The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that the process of normalizing relations with Serbia should not be mixed with the issue of Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe (CoE).

If they mix, Kurti said, harm would be caused to the dialogue for the normalization of relations that takes place in Brussels, and to the Council of Europe as “the institution of preservation and promotion of democracy and human rights”.

According to a statement issued by his office, Kurti made these comments in a meeting with representatives of QUINT countries: the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France.

“The Prime Minister recalled that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia takes place in Brussels and not in Strasbourg” and that “the process of membership in the Council of Europe is a matter of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law – these are the values ​​that the Republic of Kosovo embraces”, says in the statement to the media.

In recent days, there have been reports that France and Germany are preparing to block Kosovo’s admission to the Council of Europe, as a result of a campaign by the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.