Đurović: Pristina has not applied for membership in the Council of Europe (KIM Radio)
Pristina has not applied for membership in the Council of Europe, said head of the permanent delegation of the Serbian Parliament in the Assembly of the Council of Europe Aleksandra Đurović.
Đurović suspects they will bring this decision and said that Pristina authorities have been announcing this for two years.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi announced on Sunday that Pristina would once again apply for the membership in UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
Đurović perceived Thaci's announcement as a political message for the Kosovo's public.
According to her, a certain level of standards must be met for one country to become a member of the CoE, such as the rule of democracy and respect for human and minority rights.
Đurović said that Pristina in the struggle to enter the CoE had the open support of the countries that were sponsors of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo, primarily Great Britain, Albania, Turkey, France and Denmark.
Đurović had a bilateral meeting with the President of PACE Pedro Agramunt.
She explained Serbia's stance and told him why it is unacceptable for Serbia Kosovo’s participation in the plenary debate. She said that Agramunt has accepted the arguments and in order to try to reach a solution, he made a commitment to do some kind of negotiations with representatives of the Serbian Parliament and Assembly of Kosovo. Đurović pointed out that she would insist on the neutral position of the CoE to remain the same.