Status advantage: What are Kosovo's rights at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly?

Most of the countries have voted for, one vote has been against, and 14 other countries have abstained, at the Assembly meeting, held in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has thanked member states that have approved the advancement of Kosovo's position and has said the future of the country leading it is in NATO.

This decision will ensure that the voice of the most proding people will be heard - NATO around the world. We will continue our efforts, together with the Allies, to advance on our path towards membership in NATO”, Osmani said through an X post, the platform previously known as Twitter.

“This news is especially appropriate, as it comes on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Kosovo's liberation, one of NATO's greatest achievements”, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote in X.

The chief of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, has said that advancing Kosovo's position has exposed all the dual policies of the West, claiming that “neither EU guarantees nor NATO is worth it when it comes to Serbs”.

“We are witnessing how much, especially recently, is exerting strong pressure on Serbia and the Serbian people, because it is clear that a strong Serbia led by Aleksandar Vuciq is the thorn in the leg for numerous Western powers”, Petkov has said through a statement.

A day earlier, the Serbian Parliament delegation has demanded through a letter that Kosovo not advance status.

In the Serbian Parliament's announcement, it is said to be a reward for Pristina, which, according to Belgrade, is doing everything to prevent dialogue between the two countries, being mediated by the European Union, and to avoid obligations from agreements reached in Brussels.

Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovo's independence, is constantly engaged in lobbying campaigns against Kosovo late even against its membership in the Council of Europe.

What is the NATO Parliamentary Assembly?

NATO's Parliamentary Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO, but serves as an important link between NATO and the parliaments of member states.

It consists of 281 delegates from all 32 NATO member states.

In addition, delegates from 9 associate countries, four associate Mediterranean countries, and eight parliamentary monitoring delegations are participating in its activities.

Association members can submit resolutions and changes to resolutions. Also, they can serve as special rapporteurs associated with the committees to present their prospects in NATO-The Parliamentary Assembly reports.

However, they have no right to vote for reports, resolutions or Assembly leadership, nor do they contribute to its budget.

Currently, associate members are nine between them and Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Kosovo Assembly, for years, is a two-seat monitoring delegation. Now, with the status advance, the Kosovo participating delegation could be expanded.

Kosovo, NATO

After Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kosovo authorities have called for accelerated NATO membership.

Kosovo's accelerated membership in NATO and the establishment of the permanent base of American forces are the responsibility for ensuring peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans and, more broadly,”, said then Minister of Defence in Kosovo Armend Mehaj.

NATO has not commented on this request of Kosovo, but has assured that its peacekeeping mission in the country, KFOR, “can immediately address any development that could affect the security situation”, reports the relief.

NATO forces have been present in Kosovo since June 1999, after the end of the war and the withdrawal of Serbian forces.

Kosovo borders three NATO member states -- Albania, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia.

In NATO ranks there are four states that still do not recognise Kosovo's independence: Greece, Spain, Romania and Slovakia.