Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee blocked the Agreement on Kosovo’s membership in the Board of Peace

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Kosovo Parliament did not approve today the Agreement on Kosovo’s membership in the Board of Peace due to disagreements between MPs of the ruling majority and the opposition. Committee members failed to agree on paragraph 2 of Article 2 of the proposed agreement, which addresses the main objective of the Board of Peace, so it was decided to form a Working Group to amend that article, Kosova Press reports.

The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee from Self-Determination, Arbereshe Kryeziu-Hyseni, said that forming a Working Group is necessary in order to reformulate that paragraph, as it is important to clarify that it concerns ensuring sustainable peace in areas affected by or at risk of conflict.

According to her, this does not mean they are against the agreement, nor that they deny former Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani credit for her commitment, but rather that all provisions of the agreement must be clarified.

She added that it must also be assessed whether it is in line with the laws and directives of the European Union.

“The adoption of international agreements is a procedure in parliament, and the sponsor of this agreement is the former President of Kosovo, and no one denies that fact. She signed and confirmed Kosovo’s participation in the Board of Peace. That part of the agreement we received is fine. It has only four articles, but there is one significant paragraph in this proposal that contains a total of 10 sentences. However, the sentence in Article 2, paragraph 2 is problematic and needs to be improved. I think there are issues in the wording. We must know which government is being referred to and which conflicts we mean, because there are currently many conflicts in the world,” Kryeziu-Hyseni said.

LDK MP Lutfi Haziri pointed out that it is known there were differences between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and former President Vjosa Osmani regarding Kosovo’s membership in the Board of Peace.

However, Kryeziu-Hyseni maintained that their position has nothing to do with that.

PDK MP Ilmi Recica pointed to the need to adopt the agreement, saying that the Board of Peace goes beyond European dimensions.

AAK MP Time Kadrijaj said that Kosovo should feel privileged to have received an invitation for membership in the Board of Peace.

The committee decided that the Working Group will meet next week to harmonize and agree on the Draft Law on the ratification of the Agreement on Kosovo’s membership in the Board of Peace.

US President Donald Trump launched the Board of Peace initiative, which was formalized by a signing ceremony of its statute on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year.

Among the first signatories was then Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.