Former leader of Albania’s opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha called on the five EU countries that do not recognise Kosovo to do so at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE) where the UK and Ukraine also spoke in favour of Pristina’s membership and recognition.
Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain all do not recognise Kosovos’s independence from Serbia which was declared in 2008 after the 1998-1999 Kosovo-Serbia war.
“Independent Kosovo is an irreversible reality in the heart of Europe. The sooner this reality is embraced by everyone, including Serbia, the better it will be, first of all, for the citizens of Kosovo, both Serbs and Albanians, the better it will be for the future of the whole of our region, to focus our efforts and vision to ensure a better life for our youth in our countries,” he said, noting it was essential in the context of the Ukraine war.
“Unfortunately, as recent events show, even today, some still think that nationalist rhetoric will help them hold on to power forever. Others find it difficult to part with the bloody past. However, these dilemmas cannot hold the future of the region hostage. They should not hold Serbia’s European future hostage,” Basha added.
He said if Serbia is concerned about the rights of the Serb minority in Kosovo, they should welcome the country to the CoE, allowing the complete protection for human and minority rights that the organisation offers to all members.
“I also have a call for the member states of the European Union that have not yet recognised Kosovo. Fifteen years after its independence and one year after Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, it is time to put peace and stability first, our peace and stability, Europe’s peace and stability,” he concluded.
The UK’s CoE representative, John Howell, also declared that Kosovo should become a member of the Strasbourg-based CoE while taking a dig at the EU.
“Kosovo should not be held hostage about progress in the dialogue led by the EU. We must show that the Council of Europe is separate from the European Union and has its values and principles based on which decisions are made,” said Howell in his speech.
Kosovo submitted its application for membership of the CoE in May 2022, but it is opposed by Serbia which is against it joining international organisations and is actively campaigning for the withdrawal of recognition of its independence with various countries.
Togo was the latest country to withdraw recognition earlier this month after previously recognising it in 2014. The announcement was made during a press conference with the head of Serbian diplomacy, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.
“We in Togo recognise only one Serbia, a unique one. I am glad you mentioned the withdrawal of recognition of Kosovo; that withdrawal is definitive,” said his Togo counterpart Robert Dussey.
But in the CoE plenary, Ukraine, which does not currently recognise Kosovo, said this would likely change soon.
Member of the Ukrainian parliament and CoE representative Oleksiy Goncharenko said it is in the interest of all countries, including Serbia, to do so.
“I want to appeal to all my colleagues, those countries that have not yet recognised Kosovo’s independence, to do so. Ukraine, my country, is one of them. I sent the bill to the Ukrainian Parliament to recognise the independence of Kosovo, and I am sure this will happen very soon because this is the reality. We have to call things as they are,” he said.
Goncharenko added that Kosovo is an independent state, and now it is time to move forward.
“This is an independent state; it has already happened. And it is in the interest of everyone on this continent to accept the reality and move forward, and I want to turn to the Serbs now, and to Serbia, and say that it is in the best interest of Serbia to do so.”
(Alice Taylor | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
