47 again? Russia out, Kosovo in

www.esiweb.org 2 International Court of Justice In October 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations turned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague with a simple question: “Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?” In July 2010, the ICJ concluded that “the declaration of. [...] On a visit of the Kosovo prime minister to Paris in June 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron stated: “Kosovo, like all the countries of the Western Balkans, has the vocation, when the time comes and when the conditions are fully met, to join the European Union.” Joining the Council of Europe – and thereby accepting the European Convention on Human Rights – has always been required before joinin. [...] Which raises the question: who makes German foreign policy? On 4 May, the German government answered a question on this by a German member of PACE: Andreas Michaelis, state secretary in the Foreign Ministry, made clear that “The Federal Government supports the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the Council of Europe.” www.esiweb.org . [...] And we remain at 47.” Knut Abraham of the CDU, member of the foreign affairs and the human rights committees in the Bundestag, asked in a press statement “the federal government to support the membership of Kosovo in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe”. [...] Konstantin Kuhle of the liberal FDP also endorsed Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe as “an important contribution to stability in the Western Balkans.” Following Kosovo’s application, Germany’s Ambassador to Kosovo tweeted that he was “looking forward to seeing Kosovo as part of the Council of Europe @coe family” and wished “all the best for the membership bid!” Manuel Sarrazin, the Ger.