SPD spokesman: Germany to double support for Kosovo

In an interview for DW, said promoting Balkan integration into the EU is the only way to achieve stability in the region.

We need to monitor the situation in the Western Balkans daily and on continuous ground. Politics for this region should not be limited to economic promotion, but must remain an integral part of our foreign policy agenda. I am carefully following developments in Albania, Serbia and Kosovo. We are interested in the political situation being stable. For Kosovo, this specifically means that we want this state to become a member of the Council of Europe as soon as possible; from the perspective of the SPD [German Social Democrats], as soon as”, said Ahmetovic, broadcasts Periscope.

That when the German government will address the Kosovo issue in the Council of Europe, he said it cannot provide concrete dates.

“Can't give a specific date. But as a spokesperson for foreign policy of the SPS parliamentary group in Bundestag, I can clearly tell you that my colleague Frank Schwabe and I will commit to the SPD continuing in this direction. That is also true of the support of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe. I am very sorry that in the last term despite the coalition government among the Social Democrats, conservatives and greens this was not achieved. There was a strategic moment of use. Perhaps it would have been possible with more political pressure”, he said.

Asked to whom the pressure should be exerted, the SPD spokesman said that “the German government would have made more efforts to convince the Council of Europe member states”.

“There have been countries that have rejected Kosovo's accession [to the Council of Europe]. Germany has a huge weight in this organism and must exercise it with modest self - confidence. That didn't work last time. But we, the SPP parliamentary group, remain firm. Foreign Affairs Minister Johann Wadefhul, and the CSU parliamentary group. The CSU has clearly been expressed in favour of Kosovo's membership; we will remind them and ask them to account for”.

Ahmetovic is of the opinion that if the EU wants stability in the Western Balkans, it should push “out of the way ahead of the EU integration process for the six countries that have not yet joined this” bloc.

He says that “and Kosovo need a reliable and transparent perspective”.

NATO membership is at least as important as EU membership. Both the EU and NATO are essential to a life of peace, freedom and security. I can't exactly appreciate when this is gonna happen, but as an MP from the SPD, I'm going to keep fighting for this case. This also means that all six countries -- Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Northern Macedonia -- should do their homework”, the SPD's spokesman for foreign policy stressed.

Addis Ahmetovic also spoke of political stalemate in Kosovo, where even after nearly 50 attempts, MPs are failing to constitute the Parliament.

He said Albin Kurti's LVV is the SPD sister party, while not commenting on the situation as a phenomenon, but said the country needs a stable government and a functional parliament that can advance towards the KiE, “probably soon, even in NATO”.

“Keep close contact with the Kosovo government. We need a stable government action and a functional parliament. This is essential for all the following steps. Only if this continues to succeed will Kosovo be able to advance to the Council of Europe, the EU membership process and, perhaps soon, even to NATO. These processes are closely interconnected”, he stressed.