1 June 2010
Former Europe Minister Denis MacShane MP has urged the Council of Europe to invite Kosovan parliamentarians to take part in Council of Europe meetings.
Speaking at the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe in Paris (1 June) MacShane said members of Kosovo's parliament, including Serbs, should be invited to Strasbourg to see how fellow European parliamentarians discussed and decided contentious issues.
"69 members of the United Nations have now recognised Kosovo including all the world's major democracies and 33 Council of Europe members have recognised Kosovo," MacShane told Council of Europe members.
"The Council of Europe invites non-member states to take part in some of its discussions and allows non-state political actors access and speaking rights in some of its work. It is logical to extend the same invitation to our friends in Kosovo and I hope the Council of Europe can make arrangements to increase cooperation and contacts with Kosovo's elected politicians," MacShane added.