The National Assembly is hosting the meeting of the Sub-Committee on the Western Balkans of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in Belgrade on 10 and 11 October 2024.
Session I – Regional developments and security challenges in the Western Balkans was opened and moderated by the head of the National Assembly delegation to PACE Biljana Pantic Pilja, who stressed that meetings such as this one are an important platform, not only for promoting dialogue between the countries of the Western Balkans, but for strengthening ties with the international community as well. She added that in a world full of challenges, regional cooperation is key to preserving peace, economic development and achieving a European perspective for all the countries in the region, expressing her belief that this meeting would contribute to the further integration of the Western Balkans into European structures, with full respect for diversity and common values.
National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marina Ragus pointed out that it is important to openly discuss all the challenges accompanying the regional security dynamics in the Western Balkans and stressed that peace and stability should be a single narrative, which is difficult with the ongoing war on the territory of Europe.
Ragus emphasised that Serbia's positions are well-known - respect for international public law and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each state, and that there must be no double standards, because that would open a "Pandora's box".
She went on to say that the membership of the entire region in the European Union would be the only real way to solve the security challenges in the Western Balkans.
The National Assembly Deputy Speaker reminded the attending that the Brussels Agreement was signed, with the mediation and guarantee of the EU, in 2013, with Serbia's desire for sustainable peace and coexistence with the Albanians, but that the other side did not fulfil its obligation - the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, which is fundamental for the life of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.
Marina Ragus said that the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija lack basic human and civil rights, that they do not have the right to profess their religion, to their currency, to education, and that there are daily attacks on Serbian institutions. "South of Mitrovica, Serbs live in a ghetto, in the 21st century they cannot visit monasteries without being accompanied by foreign soldiers," emphasised Marina Ragus in her speech.
Dialogue is the only way to resolve open issues and Serbia will always respond to dialogue, said Ragus, pointing out that special attention should be paid to protecting the rights of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, with insistence on respecting international law.
Peace and stability are prerequisites for regional development, concluded Marina Ragus in her address.
This was followed by a discussion on regional development and security challenges in the Western Balkans. To the words of the member of the Albanian parliamentary delegation, Lulzim Basha - "why are you preventing the Serbs in Kosovo from enjoying the benefits of the European Court of Human Rights", the Head of the National Assembly delegation Biljana Pantic Pilja replied that the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija enjoy all the rights of the European Court of Human Rights, like all the citizens of the Republic of Serbia, she asked her fellow parliamentarians not to follow double standards but to respect international law, at least while they are in Belgrade. Pantic Pilja stressed that they keep forgetting the Brussels Agreement and the failure to fulfil the duty of forming the Community of Serb Municipalities. She stressed that Kosovo-Metohija is an entity that cannot become a member of the Council of Europe because it is not a state, but an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Serbia.
During the discussion, the member of the National Assembly delegation to PACE, Aleksandar Mirkovic, asked why Serbia is being asked to recognise independence, if everything has been resolved on the issue of Kosovo-Metohija. He also asked which of the conditions so-called Kosovo fulfils in order to be a member of the Council of Europe. Mirkovic assessed that this move opened a “Pandora's box” and that now the question arises as to what will happen to the claims of the other entities after this case. He pointed out that global peace, which everyone is calling for, is not possible without peace in each country individually. Mirkovic invited those present to visit Kosovo-Metohija in order to see how the Serbian people live and stated that four days ago an elderly married couple was brutally beaten and robbed, for which no one is still held accountable. Serbs live in agony every day. "If you want the other side of the coin, listen to the Serbs from Kosovo-Metohija," emphasised Aleksandar Mirkovic at the end of his address.
