• Coronavirus: 29 new cases in last 24 hours (media)
• Hoti gives interview to Klan Kosova
• Kurti: Elections are the solution (RTK)
• Lajcak to zealously start with his negotiating mission next week (RFE/RTK)
• Macron writes to Hoti, proposes dialogue resume in Paris (Koha)
• German Ambassador Heldt meets Hoti (media)
• Haxhiu: PDK to reform if it wants cooperation with LVV (media)
• Swiss ambassador condemns ‘denigrating’ language against Osmani (media)
• KWN calls for end to attacks on Osmani (media)
• Mustafa: There were no discussions to dismiss Osmani (info/RTK)
• Kosovo criticised for not implementing court ruling on Decan Monastery (media)
• Hoti’s cabinet: Rakic has not removed Kosovo symbols from office (Klan/Koha)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Coronavirus: 29 new cases in last 24 hours (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health announced that 29 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Kosovo over the last 24-hour period.

Majority of the new cases, 13, are in Pristina, followed by Obiliq with 8, Vushtrri with 2 and the other new cases are in the municipality of Vitia, Prizren, Istog, Lipjan, Fushe Kosove, and Rahovec.

The Institute appealed to the citizens to continue respecting social distancing measures warning of a risk of new outbreak erupting in several municipalities of Kosovo which could then overwhelm the health system.

Hoti gives interview to Klan Kosova

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti spoke about failure of Kurti’s government and the constitutional decision which gave the right to the President’s nomination.  He said coalition with Vetevendosje Movement did not function, therefore the Democratic League of Kosovo was obliged to end it.

“With the most recent verdict, political parties in Kosovo will be much more responsible towards each other, in the sense of respecting political agreements. By respecting political agreements, you respect the will of a part of electorate,” Hoti said.

He further denied that there is any agreement for another mandate for the President of Kosovo. “There was no discussion on this subject,” he said.

Hoti further added that the dialogue process with Serbia will not be led by the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci. “We have built such approach that I will lead with the dialogue as Prime Minister of the country. It will be based on the Constitution. I will lead the dialogue because the Constitution says so. Thaci cannot take over this role,” he said.

Hoti could not confirm if the dialogue would conclude within this year.

“We do not dialogue on territorial integrity of Kosovo; we do not dialogue the unitary character of Kosovo state,” Hoti said, adding that the reached agreement has to be in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo.

He also mentioned that he has sent an invitation to LVV to discuss about the dialogue. “I did not receive any response from LVV. I invited them as the Prime Minister of the country, to present to them our approach as government in this process. I addressed Kurti,” he said.

Kurti: Elections are the solution (RTK)

Albin Kurti, leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) said on Wednesday in Prizren there is a solution for the problems of Kosovo, and that is new elections.

“We are convinced that there is an exit from this crisis, there is a solution to the problems of Kosovo, and that solution is new election, in order for the citizens in one hand to express their will in those elections and on the other hand, to refresh legitimacy of the institutions of Kosovo. There was never a bigger gap of legitimacy between the executive which technically does not exist and the population which wants something else politically. Therefore, this petition, is becoming the greatest petition in the post-war Kosovo,” Kurti said.

Lajcak to zealously start with his negotiating mission next week (RFE/RTK)

The EU’s special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia Miroslav Lajcak, is expected to visit Pristina by the beginning of the next week. This will be his first visit to Pristina after he took over the position of EU’s emissary for the dialogue, more than two months ago. The news was confirmed to Radio Free Europe by diplomatic sources in Brussels, while Lajcak’s office has not yet responded if he would only visit Pristina or Belgrade as well.

Due to the travel difficulties as consequence of the measures against COVID-19 pandemic, Lajcak is expected to arrive in Kosovo through Albania. He is expected to stay in Pristina several days.

He is expected to have in Pristina an office with three advisers, while in Belgrade, his teal is expected to be comprised of five advisers. He also has a team of seven advisers for the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue in Brussels.

During his visit to Kosovo, Lajcak is expected to meet political leaders, in order to discuss preparations for the resumption of the dialogue.

However, it remains unclear if he is going to meet the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, who stated in several occasions that he would not participate in a dialogue mediated by Lajcak, as the latter comes from Slovakia, a country that has not recognized independence of Kosovo.

Macron writes to Hoti, proposes dialogue resume in Paris (Koha)

President of France Emmanuel Macron has written a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti on his election and said he was convinced dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will resume quickly. He proposed this take place during a summit in Paris.

“It is up to you to face another crucial challenge for Kosovo by resuming dialogue with Serbia and by retrying to resolve your disputes through a comprehensive, final and legally binding agreement. For more than a year, France and Germany have been engaged in the renewal of dialogue which could begin during a future summit in Paris. I believe in your participation in this summit and your readiness to take necessary measures to enable the resumption of dialogue while Serbia will also have to make its share of efforts,” Macron wrote.

He added that the EU should have a central role in dialogue noting that the disagreements between Kosovo and Serbia constitute European security challenges.

German Ambassador Heldt meets Hoti (media)

Christian Heldt, Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, took to Twitter to inform about his meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti on Wednesday. 

“First meeting w. PM @Avdullah Hoti today. PM informed on plans of his government. Have outlined  Germany’s expectations for cooperation as biggest bilateral donor: includes EU-led dialogue, rule of law, tackling COVID-crisis, fighting corruption; EU integration needs structure in KOS gov,” Heldt wrote on his Twitter account.

Haxhiu: PDK to reform if it wants cooperation with LVV (media)

Vetevendosje senior official, Albulena Haxhiu, said in an interview with Tirana-based ABC News that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) should be reformed if it wishes to have any cooperation with Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) at the Kosovo Assembly.

“It could happen that the parties will vote the same on a certain draft law or an issue but this will not be about a joint or coordinated position with PDK,” Haxhiu said.

Asked whether Vetevendosje made mistakes during its four-month term in office, Haxhiu replied: “There is no political entity that can make no mistakes. Vetevendosje Movement may have made mistakes but in current circumstances it needs to be clear what happened. Hashim Thaci needed a prime minister to push forward the dangerous project of land swap. I don’t think Vetevendosje made any mistakes in the current situation, on the contrary we governed very well despite the political and the coronavirus pandemics.”

Swiss ambassador condemns ‘denigrating’ language against Osmani (media)

The Swiss Ambassador to Kosovo, Jean-Hubert Lebet, said the ‘denigrating’ language used against Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani is ‘unacceptable’.

Lebet, who met Osmani yesterday, is quoted to have said: “The denigrating language against a personality with high and uncorrupt integrity like Vjosa Osmani only because of disagreements in political stances, is unacceptable,” a statement issued by the Assembly of Kosovo reads.

The Swiss diplomat further expressed the position of his government in support of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia underlining strong opposition to border changes.

KWN calls for end to attacks on Osmani (media)

Kosovo Women’s Network has issued a statement calling for an end to what it called continuous attacks and slanders made against Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani.

“KWN considers that political opposition and institutional disagreements should be expressed without such lynching of families of involved parties,” they said.

“Any attempt to diminish the contribution of women in politics and in the public sphere is a step back in achieving our joint goal for a free, democratic and equal society,” the statement reads.

Mustafa: There were no discussions to dismiss Osmani (Arberesh.info/RTK)

Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) denied that his political party discussed Vjosa Osmani’s dismissal.  He said there were only remarks about her and some other MPs’ for not supporting LDK’s decision to take over responsibility of governing Kosovo. 

“In no occasion we discussed Ms. Osmani’s dismissal from LDK,” he said. “In LDK, we consider that there is no bigger achievement for this entity than to govern the country, therefore, we expected from those who are with LDK, should vote for LDK to take over that responsibility. We have not discussed Ms. Osmani after the most recent developments. I consider that the government was elected on constitutional basis,” he added.

Kosovo criticised for not implementing court ruling on Decan Monastery (media)

In the 2019 report on international religious freedoms, the U.S. Department of State has criticised Kosovo authorities for not implementing a 2016 Constitutional Court decision upholding the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling recognizing ownership of approximately 24 hectares of land to the Orthodox Monastery of Decan.

The report states that U.S. Embassy officials advocated with all levels of government for implementation of the 2016 Constitutional Court decision urging the government and the judiciary to hold local officials, who reject the court decision, accountable.

Koha notes that in this year’s report, the U.S. State Department highlighted 61 religious-motivated incidents, compared to 86 cases of the same nature in 2018.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/2MOCapL

Hoti’s cabinet: Rakic has not removed Kosovo symbols from office (Klan/Koha)

The cabinet of Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti has denied reports that Deputy Prime Minister Goran Rakic has removed Kosovo state symbols from his office.

In a response to Klan Kosova and Koha, Hoti’s cabinet said that each official needs to respect the state protocol and that “Deputy Prime Minister Goran Rakic has not removed any symbol of Kosovo, or the flag, from his office.”

Koha meanwhile reports that the Kosovo flag was not visible in the pictures from the Rakic and UK Ambassador Nicholas Abbott meeting yesterday.