PACE did not make “Kosovo’s nightmare” come true
The leadership of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was afraid to appoint the Russian senator from the Tambov region Alexey Kondratyev as the new rapporteur on Kosovo. German Bundestag member Peter Bayer received this position today.
The German MP openly holds pro-American views, advocates maintaining the existing borders between Kosovo and Serbia, and also supports the liberalization of the EU visa regime for Kosovo.
It is obvious that the PACE decision was influenced by the hysteria thrown by the leadership and media of Kosovo in connection with the possible appointment of Kondratiev.
“Alexey Kondratyev is a new nightmare for Kosovo” – these were the headlines of articles in a number of Pristina newspapers.
“Kondratieff is a national security threat to Kosovo and we will not accept his candidacy or cooperate with his possible appointment. We need to think twice before taking such a step,” Kosovo’s outgoing Foreign Minister Behdjet Pacolli tweeted.
The head of Kosovo's mission to the Council of Europe, Mimosa Ahmetaj, also expressed concern about Kondratiev's possible appointment: “A man who was forced to leave Kosovo many years ago due to involvement in a crime intends to return.”
As the Serbian publication Blic found out, Alexey Kondratiev is a permanent member of the Council of Europe Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and the Arab World. From 1999 to 2001, Alexey Kondratyev took part in the KFOR peacekeeping mission as part of an international force led by NATO.
Pristina's discontent stems from the fact that Kondratiev was suspected of involvement in a mass brawl in a local bar in 2001. After which he was forced to leave the service. In this regard, a lengthy trial was held in Kosovo, ending in early 2019. The court in Kosovo was unable to prove that Kondratiev was involved in the incident.
Alexey Kondratiev is a frequent visitor to Belgrade. This year he spoke at one of the rallies marking the anniversary of the NATO bombing.
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