Reports showed for “serious corruption” in his government, Kurti surprised: Síi had quoted these organizations, if they did, would have to praise Kosovo

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in an interview for DW, has said he is optimistic that Kosovo will successfully pass even the final phase of membership in the Council of Europe.

Kurti has talked about the EU countries' application for Kosovo to establish association and the report of the American State Department that has had criticism of governance in Kosovo.

 DW: Mr. Prime Minister, how optimistic are you that Kosovo will be admitted to the Council of Europe in May?

Albin Kurti: According to the rankings of prestigious international organisations, we have made progress. We add to this the fact that we have successfully passed to the ambassadorial meeting on April 24th of last year and the assembly of parliamentarians on April 16th of this year, and the report has not envisioned preconditions or conditions that we have not met. I am also optimistic about the meeting of the Council of Europe Council of Ministers mid-May for the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the Council of Europe.

SUG: However, there are still doubts that the decision will be postponed. What contribution can Germany make specifically in your opinion?

Kurti: First, I have to thank the German deputies for helping us so much and working generously and unreservedly, and I would especially have stressed Frank Schwabe and Knut Abraham, who delivered talks at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe session on April 16th. But this strong support for the Republic of Kosovo by 131 votes for, compared to 29 per cent against, 82 per cent in support of our country, would have to be reflected in the Council of Ministers as well. Therefore, we are working to have Germany on the Council of Ministers reflect its positive will among others. We are helping Germany to help us and thus Kosovo become a 47th member of the Council of Europe.

DW: On the other hand, European Chancellors are urged to establish the majority Serbian Communist Association. How are you managing this pressure?

Kurti: We want to eliminate some scepticism, which may exist eventually by mid-May, but we are on our own. Let us not forget that the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo provides broad rights for minorities, particularly for the Serb one. And we don't deny that our ancestors have made an agreement on the Association of Serbian municipalities, but all should be in line with the legality, constitutionality, public interest of the republic and in protecting the rights of Serbian citizens. Thus, Ahtisaari's plan has also seen a kind of intercommunal co-operation, but far from what Belgrade has asked for, both in Bosnia, which is now also the international factor, Europeans and Americans, of course, in light of what consequences it caused in Bosnia. So, we don't reduce the rights of the Serb minority into a formulation of association, but at the same time we don't deny that this association was signed by my ancestors, Thaci and Mustafa, one before 11 years and the other 9 years ago.

DW: Gerald Knaus, from European Stability Initiative, calls the realisation of association in the current impossible conditions, because the desire of Serbian municipalities to realise it is lacking. Is this what you too are communicating in Europe?

Kurti: Mr. Knaus starts by democratic principle that democracy comes from below. You can't impose your community. What if the municipalities don't want association? So his opinion is very sound, but their opinion (of the Serb minority, Red.) is still unknown. So he's right in this regard, but all of these are dealing with. I believe the foreign ministers of the Council of Europe member states in Kosovo have a partner that aims not only to benefit from the Council of Europe but to contribute. Because rule of law, human rights, democracy in Kosovo are not only the best in the region, but even better than in some European Council member states.

DW: However, Westerners' demand for Association remains. Do you have a draft?

Kurti: I've proposed to write the draft on March 18th in Ohrid, but that is not accepted. This has been rejected by Serbia. Now, the Association of Serb Majority municipalities is within Article 10 of 39 agreements my ancestors made to the basic agreement. I don't think it's okay for the Association to be removed from the basic agreement, placed in the center as a priority, and for the basic agreement to be forwarded to the background. All of this is part of the discussion we're having. We support Mrs. Dora Bakoyanis' report, which has been the foreign affairs minister of Greece, of a state that continues to be non-recognitional, and has clearly said that dialogue for normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which has an agreement being violated by Serbia, should not be confused with Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, for which we have fulfilled all preconditions.

DW: A current issue addressed during the week in Brussels is that of the dinar. How are you handling this problem?

Kurti: Adjusting Kosovo's Central Bank is a regulation of an independent institution. Serbia is not concerned about stopping the dinar, because the dinar is not being banned but the dinar is being banned as a payment tool, and that is the request of Article 11 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo: She's got trouble stopping for cash. And we, to have transparency of who sent money for what purpose, fully support this BEC regulation, which is the independent institution of the Republic of Kosovo, while for the modalities of how it can be implemented and functional without any consequences are dialogue in Brussels and I think that they are on the right track to find a solution that enables smooth transition to this regulation, which is not only the right of the Central Bank of Kosovo, but is the right regulation for the good of citizens.

DW: You said that Kosovo is one of the countries where human rights and rule of law are the most advanced in the region. The U.S. State Department's latest report, however, speaks of serious problems with the independence of judicial institutions and media integration. How did you comment on the report?

Kurti: There is, of course, some criticism for us, but if you look at the 2019 report, today Kosovo has remarkable progress and what I'm surprised is that in the U.S. State Department report, Freedom House was not quoted as Transparency International, and if cited, Kosovo would have to be praised.