• COVID-19: 147 new cases, eight deaths (media)
• Hoti expects strategic decisions during Washington visit (media)
• U.S. Shifts Focus To Economic Development In Serbia-Kosovo Talks In Washington (RFE)
• Grenell: If Kosovo and Serbia want U.S. dollars, progress is required (RTK)
• Haziri: Unification of Presevo Valley with Kosovo does not harm anyone (Klan)
• Von Cramon: Pristina-Belgrade dialogue soon to have concrete results (EWB/media)
• AAK: Either the president’s post or elections (Koha)
• Veseli preparing the ground for new elections (Koha)
• Haliti: Dick Marty’s accusations do not stand, they will never be proven (media)

Kosovo Media Highlights

COVID-19: 147 new cases, eight deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health announced that of 534 tests carried out over the last 24-hour period, 147 have tested positive for coronavirus.

Meanwhile, eight deaths and 197 recoveries were recorded over the same time period.

The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (38).

Media yesterday reported that the Minister of Health, Armend Zemaj, has approved request for import of products used against pandemic COVID-19, such as: Remdesivir, Favipiravir and Hydroxychloroquine.

There are currently 3,548 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Hoti expects strategic decisions during Washington visit (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said on Facebook that he expects a strategic decision on the future of Kosovo being taken at the upcoming meeting in Washington.

“The White House has always been the place where strategic decisions were taken that lead to freedom, independence and Euro-Atlantic integration of the state of Kosovo. It will be no different this time around,” Hoti said.

“The Government of Kosovo will present big infrastructural and energetic projects that contribute to development and creation of new jobs in Kosovo but which also have an impact on better integration of Kosovo in the regional and European market,” he added.

Speaking to Klan Kosova from Washington, Hoti said that the meetings that the Kosovo delegation will have in the U.S. will focus on economic development.

“We will also have a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo which confirms the U.S. focus on Kosovo to conclude consolidation of Kosovo’s statehood and journey together towards Euro-Atlantic integrations. We are preparing for these meetings by coordination our position and representation,” he said adding that stance of coalition partners on the issue of dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo is fully harmonised.

Hoti ruled out the possibility of land swap being discussed. “We have removed the issue of territorial exchange from the table,” he said.

U.S. Shifts Focus To Economic Development In Serbia-Kosovo Talks In Washington (RFE)

With the meeting in Washington between Kosovo and Serbia approaching, Radio Free Europe quotes a special adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump saying that the talks will be focusing on economic development and job creation.

The official said tackling political disputes between Serbia and Kosovo has failed to yield results and the United States aims to focus on tangible economic issues that will help people on the ground.

“We’re going to flip the script, and we’re going to try to first give people some excitement about growth in the economy and let some of these political issues come secondary,” the official said.

The official said the United States is also focused on implementing the air, rail, and motor agreements between the two sides that were already agreed upon.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3hSBVI3

Grenell: If Kosovo and Serbia want U.S. dollars, progress is required (RTK)

The U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell said on Tuesday that economic issues will be on the table of discussions in Washington on Thursday. He however did not exclude the possibility of opening other issues during the discussions.

“Economic issues will be exclusively on the table on Thursday, and I completely agree with President Aleksandar Vucic that no one knows what issues will be discussed on Friday,” Grenell told a group of journalists, when asked if one of the matters to be discussed at the Prishtina-Belgrade meeting in the White House would be mutual recognition.

“This is one of the problems that we continuously face – that the public and politicians see this process only in a biased manner,” he added.

“We will see what happens on Friday, what will happen on Monday,” said the U.S. official adding that the process is a matter of creativity, not science.

Asked if the delegations could be offered a similar deal to that of the one reached between Israel and United Arab emirates, Grenell said he cannot answer the question.

“Every issue will be discussed and this depends on the parties. If they are willing to discuss all the issues,” he said.

He added that the United States do not have a secret plan and did not ask anything from the parties.

“The only thing they will request is if the parties want help of the U.S., if they want U.S. dollars, then economic progress is needed. We do not want to spend our money and stay determined,” he said.

He stressed that administration of the President Donald Trump was focused this last year on economic issues, development, and added that they succeeded so far. He mentioned at this point direct flights between Belgrade and Pristina, which including the agreements to build the railway and motorway, according to him, are historical.

According to Gfrenell, discussions on the field of further economic cooperation will continue in Washington on Thursday and new question related to trade, creation of jobs will be raised. He considered these to be preconditions that need to be fulfilled in order to establish deep economic cooperation.

He believes that focusing on economic development will contribute to advancement of negotiations.

Asked if mutual recognition will be on the table, Grenell said only economic issues will be on the table on Thursday.

We can, he stressed, continue to deal with political issues and stay in one place, or deal with what President Trump calls function, and this is economy and new jobs.

Our intention is to create a profitable environment for both parties,” he said.

Grenell said the U.S. are now doing things differently, focusing on what brings results.

“We want now to encourage dynamism of the region. We think that programs of economic development will resolve political problems. We do not have any secret plan, we want to create jobs and build an economically sustainable region, based on freedom democracy and respect of the human rights,” Richard Grenell said.

He especially stressed that he does not deal with mediation of the dialogue process because of the Trump campaign. “I accepted to do this job, but not as part of Trump’s Campaign,” he concluded. 

Haziri: Unification of Presevo Valley with Kosovo does not harm anyone (Klan)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lutfi Haziri has reiterated his position in support of Presevo Valley joining Kosovo saying that such an arrangement would not be harmful to anyone.

“I am standing by my cause because it is a legitimate right and at the end of the day, it is Kosovo’s duty to protect political rights of Albanians in the east of Kosovo just as in the rest of its territory. We need to resolve their problem sooner or later because it is our problem, there is no us and them,” he is quoted.

Haziri said that in exchange for Presevo, Kosovo could give Serbia the municipality of Leposavic with 17 villages which he said are not inhabited by Albanians.

“This is the fairest solution for both sides,” he underlined.

Von Cramon: Pristina-Belgrade dialogue soon to have concrete results (EWB/media)

European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo Viola von Cramon said in an interview with European Western Balkans that she was hopeful there will be a breakthrough in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“I am optimistic that the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade will have some concrete result soon, but it might happen that first there are only smaller steps. One needs to build up trust first, but ultimately the goal has to be a comprehensive normalisation agreement,” she said.

See the interview: https://bit.ly/2YWpMdE

AAK: Either the president’s post or elections (Koha)

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), part of the ruling coalition, has warned that if its leader Ramush Haradinaj does not get the post of future president of Kosovo, they would opt for extraordinary elections as a response to the lack of support from the coalition partners.

Koha quotes sources saying that there in informal setting the AAK and the Vetevendosje Movement have discussed the option of cooperation in leading Kosovo to fresh elections and have not even ruled out the possibility of a post-election coalition.

AAK officials denied having had talks of such nature but neither denied nor confirmed the prospect of future cooperation with Vetevendosje.

Veseli preparing the ground for new elections (Koha)

Koha Ditore reports that the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Kadri Veseli is laying the groundwork for new elections as he visited 15 municipalities in 11 days. In the statements from the visits, Veseli is said to have spoke to party membership about challenges Kosovo faces but he also mentioned the prospect of new local elections.

However, analysts view Veseli’s tour as part of preparations for early general elections, particularly following the recent disagreements between ruling coalition partners.

Arton Demhasaj from “Cohu” think tank said: “If the election of president fails, we will automatically head to elections so they may be going out in the field to prepare for elections that could take place very soon.”

Haliti: Dick Marty’s accusations do not stand, they will never be proven (media)

Xhavit Haliti, member of the leadership of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) spoke about the draft indictment of the Specialist Chambers against the former members of the KLA, including PDK leader Kadri Veseli and President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci.

Haliti said he does not believe that the accusations against Veseli and Thaci will be confirmed, ‘as accusations of the Senator Dick Marty do not stand as such. They will be never proven by any court.’

Asked if he was summoned by the Special Court, Haliti said “It is a personal matter. Every time they call me, I will go. It is an obligation of each KLA member to respond to the invitations of the Special Court. The court was not established to clean us with detergent and soap, but because there were accusations. If the norm of someone is filled to be punished, then they will be punished,” he said.