Germany's Baerbock says Kosovo belongs in Council of Europe

DPA
·2 min read
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Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, walks through the Council of Europe building in the run-up to the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 46 member states is the supreme decision-making body of the Council of Europe. It currently meets once a year at ministerial level. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the political leaders in Kosovo to fulfil the conditions for admission to the Council of Europe as quickly as possible.

"Europe's youngest democracy, Kosovo, belongs in the Council of Europe," Baerbock said on Friday at a meeting of the Council of Europe's annual ministerial conference in the French city of Strasbourg.

"[I appeal] in particular to those responsible in Kosovo to ensure that all the conditions are created as quickly as possible so that we can achieve the necessary majority to admit Kosovo to the Council of Europe," she said.

Serbia is threatening to leave the first major European post-war organization if Kosovo becomes a member. One of the main points of contention between Serbia and Kosovo is progress on the creation of an association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.

The Council of Europe is committed to protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law through its court, the European Court of Human Rights.

Its 46 members include all 27 EU countries, as well as Britain and Turkey. It is therefore responsible for 680 million Europeans, stretching from from Greenland to Azerbaijan.

Baerbock said that the Council of Europe's appeal is also demonstrated by the fact that the organization is so attractive to young democracies.

Although the Council of Europe is not the best-known institution in Europe, it protects European democracies and human rights, she added.