Pantic Pilja: PACE report on Kosovo elections more objective than before, highlights irregularities

The head of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Biljana Pantic Pilja, stated that the report on the elections in Kosovo held on 28 December last year—one of the topics discussed at the PACE session in Strasbourg—was significantly more objective than previous reports and that she was surprised by its tone, as reported by Euronews Serbia.

“The report notes that the electoral process was generally conducted in an orderly manner, but it also highlights irregularities and manipulations, particularly concerning the Srpska lista. It was also pointed out that holding the elections in December was not appropriate, and that the campaign lasted only 12 days, with concerns expressed that elections could be held again in June. Therefore, this time there was no praise directed at Albin Kurti,” Pantic Pilja said.

She added that it was particularly important to her that Dora Bakoyannis, who had been the rapporteur for the earlier report on Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe, also took part in the discussion.

She emphasized that Bakoyannis delivered very sharp criticism of Albin Kurti and the electoral process, as well as expressing concern over the fact that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities has not been established for 13 years.

“It is also very important to me that, this time, all members of the Serbian delegation—regardless of political affiliation—presented a unified position and spoke with one voice about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. This is not often the case, but this time we all clearly pointed to the position of the Serbian people and the developments there,” Pantic Pilja stressed.

She added that there are still countries lobbying for Kosovo to become a member of the Council of Europe, and that their delegations and representatives continue to seek meetings.

“Some have been received, some have not, but overall these efforts are ongoing. However, it is noticeable that criticism is now much louder, even from those who were previously more sympathetic,” she said.

Pantic Pilja conveyed that in her address in Strasbourg she emphasized that respect for international law cannot be selective, nor can respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of some states be demanded while denying it in the case of Serbia.

She warned that the United Nations Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244 must be respected, as well as the Brussels Agreement, while the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities remains an obligation that has not been fulfilled for 13 years.

“When it comes to reactions to our positions, they were not surprising, as they are accustomed to the Serbian delegation consistently pointing to the situation of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and to violations of human rights. Our goal is to ensure that this issue is continuously raised within the Council of Europe, as it is an institution committed to democracy and human rights. We also pointed to the large number of attacks on the Serbian population, as well as daily pressures and violations of rights,” Pantic Pilja concluded.