-
.
- Ελληνικά
In the context of the work of the 2nd Session 2024 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Plenary adopted yesterday by a majority vote the Opinion of the CSCE on the issue of Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe (CoE), whose rapporteur is the head of the Greek delegation to the CSCE, Mrs. Dora Bakoyannis. 131 Members voted in favour of the Opinion, while 29 Members voted against it and 11 abstained. The members of the Cypriot delegation, Mr Giorgos Loukaidis and Ms Christiana Erotokritou, voted against the Opinion.
In his intervention in the debate, MEP George Loukaides said that the positive recommendation of the CSCE for the inclusion of Kosovo in the CoE essentially makes it easier for the competent body, the Committee of Ministers, to take the final decision. Mr. Loucaides opposed the positive recommendation, arguing that Kosovo's accession to the Organization does not serve the goal of peace, stability and security in the Western Balkans, but on the contrary, such a development could potentially trigger further tension and lead to the rise of nationalism in this particularly troubled region. Mr. Lukaides also pointed out that the points highlighted in the Opinion, as well as in other recommendations of the Agency regarding Kosovo's shortcomings on a number of issues, including the non-establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities, the failure to regulate property expropriations as foreseen in the Ahtissari Plan and insufficient progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, should have been resolved before the request for membership in the Agency was considered, in order to provide an incentive to accelerate the necessary reforms and resolve outstanding issues. As the main reason for his opposition to the acceptance of Kosovo's request for membership of the CoE, Mr Loucaides suggested the risk of setting a negative precedent as other illegal secessionist entities may seek international recognition. We must, Mr. Loucaides stressed, defend in all cases the international legitimacy, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states.
In her statement, Councillor Christiana Erotokritou underlined as a matter of principle that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally recognised states should never be compromised. Ms. Erotokritou warned that accepting the membership of entities that have unilaterally declared independence and are not members of the United Nations creates a dangerous precedent, especially in today's extremely unstable international environment. While acknowledging that the implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo on the Visoki Dečani Monastery is a positive step, the Cypriot MP pointed out, however, that key issues remain outstanding, such as the regulation of land expropriation cases by the authorities in Kosovo, the creation of the Union of Serbian Municipalities and ensuring respect for the rights of minorities. Finally, he noted that the ex-post monitoring of Kosovo by the CSTO on issues related to democratic institutions, human rights and the rule of law will become a much more difficult and time-consuming task after accession.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
