Kosovo’s Principal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Behgjet Pacolli, said that none of the countries of the region can impede or delay Kosovo’s membership at NATO.
During the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Adriatic Charter (A5) countries in Skopje, Pacolli said that process of Kosovo’s international integration is irreversible.
“I know that Bosnia is one of the countries that is impeding this membership. I want to ask my counterpart from Bosnia in front of you: why you do not want Kosovo to be included in this NATO anteroom? Does this fact cause internal or inter-ethnic problems for you? I do not believe it. Do you have any dissatisfaction with the treatment of the Bosnian minority in Kosovo? Why such a low level of relations? Because Serbia requests this? I think that you are wrong. And you should not be standing behind Serbia. Serbia has a certain level of relationship with Kosovo; it discusses in Brussels, there is a free movement of citizens,’ Pacolli said.
“What will you do when Serbia removes its veto for our membership at the UN? Doesn’t it seem not normal to you to pursue this step of Serbia, and then to act against us, no matter that we are close? I invite you to be visionary. We are small markets and small producers, in need of each other. We have early and current history of coexistence. Do not be late. If you are late, there will be no place for you in our markets tomorrow,” Pacolli added. He finally called on all NATO member countries present at this meeting: “Understand the symbolic importance of the news of membership at Adriatic Charter for our public opinion. Let us work together to encourage Kosovo’s public opinion with news that Kosovo is part of the western union countries and no one can change this,” Pacolli said.
Kosovo has the status of observer at the Adriatic Charter and its participation is based on this status.
At the end of the last year, the Ministerial Declaration endorsed in Zagreb, opened possibility of Kosovo’s membership with full rights.
