- Kurti: Land swap project has failed, but the idea is not dead (media)
- VV and LDK expert teams begin talks (Indeksonline)
- Kurti: I want Albania to see Serbia with Kosovo’s eyes (media)
- Minority communities willing to cooperate with Kurti (Lajmi)
- Hasani: Failure to include Serbian List in government could destabilise Kosovo (ekonomiaonline)
Kurti: Land swap project has failed, but the idea is not dead (media)
Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti said in an interview to Voice of America that in his meeting with U.S. President Trump’s special envoy for the Kosovo – Serbia peace talks, Richard Grenell, they discussed the possibility of reaching an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in several months. Kurti however said that the prospect of an agreement becomes more difficult when timelines are seen as more important than the content of the agreement.
Kurti said that the project for a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia has failed but that the idea is still alive and added that his government will put an end to the idea. “We cannot pretend that we are living 500 years ago and with pencils over maps to play the roles of Tudjman and Milosevic as they were dividing Bosnia. I think that time is long gone, those were times of war. We are living in times of peace now and we need to make quick and stable steps toward the membership of Western Balkans in the European Union,” he added.
VV and LDK expert teams begin talks (Indeksonline)
The news website reports that teams of experts from the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo are meeting in a restaurant in Pristina. The meeting is focused on approximating their programs for a new ruling coalition and the division of posts in the new government.
Kurti: I want Albania to see Serbia with Kosovo’s eyes (media)
Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti commented on Friday on the idea for a so-called mini Balkans Schengen initiated recently by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Kurti said he does not object to regional initiatives but that Kosovo must not be excluded from such initiatives.
Kurti said he needs to meet Rama to be informed about the idea and plan of the initiative. “I want Albania to see Serbia with Kosovo’s eyes. This is very important,” he said.
Kurti said Kosovo is the only country in the region without visa liberalisation. “I mention this because they have said they will form a mini Balkans Schengen and in fact these three countries already have visa liberalisation. The point is how can Kosovo get it too … In principle I am not against regional initiatives but Kosovo must be respected and have an active role there. In this respect, I will raise this issue in my first meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama,” he added.
Minority communities willing to cooperate with Kurti (Lajmi)
Leaders of minority political parties in Kosovo expect they will be part of the new government led by Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti.
Slobodan Petrovic, leader of the Liberal Independent Party, told Radio Kosova 2 that he is confident that his party will have a seat in the Kurti-led government. “We are ready to talk to all those that lead Kosovo’s institutions. Kurti has never been in power before, but based on the experience in parliament, his party has always been consistent in their positions,” Petrovic said.
Nenad Rasic, leader of the coalition Sloboda [Freedom], said he is willing to cooperate with Kurti in the new government. “Our coalition had a similar program with the Vetevendosje Movement in the election campaign. I appreciate Kurti’s engagement to include the Kosovo Serbs in the dialogue in order to protect the interests of the Serb community in Kosovo,” Rasic added.
Hasani: Failure to include Serbian List in government could destabilise Kosovo (ekonomiaonline)
Leaders of the Vetevendosje Movement, which won the highest number of votes in the snap parliamentary elections, say they will not cooperate with the Serbian List in forming the new government. However, Enver Hasani, former President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, warns that the failure to include the Serbian List in government could lead to the destabilisation of Kosovo, without ruling out the division of the north. Hasani said it is a constitutional obligation for the biggest Serb political party to be part of the central government. “Neither [Vetevendosje leader] Kurti, nor anyone else, can decide about the fate and representation of local Serbs, Bosniaks or Turks. You need to respect the constitutional obligation if you don’t want to create serious political problems in Kosovo. I am confident that this could even lead to the legitimisation of Kosovo’s division,” Hasani argued.
