- AAK and PSD announce expansion of coalition, no PAN 2 (Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
- Vetëvendosje refutes to have created ‘Kurti Government’ Facebook page (KTV)
- Molliqaj: Vetëvendosje members lynching us, we’re not guilty for their loneliness (RTK)
- EU invites Kosovo to Helsinki, Dacic reacts (RTK)
- Analysts: Vucic-Pompeo meeting – possibility of US involvement in dialogue (KTV)
- North Macedonian Minister to visit Kosovo on Tuesday (RTK)
- Suspect arrested for beating Ashkali community minor (Klan Kosova)
News
AAK and PSD announce expansion of coalition, no PAN 2
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
The AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj aims to get the post of Prime Minister, although he resigned the post a few weeks ago. This time, he aims to get the post as the list leader in the coalition with PSD.
The AAK-PSD pre-election coalition was made official on Monday, following the adoption at the respective executive committees of the two parties.
After signing the agreement, Ramush Haradinaj and Shpend Ahmeti expressed their belief that this coalition will win the elections, expected to be held at the end of September or in the first week of October.
Without disclosing details from the agreement, the PSD leader Shpend Ahmeti said that the number of candidates for MPs from his party would not be small.
On the other hand, the AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj left open the possibility of cooperation with other parties also, but not with PDK.
The PSD-AAK coalition is the first pre-election coalition on the verge of calling early elections, if MPs will vote in favour of dissolution of the Assembly this Thursday.
Vetëvendosje refutes to have created ‘Kurti Government’ Facebook page
(KTV)
Since 17th August, a Facebook page called ‘Kurti Government’ has been created.
Although it calls for people to join and support Kurti as the future Prime Minister, Vetëvendosje refuted to have created this page.
The Vetëvendosje Movement media officer Arlind Manxhuka stated to Koha.net that the page was not created by Vetëvendosje.
Moreover, he added that they would like to close down all unauthorised pages.
“No, this page has not been created by Vetëvendosje. We are interested to close down all fake and unauthorised accounts,” Manxhuka said.
Molliqaj: Vetëvendosje members lynching us, we’re not guilty for their loneliness
(RTK)
Dardan Molliqaj of PSD said that members of Vetëvendosje Movement, out of jealousy have got activated to lynch PSD with fake profiles.
“We are not to blame why they are and will remain alone,” Molliqaj wrote on Facebook.
His full Facebook post follows:
VV, from the fear for our victory, from jealousy that no big party accepts them in a coalition, and from pathological hatred against PSD, has obviously activated its lynching structures and fake Facebook profiles to attack us.
The populists, who today speak for “principles” against a coalition with AAK, are the same ones who in 2015 entered VLAN coalition, and accepted Haradinaj as the candidate for Prime Minister.
But now they are against Haradinaj, not for any principled reason, but because we, together with Haradinaj established the Army, stopped Thaçi’s haggling with the territory of Kosovo, and made Srpska Lista to cease being a crucial factor, whilst they were only tittle-tattling and slandering.
It is these actions that have left the populists without any cause. They do not know why they are going to seek votes for, given that no-one believes in their nationalist card any more. Citizens have realised that all what they have is words only.
The difference is that they kneel down to Isa Mustafa for a coalition based exclusively on personal interests, and they have forgotten that it was Isa Mustafa who was Prime Minister at the time when Astrit Dehari died in prison and other activists were imprisoned. Whereas we did not make coalition with Haradinaj for personal interests, but rather to promote our policies for Kosovo’s state building.
We are not guilty why they are and will remain alone. We are not guilty that their loss is as safe as our victory. We cannot cure them from jealousy. All what we can tell them is see you after elections, when they will be struggling for third place, whilst we will be the number one force.
EU invites Kosovo to Helsinki, Dacic reacts
(RTK)
All six partners from the Western Balkans, including Kosovo, are invited to attend an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Helsinki at the end of August, to discuss regional cooperation.
The outgoing EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini has officially invited head diplomats of Kosovo and BeH to attend an informal meeting of the EU Council of Ministers, which will take place in Helsinki, on 28th and 29th August.
This was stated by an EU spokesperson to Tanjug.
The Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic described Mogherini’s move as a precedent.
“Of course, at the end of her mandate, she wants to show that she did something for Kosovo, but this is not fair for Serbia,” Dacic said.
Analysts: Vucic-Pompeo meeting – possibility of US involvement in dialogue
(KTV)
On Tuesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the margins of a UN Security Council meeting, a statement from the US State Department says.
According to Serbian media, the key topic of discussions will be the situation in Kosovo. On the other hand, the US for a long time has been calling for reaching of an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia as soon as possible. However, the EU facilitated discussions have been halted since November last year, due to the tariff on Serbian goods, imposed by the Kosovo Government.
Analysts in Belgrade consider the meeting in New York between the Serbian President and the US State Secretary as an interest of the US Administration in resolving the Kosovo issue.
According to Zoran Milivojevic, Europe is currently unable to actively affect a solution between Kosovo and Serbia; therefore, the US intervention is appropriate.
He added that by this meeting, the US Administration demonstrates its willingness to be involved in the process, and that it likes better the stance of Serbs for finding a compromise solution for both sides.
Regarding his expectations from the meeting, Serbian analysts thinks that two points can be highlighted: first, to put pressure on the side in Prishtinë/Pristina to revoke the imposed tariff so that the dialogue can resume; second, to leave on the background the radical anti-Serb structures that have been leading in Prishtinë/Pristina so far.
North Macedonian Minister to visit Kosovo on Tuesday
(RTK)
North Macedonian Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi and Minister of Agriculture Trajan Dimkovski, along with directors of the Agency of Food and Customs, has been coordinated about the situation with Kosovo following the ban to honey and potato import.
No details have been provided on what was discussed and what will be the stance of the Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bektashi at the meeting with his counterpart Endrit Shala in Prishtinë/Pristina on Tuesday.
“Macedonian products meet the world standards, the highest standards required by the EU, potatoes also will soon, in one or two months will get the license for export to the EU, and tomorrow (Tuesday) we will ask Kosovo authorities for proofs, based on what international standards they have applied this ban,” Zoran Atanasov, Director of the Agency for Food and Veterinary stated.
A reaction was also made by chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Branko Azeski, who shares the opinion with former chairman of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce Safet Gërxhaliu. According to him, the ban by Kosovo side is a populist measure, imposed at the wrong time.
“Such a publically expressed stance should be a model of how business should react under conditions when political steps for approval of populist decisions are taken. Meanwhile, The ban imposed on importing of fish stock into the country covers not only Kosovo, but also all other countries lacking monitoring, given that the country is getting prepared to as of next year receive the license to export fresh fish into the EUY market,” the North Macedonian Chamber of Commerce stated, alsat-m reported.
Suspect arrested for beating Ashkali community minor
(Klan Kosova)
A person has been arrested in Gurrakos, Istog/Istok municipality, since he had brutally beaten a minor, Ashkali community member. The incident occurred on 14th August, around midday.
“…This morning, a citizen presented to Kosovo Police a video footage, showing a citizen as he was brutally beating a Kosovo Ashkali community child,” the Police statement says, Klan Kosova reported.
“Following an intensive operative and investigative work, today on 19.08.2019 about 09:23, Kosovo Police Station in Istog/Istok, arrested the suspect L.D, born on 1990,” the Police statement added.
After interviewing by police investigators, the case was reported to the State Prosecutor, who ordered to put the suspect in 48 hour detention.
Reportedly, the female juvenile victim was taken for medical treatment, and according to the medical doctor, her condition after the treatment has been stable.
“Police officers are keeping in touch with relatives of the victim, in order to support them in whatever need they might have,” the Police statement concluded.
