Kosovo’s President Fjoza Osmani on Friday called for her country to be granted membership in the United Nations and to end the mandate of the UN Interim Mission to run UNMIK.
-Advertisement-
This came during a session currently being held by the Security Council to discuss the periodic report of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the situation in Kosovo.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and so far, only 97 of the 193 members of the United Nations have recognized it as a sovereign state.
“We consider the United Nations and its agencies and membership in it as an essential pillar in our path in order to promote peace and stability in our country, the region, and the world,” Osmani said.
She added, “My country’s membership in this international organization is of paramount importance to us, and represents a fundamental pillar of our foreign policy.”
And she added: “We invite you to come to our country and speak with our people who want to join the United Nations family.”
-Advertisement-
She stated that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia “should be between two equal parties, aimed at mutual recognition and improving the lives of citizens in the two countries.”
And she warned against “Serbian cancer located in the heart of Europe, which feeds on fascist tendencies to create a Serbian world allied with Russia and derives help from it,” as she put it.
She added, “If we do not wake up quickly to this fact, we will face a new Serbian aggression against our country.”
On the UNMIK mission, the President of Kosovo stated that “the conditions in which this mission was established have now changed, which calls for a reconsideration of the continuation of its current mandate.”
On 10 June 1999, the Security Council adopted a resolution establishing the Mission to administer Kosovo temporarily, granting all legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the country.
-Advertisement-
Following Kosovo’s declaration of independence, the Security Council made significant adjustments to the mission’s mission to focus primarily on strengthening security, stability, and respect for human rights in the country.
