• Ambassador Grenell supports Western Balkans Mini-Schengen initiative (Klan Kosova)
• Sherifi: Vetëvendosje can’t form government without Nisma (RTK)
• MFA welcomes election of new CoE rapporteur for Kosovo (Most monitored broadcasters, RTK)
• Kosovo football fans attacked by Serb and Czech nationalists (RTK)
• Survey: What do Albanians in Kosovo and Albania think about each other? (dialogplus.ch)

News

Ambassador Grenell supports Western Balkans Mini-Schengen initiative

(Klan Kosova)

Ambassador Richard Grenell, the US President’s envoy for Kosovo and Serbia, said on Thursday that he welcomes the initiative for the Balkans Schengen, highlighting that the initiative can be successful if all in the region are involved, including Kosovo.

A statement, published on the website of the US Embassy in Berlin, says: “We welcome the Western Balkans’ ‘mini-Schengen’ initiative as a way to jump start the free movement of people and commerce. We believe that for this initiative to be successful, it must include everyone in the region, including the Government of Kosovo. The Trump Administration is focused on helping the entire region create economic opportunities and jobs for young people.”

Sherifi: Vetëvendosje can’t form government without Nisma

(RTK)

Bilall Sherifi of Nisma said that Vetëvendosje cannot form government without Nisma, as far as the number of Albanian MPs is concerned.

”We are calmly observing the counting process. Then Fatmir Limaj will proceed to discussing political participation.  The LDK-VV coalition has not been formalised yet. If VV wants a coalition with Albanian MPs, it cannot do it without Nisma. If they want to do it differently, let them do it, we don’t mind,” Sherifi said on Info Magazine.

With regard to the Supreme Court’s decision not to accept illegal Serb ballots, Sherifi said that Vetëvendosje must accept this fact.

‘Our opponents also will agree with the fact that they failed to rob us, and with the fact that they will be representing citizens with as much as they gave them. They should agree, rather than trying to distort these results. Supreme Court has done a great service to the country, because nobody will bring illegal ballots to Kosovo. We have restored legality in the country,” he added.

MFA welcomes election of new CoE rapporteur for Kosovo

(Most monitored broadcasters, RTK)

The Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has welcomed victory of German diplomat Peter Bayer at the position as rapporteur for Kosovo in the Council of Europe (CoE), versus former Russian spy Aleksey Kondratyev.

MP Bayer, who belongs to CDU, was elected on Thursday as new rapporteur for Kosovo with absolute majority of votes by the Foreign Policy and Democracy Committee in the CoE Parliamentary Assembly.

“Kondratyev had a criminal background during his mission in Kosovo.

Having in mind that he comes from Russia, a country which openly supports Serbia’s efforts against Kosovo’s statehood and its membership in international organisations, today’s victory of the German diplomat in the CoE is also a victory for the institutions, diplomacy, and friends of the Republic of Kosovo,” statement of MFA says.

The debate in electing new rapporteur for Kosovo was preceded by an aggressive debate of the Russian delegation, which, referring to the act that Kosovo is not a member of CoE, requested exclusion of Ambassador Mimoza Ahmetaj from the meeting room, which was objected by the Committee chairwoman.

The voting result 33 to 6 in favour of the German diplomat, is also an indicator that the Russian influence in CoE is insignificant and negligible in terms of the European agenda, given that most of the CoE member states have recognised the state of Kosovo and support its Euro-Atlantic pathway.

Kosovo football fans attacked by Serb and Czech nationalists

(RTK)

Just before beginning of the football match Czech Republic versus Kosovo, Kosovo’s football fans called ‘Dardans’ were attacked in Czech Republic.

It is suspected that Kosovo fans in Czech Republic were attacked by a pro-Serb Czech organisation, and some of its members were caught with a drawn that they had planned to launch at Fadil Vokrri stadium in Prishtinë/Pristina, with inscription  “Kosovo je Serbia” (“Kosovo is Serbia”).

The persons who attacked the ‘Dardans’ on Thursday, were the same ones who had been arrested in Kosovo  before the football match Kosovo versus Czech Republic, which took place recently in Prishtinë/Pristina.

Survey: What do Albanians in Kosovo and Albania think about each other?

(dialogplus.ch)

A survey carried out by an international organisation, which dialogplus.ch got hold of, for the first time provides a clearer picture about relations between Albanians of Kosovo and those of Albania. It provides details about cooperation, possibilities of living together, media consumption, social relations, desire for unification, and willingness of citizens to pay an extra tax for unification.

– 84% of Kosovo Albanians and 67% of citizens of Albania do not want to have social relations with Serbs.

– 85% of Albanians in Albania and 65% of Albanians in Kosovo are in favour of social relations with persons from Western Europe, i.e. working and living with Western people.

– Albanians in Albania and Kosovo agree that countries like Germany, Italy, France, USA, Croatia, and Turkey are amiable towards both countries (Kosovo and Albania).

– According to the respondents, the most hostile countries to Albania and Kosovo are Serbia and Russia.

– As far as Greece is concerned, Albanians in Kosovo and Albania agree that Greece holds a more amiable stance to Kosovo, and more aggressive one to Albania.

– The majority in both countries thinks that relations between Kosovo and Albania are not sufficiently developed.

– The majority in both countries wants unification of textbooks and curricula.

– The majority wants total lifting of customs tariffs.

– 63% of respondents in Albania want national unification. In Kosovo, 54% want unification with Albania. 16% of respondents in Albania and Kosovo are against unification. The most frequent argument mentioned by opponents is different cultures and traditions. Those who do not want unification mostly come from urban areas in Kosovo and Albania. From geographic view, most of those who are against unification live in Prishtinë/Pristina region and in central Albania.

– To the question if they are willing to pay an extra tax in order to allow unification, the responses get different: only 29% of respondents in Albania are willing to pay an extra tax, whereas in Kosovo 49% of respondents would pay the tax.

– If they would have the chance to decide in a referendum, 75% of Albanians in Albania and 64% of Albanians in Kosovo would support national unification.

– To the question how feasible national unification is, the responses get different: only 23% in Albania and 17% of Albanians in Kosovo believe that the unification is possible.

– The recent months’ debate about the possibility of border change was not received positively by Kosovo Albanians (70%), and in Albania (52%), Kosovo Serbs (80%). Land swap – northern Kosovo with Presevo |Valley – was turned down by the most of respondents.