Kosovo tries to enter Interpol this year

Kosovo Foreign Affairs Minister Behgjet Pacolli believes this year will be a year of new recognitions for Kosovo and opening diplomatic offices, while saying it will apply for membership in international security organisation again I NTERPOL. Pacolli has said that this time he will take over the leadership of the task force for INTERPOL, as it expresses itself dissatisfied with the work done last year.

We remember that Kosovo failed to join INTERPOL in November 2018. In the first round, pro-membership voted 76 member states, meanwhile 56 opposed. In the second, Kosovo got worse, with only 68 votes, 51 against, meanwhile, 16 states abstained.

Pacolli, in an interview for Kosovapress, has been critical of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Kosovo Police, which he says have not done their job of securing the votes of states that have only recognised Kosovo. He has also spoken of the European Union's approach to Kosovo and the role of President Thaci in dialogue with Serbia, while believing that the US and Russia will not be directly involved in Kosovo dialogue -- Serbia.

“in INTERPOL (Kosovo) will apply this year normally. Now is the time when we are also preparing the terrain. You know it is a committee that puts Kosovo in the agenda. We're working with members of this executive committee. For us, it's a little comfortable because in Santiago of Chilo, it will be the next assembly and this country has not recognised us, but I have received written testimony from this state that it will not be an obstacle to Kosovo delegations. They can travel with Kosovo passports there, to do the daily work ahead of us”, Pacolli said.

According to him, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Police have not done their jobs even during their stay in Dubai.

“The states which have been decoupled, the states that had recognised Kosovo and cracked, have been the work of the Police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to visit the respective organs to these states and secure the votes. They have taken this job extremely lightly and have not worked with them, nor in their capitals, nor in the days when we were in Dubai. That makes me feel terrible. It's not everyone else's fault, but it's our fault. But, I will insist that in the next competition, I will lead the task force for INTERPOL and I take responsibility for this”, it is expressed.

He voiced confidence that this year will be of new recognitions for the state of Kosovo and of opening diplomatic offices.

“Must follow and new recognitions must come. There is no other way out. It is very interesting that recognitions come to the agreement with Serbia, because after the agreement with Serbia, practically, they are welcome but do not matter very much. Knowing that we are the first state in the region to have mostly diplomatic relations with international states. We have over 100 diplomatic relations with the countries of the world, and if they talk about states in the region, they are much less. Albania has over 60, Montenegro also, Macedonia, even less, and we feel very comfortable. This year, we continue with the opening of our” diplomatic offices, he said.

As for the meeting that the state team for dialogue with Serbia had with the EU's top representative, Federica Moghrini, Pacolli says to have seen another mood of EU representative, unlike the previous one when he spoke of taxing 100 per cent on Serbian goods.

I have seen a change in its course, towards constructiveity, and on the other hand, the Kosovo side had the opportunity to express its opinion. Of course, the next meeting should find Kosovo side with a defined platform. The topics are known, which we will talk about and the Kosovo side showed unity”, Kosovo's top diplomat said.

According to him, Kosovo's representation by the state team in the process does not minimalise the president's role.

The president's “Role in this dialogue has not been minimalised at all and is expected to be united in this spirit, so unified to move forward and I believe that in this way we are even stronger”, he said.