The Council of Europe has approved Kosovo's membership, expanding the Strasbourg-based organization to 47 members. Serbia has dubbed April 16th, the day of the council's vote, as a day of shame. The powder keg of the Western Balkans is on the verge of explosion.

The Serbian Foreign Minister labeled the endorsement of Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe as a disgrace, while the President of the Republic of Kosovo hailed it as a victory. "The day of shame is Tuesday when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved the report on Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe," emphasized Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in a statement following the vote. Meanwhile, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani expressed that "the voice of Europeans was finally heard." The region remains in a precarious state of tension.

The report supporting Kosovo's admission was backed by 131 of the 171 present representatives, with 29 voting against and 11 abstaining.

According to Serbia's head diplomat, this marks the first instance in history where a proposal has been made to accept "something that is not even a state," which also fails to meet the admission requirements regarding human and freedom rights.

Contrarily, it has been eleven years since the refusal to establish the Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo, a violation of their international obligations, conducting a policy of terror and ethnic cleansing against the Serbian people quoted from the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs broadcasted by Serbian Public Broadcasting (RTS).

SERBS RECEIVE GRAVE NEWS THREATENING THEIR NATIONAL EXISTENCE - VUCIC ASSURES: SERBIA WILL WIN!

"In the coming days, I will present all the challenges facing the population of Serbia. It will be difficult, the most challenging yet. We will fight. Serbia will win," stated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian Foreign Minister suggests that the decision was coerced by international superpowers, undermining the foundations of the Council of Europe and international legal order.

"What will they say about the principle of territorial integrity in the future when Serbia's territorial integrity has just been violated," he questioned, adding that Serbia will continue to fight with all its might against the approval of this decision by the Council of Ministers on May 16.

"We will see the worth of the international community's promise made to President Aleksandar Vucic that Kosovo will not be admitted to the Council of Europe until it forms the Community of Serbian Municipalities. Perhaps this, too, will turn out to be a lie," stated Ivica Dacic.

Conversely, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani believes that the European voice was finally heard in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and that only one step remains for membership in the organization. The Kosovar president thanked all who voted for Kosovo's admission and continually support the Kosovar people on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Belgrade has yet to recognize. Over a hundred countries have since acknowledged the predominantly Albanian former Serbian province's independence. The normalization of relations between them remains a precondition for their European integration. In 2013, Brussels-mediated discussions aimed at resolving their relationship began, but significant progress on key issues remains elusive.