Kosovo to apply for membership in Council of Europe

Kosovo will submit a request for membership in the Council of Europe (CoE) "during this month, at the latest in January," Beta reported on Friday.

This was announced Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj.

Citing the website Lajmi, the agency reported that Hoxhaj said that if the request were submitted now, Kosovo could join the CoE "within two years."

He added that during that period, this institution "will mainly be chaired by countries that recognized Kosovo's independence."

"The Council of Europe, after the European Union, is one of the most important organizations in Europe, and we are the only ones in the region who are not its part. There are four countries that have recognized Kosovo and that are presiding," Hoxhaj is quoted as saying during a government session.

According to him, "Kosovo should show that it has stable institutions, that it is...