If it turns out that UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo applied for membership in UNESCO, it opens up a new political game, where the UN organization in a direct way interfered with the relationship between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, positioning itself on the side of Kosovo Albanians.
Serbian Ambassador to UNESCO Darko Tanasković said that Pristina’s request for membership in UNESCO was sent through UNMIK, by which this international mission in Kosovo violated its competencies.
Whether UNMIK really stepped out from its mandate and what are the consequences?
Dusan Proroković from the Forum for strategic relations recalls that UNMIK can only represent provisional authorities in Pristina and not to apply for membership in an international organization on their behalf. “If you remember, the agreement on free trade, CEFTA, was signed with the entity – UNMIK-Kosovo. At these meetings representative from Pristina was accompanied with UNMIK representative. The question is what Serbia has done in regards to it,.. i.e. whether Serbia sent the complaint to the Security Council and letter to UNMIK for the clarification of its position,” says Proroković for Sputnik.
What is the role of UNMIK?
We didn’t receive an answer to the question we sent to UNMIK, but the president of the Serbian List Aleksandar Jablanovic in an interview with Sputnik said he would be very surprised if UNMIK did it.
“We were not consulted about this topic. If it turns out that UNMIK, indeed, on behalf of Kosovo, applied for admission to UNESCO, it opens a new theme and a new political game. In that game the UN organization in a direct way interfered in the relationship between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, standing on the side of the Kosovo Albanians, without consultation with Serbian representatives. I hope that soon we will discuss that issue with relevant people from UNMIK, which is the only regular UN institution in Kosovo and which functions on the principle of Resolution 1244,” said Jablanović.
He reminds that the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo is a subject to protection of UNESCO, and that to a large extent it is owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbs and Republic of Serbia. Jablanović says that he is very concerned about the fact that the government in Pristina did not consult its coalition partner, the Serbian List, about this important move. “Serbian Ministers in Kosovo government must have a right to decide on such important topic. If we allow that every minister in its ministry works and behaves as it is their personal property, then we will not get anywhere,” he says, adding that he is aware that the process of application for UNESCO, itself, present big political plus for Albanian Ministers.
