Pantic Pilja: Kosovo's request for special guest status in PACE is not on the proposed agenda; such status is for states

The head of the Serbian delegation in the Council of Europe, Biljana Pantic Pilja, told Kosovo Online that Kosovo’s request to upgrade its status within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from "other delegation" to "special guest" is not currently on the proposed agenda of the PACE’s Political Committee, whose January session begins on Monday.

Kosovo had sent a letter to PACE’s Political Committee in December requesting special guest status, but the matter was not included in the agenda then either.

"It is important to us that this does not happen, and we have pointed this out to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. We have shown all possible diplomatic activity and received great support from President Aleksandar Vucic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explaining why such a development would not be good. Primarily, because the status of a special guest can only be granted to a state, and Kosovo and Metohija is not a state – it is an entity, and this is something we regularly emphasize," Pantic Pilja said.

She notes that granting Kosovo this status at this moment would be ideal for Albin Kurti, given that the election campaign for the elections scheduled for February 9 is underway, however, she says that this issue could further divide PACE.

"This is not the time for Kosovo to receive such a reward, especially during an election campaign and given the frequent human rights violations against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. But the biggest issue here is the matter of status – Kosovo is not a state, and the status of a special guest is granted to states. While their legal and formal position within PACE would not change much, it would still signify that they have advanced to a higher level, and they would use this in their campaign. 'Special guest' is a category recognized by the Rules of Procedure, while 'other delegation' does not exist in PACE’s Rules. Therefore, this would give them momentum for their further lobbying to become full members of the Council of Europe," Pantic Pilja explained.

According to her, Serbia has garnered significant understanding among PACE member states on this issue, particularly receiving support from delegates from Hungary and Spain, as well as others.

"The chairman of the Political Committee, where this matter is to be discussed, deferred the topic in December for January. Since it is still not on the agenda, I think this sends a clear signal to Kurti that they are dissatisfied with his unilateral actions and non-compliance with previously signed international agreements. The Brussels Agreement and the Community of Serb Municipalities are topics that all members of our delegation regularly mention. These were among the reasons outlined in our letter, in which we argued that they should not continue to receive rewards while not participating in dialogue and while the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are constantly being violated," she explained.

If Kosovo were to succeed in securing special guest status in PACE at some point in the future, Pantic Pilja believes this could potentially influence the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which has the final say on Kosovo's request to become a full member of the organization.

"Although PACE, unfortunately, has explicitly stated its recommendation for Kosovo's membership, this would be another step in their favor. They could then argue, ‘Look, we are already recognized, now we just need full membership in the Council of Europe.’ This would indeed provide significant momentum for so-called Kosovo to achieve full membership, and I believe this would then be viewed more favorably. That is why it is crucial for us to monitor every such step and to fight diplomatically to prevent this from happening," Pantic Pilja concluded.