• Scott: Tariff should be lifted so dialogue can resume (media)
• Pacolli: Kosovo, Albania are pillars of Euro-Atlantic spirit in the region (media)
• Moscow: Albania-Kosovo joint diplomatic missions, a provocative move (RTK)
• Kosovo, Montenegro commissions for border demarcation to meet soon (media)
• Government discordance (Zeri)
• Rugova: This government cannot survive autumn (Epoka)
• Dodik: I will not participate when the summit takes place in Kosovo (RTK)
• Auditor confirms abuses with Central Election Committee’s budget (Koha)
• Shllaku: Soros doesn’t interfere in internal affairs of states (Koha)
• Kosovo Commerce Chamber strengthens cooperation with UNDCO (Klan Kosova)

Scott: Tariff should be lifted so dialogue can resume (media)

The United States Ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott, said on Monday that the import tariff on Serbian goods is an obstacle to the dialogue for the normalisation of relations between Pristina and Belgrade. “We have made it clear to the Kosovo Government that we think the tariff must be lifted in order for the talks to resume,” Scott said. He said Washington recognises the leadership of the European Union in the process and that it is important for the parties to return to the table of talks.

Pacolli: Kosovo, Albania are pillars of Euro-Atlantic spirit in the region (media)

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli said on Monday that Kosovo and Albania, in the spirit of European integration, are strengthening and deepening strategic cooperation between the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and close cooperation in foreign policy. “We are doing the same thing as Nordic countries and those of Benelux do, nothing more and nothing less. Serbia, or some other party should not be concerned when two neighbouring countries have strong and close cooperation, but when a neighbour approximates its foreign policy with the third actors who do not belong to our region. They should be concerned about their behaviour of destroying regional cooperation and interfering on internal matters of neighbouring countries, not about Kosovo and Albania which are the pillars of the Euro-Atlantic spirit in the region,” Pacolli wrote.

Moscow: Albania-Kosovo joint diplomatic missions, a provocative move (RTK)

Russia has expressed concern about the agreement between Albania and Kosovo to unify diplomatic missions in the third countries. Russia’s Foreign Ministry noted in a statement for the media that this is a provocative step. “Provocative steps undertaken by Tirana and Pristina which are in accordance with the concept of greater Albania, caused serious concern,” noted the statement. “We also want to point out the position of the United States and the European Union by not responding to this harmful move, even by encouraging Greater Albania, which is detrimental to the region,” was stressed further in the press communique.

Kosovo, Montenegro commissions for border demarcation to meet soon (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Monday that inter-state commissions for the review of the border demarcation between Kosovo and Montenegro are to meet soon. “I have discussed the issue of border demarcation agreement with Montenegro in many occasions and in full understanding with my Montenegrin counterpart Dusko Markovic. Kosovo and Montenegro are ready to create commissions for the review of the demarcation of the border in direction of Kulla and Cakorr. At the Western Balkans Summit in Poznan too, we reconfirmed with the Montenegrin Prime Minister the agreement for the commissions to start work in an optimal term and to open a border point at Cakorr and Kulla. I want to thank my counterpart Dusko Markovic for his constructive approach and the will to strengthen friendship and cooperation between our two countries,” Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

Government discordance (Zeri)

In its leading front-page story, the paper reports on what it calls “total discordance” between Kosovo government officials on important issues. “While Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj keeps on saying that visa liberalisation will be finalised this year, officials of the Ministry of European Integration say that visas might not be lifted this year,” the paper reports. “Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no Serbian official would be allowed to enter Kosovo because of Belgrade’s propaganda and attempt to stage a humanitarian crisis in the north. But the Office of the Prime Minister reacted immediately, issuing a press release which said that the government had made no such decision”.

Rugova: This government cannot survive autumn (Epoka)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader, Haki Rugova, said in a front-page interview to the paper, that this party is adamant that Kosovo needs to go to early parliamentary elections “as a result of the current bad governance”. He argued that the ruling coalition cannot resolve Kosovo’s major problems and that “the government will not survive autumn”. He also said he was confident that the LDK will win the next general elections.

Dodik: I will not participate when the summit takes place in Kosovo (RTK)

Milorad Dodik, chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidency, said on Monday during his meeting with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he would not participate when the meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) is held in Kosovo. “This will be an unsuccessful presidency of the SEECP. From 20 July, I will not be Chairman and let them decide, but in the format of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s non-recognition of the status of Kosovo. There is a modality of cooperation and someone will certainly go on behalf of Bosnia,” Dodik said.

Auditor confirms abuses with Central Election Committee’s budget (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Office of the Auditor General in its latest report has denounced violations by representatives of political parties at the Central Election Committee (CEC). The report notes that the CEC budget was damaged by €113,199 for the salaries of political representatives who insisted they were members of this institution although their mandates had expired.

Shllaku: Soros doesn’t interfere in internal affairs of states (Koha)

The paper runs as one of its front-page stories an interview with Luan Shllaku, director of the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS), highlighting his remarks that George Soros and his foundations do not interfere in the internal affairs of states where they operate and that such accusations are made by those that fail in their political projects. Shllaku rejected the recent accusations against Soros and his foundations in Albania. He also talked about the role of Soros vis-à-vis the process of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, saying that the Foundation in Pristina has published several analyses that clearly identify as dangerous the ideas of Kosovo’s eventual partition or the land swap between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo Commerce Chamber strengthens cooperation with UNDCO (Klan Kosova)

The news website reports that Berat Rukiqi, Chairman of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, and Ulrika Richardson, UN Development Coordinator, signed an agreement cooperation on Monday. The two key objectives of the memorandum are to support women businesses at the municipal level and to promote green initiatives. Rukiqi said at the signing ceremony that sustainable development can lead to job opportunities for young people too.