What is NATO's AP, and what happens to the associate status granted to Kosovo in Sofia today?

NATO's Parliamentary Assembly approved today the recommendation for advancing Kosovo's status by observer members to associate members.

NATO's AP consists of 281 delegates from the 32 NATO member states. Each delegation is based on the size of the country and reflects the political composition of parliament, thus representing a broad spectrum of political opinion. Delegates are appointed by the respective parliaments.

In addition to NATO countries delegates, NATO Parliamentary Assembly activities include delegates from now 9 associate countries, four associated Mediterranean countries, as well as 8 parliamentary monitoring delegations, bringing the total number of delegates to around 362.

Kosovo today is among the associate countries. Members like Kosovo have no right to vote for the reports, Assembly resolutions or leadership, nor do they contribute to the Assembly budget.

Countries with such status can participate in almost all activities of the Committee and Subcommittee, all Rose-Roth seminars and plenary sessions. At the plenary hearings, associate members can present resolutions and changes to resolutions. They can also serve as Special Rapporteurs Associated on Committees to present their prospects.

Kosovo's membership in NATO is highlighted as the country's top priority in the field of defence and security, but this process is due to procedural connection with the status that was advanced to the AP of the Atlantic Alliance.

The Kosovo government had expressed a desire to apply for membership in the NATO Partnership for Peace programme aimed at establishing co-operation between member states and non-member states.

The government had established a task force to prepare to apply on this programme. But to join, the rules are the same as for NATO membership: reconciliation of all NATO member states is required. Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Romania are Alliance member states that do not recognise Kosovo.

15 of the 35 states that participated in the programme later joined NATO. So was the case with Albania, Croatia, northern Macedonia and Montenegro.

Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been part of this programme since 2006, but are NATO members.