• COVID – 19: Four deaths, 157 new cases (media)
• Kosovo PM invites opposition to join his dialogue in Washington (Express)
• Kosovo and Serbia today in Brussels to discuss economic issues (RTK)
• Djuric: Mutual recognition will never happen (Koha)
• EC clarifies once again: Kosovo has met conditions for visa liberalization (Express)
• Osmani sees four shortcomings in the dialogue process (media)
• Limaj: Whenever we coordinated with U.S., results did not lack (media) 

COVID – 19: Four deaths, 157 new cases (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said in a statement today that four deaths and 157 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded over the last 24 hours. 154 persons have recovered from the virus during this period. The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (52).

Kosovo PM invites opposition to join his dialogue in Washington (Express)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, called on opposition parties to join his team in the dialogue with Serbia set to take place on 4 September in Washington.

Hoti addressing media after government’s meeting said that currently he is working on composition of the Kosovo delegation who are expected to meet at the White House with Serbian delegation, under mediation  of the U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and President Donald Trump’s special envoy on dialogue, Richard Grenell.

Hoti said that he already wrote letters to the opposition parties of Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) asking them to propose their representatives who would join the delegation of Kosovo.

“I remain open to create an inclusive negotiation team composed of all political parties,” he said. According to PM Hoti all coalition leaders, LDK, AAK and Nisma, agree that dialogue with Serbia should be concluded with mutual recognition. “We have agreed to enter the dialogue on mutual recognition,” he said.

However, both Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) rejected Hoti’s invitation. Vetevendosje’s spokesperson, Perparim Kryeziu, said they will not answer Hoti’s invitation as the LVV considers Hoti’s Government as illegitimate. “Kosovo can dialogue with Serbia only after early elections and forming of a stable Government,” Kryeziu said.

Klan Kosova reports that the PDK considers Hoti’s invitation belated making it impossible to coordinate actions under such a short notice.

Kosovo and Serbia today in Brussels to discuss economic issues (RTK)

Representatives of Kosovo and Serbia will meet today in Brussels, at the level of experts to discuss the issues of economic development.

The news was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti. Kosovo delegation is expected to be led by state coordinator Skender Hyseni.

This meeting will precede another meeting of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, which will also be held in Brussels.

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the EU, resumed on 16 July, after the interruption by the end of 2018, when the government of Kosovo imposed the tariff on Serbian goods.

Djuric: Mutual recognition will never happen (Koha)

Marko DJuric, director of the Office for Kosovo at Serbian government, said today before the meeting between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels that mutual recognition will never be in the agenda.

“Within the Belgrade-Pristina technical dialogue, various aspects of normalizing relations and creating conditions for the normal life of citizens in Kosovo are being discussed, but mutual recognition has not been and will never be on the agenda,” Djuric said.

He added that the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti ‘is spreading fake news with the intention of mining continuous efforts to continue with dialogue.’

“Hoti can just as in the past, hold monologues about that issue, but there will be no dialogue on this,” he added referring to the possibility of mutual recognition within the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

He added that he will request from the European Union as mediator of the discussions to react on this and stop disinformation.

EC clarifies once again: Kosovo has met conditions for visa liberalization (Express)

Several European Union member states who are skeptical about whether Kosovo should be granted visa liberalisation have asked the European Commission to reconsider its decision, according to which Kosovo has met the required criteria.

However, the European Commission responded immediately, saying that they stand behind their assessment that Kosovo has met the conditions.

“The Commission has confirmed that Kosovo has met all the visa liberalization criteria. We stand behind this assessment. Following the vote, now it is up to the member states to push the issue forward. We encourage them to continue lifting the visa regime,” said Christian Wigand, a spokesman for the European Commission.

The request of some member states to the European Commission was announced yesterday by the German Minister of Internal Affairs Horst Seehofer, in the letter he wrote to the MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel.

Osmani sees four shortcomings in the dialogue process (media)

Kosovo’s Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani said on Wednesday during her discussion with  the Albanian representatives in the United States of America, that Kosovo’s success in dialogue is possible only if four shortcomings are corrected.

According to her, these shortcomings are ‘lack of legitimacy, lack of platform, non-transparency, and lack of mandate for negotiation by the Assembly for the current government.’

“We need unity to oppose dangerous agendas, just as we have opposed changing the borders and that of the Bosnianisation of Kosovo,” she said.

“The U.S. role is irreplaceable, just as transatlantic cooperation is necessary to reach a final agreement on mutual recognition, within the current borders and with full internal functionality of Kosovo.

“I also emphasized that if economic topics will be discussed in Washington (at 4 September meeting), then Kosovo should by no means accept Serbia’s tendency for Ujmani/Gazivoda Lake and Trepca mine to become topics of negotiations. We also must insist on reparations for the economic damage that Serbia caused to Kosovo during the 1990s, as well as the complete removal of non-tariff barriers that Serbia has imposed on goods from Kosovo,” Osmani said.

Limaj: Whenever we coordinated with the U.S., results did not lack (media)

Fatmir Limaj, leader of the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA), participated on Wednesday in the virtual meeting with representatives of institutions and leaders of political entities, organized by the Albanian intellectuals in the U.S. He said he hopes that the meeting contributed to increase consensus between the political factor in Kosovo a few days before the meeting in the White House.

 “It is very important that in national topics such as dialogue, we are all together and carry the message that we are ready for the final agreement, which has mutual recognition at heart,” Limaj wrote on Facebook, expressing appreciation to the US commitment to reach this final agreement.

“Whenever Kosovo coordinated with our American friends, the country has never lacked positive results,” Limaj wrote.