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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Status of Kosovo in World Customs Organisation disputable

Belgrade, 15 December 2017

The Serbian government stated that at an extraordinary meeting of the World Customs Organisation (SCO) Council in Brussels held on 14-15 December, it was decided to establish a working group to deal with the accessions into the organisation, including that of the so-called Kosovo, in accordance with the decisions of the Council of this organisation from July 2017.

The statement states that this means that the so-called Kosovo is still not voting and that its status is still considered disputable by about half of the members of the organisation who do not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo.

At the meeting it was decided that the working group, with conclusions and proposals, will address the Council at the next session in mid-2018, which should consider the accession of the so-called Kosovo into the World Customs Organization.

Until then, the status of the so-called Kosovo is considered controversial and, accordingly, frozen in this organization.

The Serbian government recalls that the so-called Kosovo tried to become a member in January this year by depositing instruments of accession to the Kingdom of Belgium, as the depositary of the Convention on the Establishment of the Customs Cooperation Council, contested by the Republic of Serbia and another half of the members of the World Customs Organization at the Council meeting in July this year when the so-called Kosovo was stripped off the right to vote.

As in July, at this Council meeting now in December, it was seen that the World Customs Organization is divided over the status of the so-called Kosovo.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office for Kosovo-Metohija and the Customs Administration at the December session of the Council of the World Customs Organization continued their joint engagement on preventing the illegitimate attempt to receive the so-called Kosovo into the World Customs Organization, the statement said.