Pantic Pilja: Serbia will consistently defend its national interests

The head of Serbia’s parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Biljana Pantic Pilja, emphasized that one of the key outcomes of the Committee of Ministers session of the Council of Europe was that Kosovo’s application for membership was once again not placed on the agenda. According to her, this represents an important diplomatic signal and a clear confirmation that the necessary consensus among member states on this initiative has not been reached.

At the 134th annual meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, held on 14 May 2025 in Luxembourg, the Serbian delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric.

Pantic Pilja noted that, given the recent developments within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the ongoing efforts to secure institutional presence for representatives of the institutions in Pristina, it is evident that certain circles will attempt once again to revive the initiative to grant Kosovo the status of special guest.

“Particular attention is being directed toward the upcoming meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, scheduled for 26 and 27 May on Crete, under the chairmanship of the Greek delegation,” stated Pantic Pilja.

She added that although the matter is not formally on the agenda of the upcoming meeting, special attention is being paid to the fact that the author of the report recommending Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe is Dora Bakoyannis, the head of the Greek delegation to PACE.

“The delegation of the Republic of Serbia will, as always, participate in the work of the Political Committee in full capacity, consistently and convincingly advocating for the state and national interests, as well as the principles of international law, including UN Security Council Resolution 1244, while highlighting the inadmissibility of attempts to institutionalize the unilaterally declared status of the so-called Kosovo,” Pantic Pilja stressed.