Dacic and Brnabic’s fierce reaction to von Cramon's statement regarding Council of Europe

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic strongly reacted to the statement of the MEP Viola von Cramon that Serbia will not leave the Council of Europe in the case of the admission of Kosovo to the membership, as indicated by the President Aleksandar Vucic.

In a written statement, Dacic said that Serbia is a sovereign state and that “no one neither asked nor cares for the opinion of” the European Parliament's rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, the Ministry announced.

"The level of insolence with which some European politicians show towards Serbia is astonishing. Who and what gives Viola von Kramon the right to insult Serbia, its President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian people? The fact that she is a proven lobbyist for Kurti does not mean that she can dictate to Serbia and Vucic what we should do," said Dacić in a written statement.

He pointed out that the admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe would be a precedent and a gross violation of the principles on which that body rests, because the so-called country is not an internationally recognized member of the UN.

Brnabic, on the other hand, said that Serbia is not bluffing and that if the Council of Europe violates its statute and its values, and accepts Pristina as a member, it should not be part of that hypocrisy and charade.

She recalled that April 19 marks 11 years since the signing of the Brussels Agreement, which was also signed by a high representative of the European Union, but that there is still no Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo that is part of that agreement.

"Finally - what are the arguments against Kosovo's membership in the CE? The most important thing is the fact that, in accordance with international law, the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kosovo is an autonomous province of Serbia, not a European state," said Brnabic.

She added that, additionally, the fact that Serbia's European and other partners have on several occasions publicly and quite explicitly pointed out that the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities is an absolute prerequisite for any further discussion on Pristina's accession to the Council of Europe or any other similar issue.

"Did our European partners and others lie," Brnabic asked.