Kurti rejects condition for CoE membership

Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Kurti said that demand to submit the European Union-drafted statute was absurd and added that it had nothing to do with the standards required for CoE membership. “We have learned that some capitals are not conditioning membership on sending that document to the Kosovo Constitutional Court.

The CoE Committee of Ministers was due to discuss Kosovo’s accession to that organization later this month.

He recalled that the document was rejected last October and that Pristina offered to make it part of the Basic Agreement and Ohrid annex to make it legally binding but that Belgrade refused.

He said the draft statute can only be sent to the Constitutional Court if the Basic Agreement is signed. “It was not formalized because it was rejected and as such it is a non-paper,” he said.

He said the lack of support for Kosovo’s membership in CoE is regrettable and will not help normalize relations with Serbia or contribute to peace and security.

Kosovo wants membership but will not accept other conditions, he said “We discuss normalization of relations with Serbia in Brussels, not Strasbourg,” Kurti added.