Antonijevic: Politically, it wouldn't be a good decision to admit Kosovo to the CoE and then let it fulfill obligations

Lawyer Milan Antonijevic says for Kosovo Online that yesterday's recommendation from the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is a political decision, and he hopes that in the coming period before this issue comes before the PACE, issues such as the CSM and respect for rights in Kosovo will be problematized, as well as others such as excessive use of force in police actions, and all issues related to property rights.

"The issue of Visoki Decani has been resolved after so many years, and we cannot say that it is a success of the system in Kosovo and the rule of law; rather, it is obviously coerced as a minimum that Kosovo was willing to give at the moment when it is trying to lobby to be admitted to full membership in the CoE. All these issues related to respecting minority and human rights, primarily the obligations that Kosovo undertook in the Brussels dialogue, such as forming the CSM, from the perspective of Serbia and a large number of countries, are a precondition for discussing whether Kosovo can or cannot become a full member of the CoE," Antonijevic said.

When asked whether Kosovo should be expected to fulfill its obligations once it was admitted to the CoE, primarily regarding the CSM, just because Kosovar officials stated in a letter to the CoE rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, that they were aware of Kosovo's obligations, Antonijevic says that politically, it would not be a good decision to admit Kosovo and then let it fulfill the obligations it undertook ten years ago regarding the CSM, property rights, or other issues.

"Instead, we should talk about whether Kosovo is ready to fulfill its obligations, and then the issue of its full membership before the CoE should be considered by the PACE. Parallel to this, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina should continue because this comes halfway through that process and can jeopardize the dialogue itself and reaching a comprehensive agreement that both Belgrade and Pristina are waiting for, especially the citizens in the north and enclaves, namely the Serbs whose rights are endangered every day and who do not expect any concessions from Kosovo but pressure on Kosovo to respect its international obligations, human rights, and everything else that the Council of Europe typically deals with before membership in that organization," Antonijevic concludes.