The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted in favour of the report on Kosovo's membership of the organisation, the Albanian Post reports.
The vote to approve the report of the rapporteur on Kosovo in the Council of Europe, Dora Bakoyani, was 131 in favour, 29 against and 11 abstentions.
Prior to the approval of the report, the PACE rejected all amendments proposed by Serbia.
To become a full member of the Council of Europe, Kosovo has only one step: the vote of the Council of Foreign Ministers in May.
"The Parliamentary Assembly says YES to Kosovo. We are one step closer and just one step away from Council of Europe membership," Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote on Facebook.
"The next and final stage that awaits us is the ministerial in May. Since the Committee of Ministers has not taken a decision different from the Opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 1951, we believe that the next phase will also be successfully completed. However, our work will continue," he added.
Kurti stressed that democracy, the rule of law and human rights will benefit from Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
"And with Kosovo there, the Council of Europe is gaining a new and vibrant democracy where the law reigns and human rights are respected," he stressed. / BGNES
