Kosovo Expects Victory in Interpol Membership Bid

As the general assembly of the international criminal police organization, Interpol, prepares to vote on Kosovo's membership in Dubai, politicians from both Kosovo and Serbia are hoping their conflicting plans will be confirmed.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli jetted on Sunday to Dubai in a final push to convince member states to support Kosovo's bid.

Speaking from Dubai, Pacolli sounded optimistic.

"We are hours away from an important moment. I believe the vote in favour of Kosovo is a deserved one because Kosovo is being consolidated as a state," he said.

"Being an Interpol member is extremely important. I consider that after the declaration of [Kosovo's] independence, this is the most important moment so far and we have dedicated a lot of efforts to preparatory work for this event," he added.

"As an Interpol member, Kosovo will be part of the security system in the international sphere and it will be easier for us to fight crime. Kosovo will no longer be a black hole and European security will be more sustainable."

In Prishtina, Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli criticized Serbia's efforts to block Kosovo's application.

"I don't want to talk before having the job done. We are very optimistic but Serbia is playing a destructive role by trying to harm Kosovo. However, they will not succeed," Veseli told the media on Monday.

"It is not correct for Serbia to campaign against Kosovo [membership]… Serbia plans to benefit from its accusations that Kosovo is a nest of terrorism but it will not succeed," he added.

The Times reported on November 17 that Russian official and Interpol's Vice-Chair for Europe since 2016, Alexander Prokopchuk, is the favourite to be the next head of Interpol,...