidacy for a long time due to hesitations, so many allegations of human rights abuses are not made public through this body.
Kosovo saw a risk of a Serbian offensive like the Russian one in Ukraine
“We have no illusions about what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to achieve in Ukraine,” Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervala was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post and BTA at the end of her visit to Israel.
Russia’s war against Ukraine could encourage Serbia to take military action against its country, Kosovo, Gervala told the Jerusalem Post as she ended her three-day trip to Israel, during which she called on its officials to use their influence to help to neutralize the situation.
“Countries like Israel can help stabilize the region (the Balkans),” Gervala said. “We are concerned that the Balkans could be the next hot spot,” she added.
“From the very beginning, Kosovo has shown solidarity and admiration for the courageous struggle of Ukrainians to defend their country,” Gervala said.
“We have no illusions about what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to achieve in Ukraine. You can see some similarities between the way Russia acts in Ukraine and the way Serbia acts in our region,” she said.
