Great Britain: Kosovo acceptable to Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international human rights organisation, democracy and rule of law, headquartered in Strasbourg, France.

In a debate held at the initiative of Great Britain at Council of Europe headquarters, Howell demanded that the Kosovo membership issue be separated from progress in Kosovo's dialogue with Serbia, which is mediated by the European Union (BE).

Kosovo should not be held hostage in relation to progress in the EU-led dialogue. We must show that the Council of Europe is separate from the European Union and that it has its own values and principles on the basis of which the decisions” are made, Howell said in his address.

During the session, Albania, Northern Macedonia and Croatia supported Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, while Serbia called on members to reject Kosovo's request.

Kosovo has submitted membership application to the Council of Europe in May 2022.

Serbia opposes Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe and other international institutions and organisations, and is actively campaigning to attract recognitions of Kosovo's independence.

In this campaign, Serbia has allied Russia, which was expelled from the Council of Europe in March 2022 because of Ukraine's invasion.

Without Russia, two-thirds of its member states recognise Kosovo's independence.

If it is taken into account that the decisions behave with most of the member states' votes, the possibility of Kosovo joining the Council of Europe is real.

During the debate, members of the Council of Europe's Assembly expressed concern for tensions in relations between Serbia and Kosovo and the role of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in the situation.

If so, we should be aware of this and take concrete steps”, said Great Britain's representative, John Howell. /rel