• COVID-19: 49 new cases, two deaths (media)
• Hoti: Second wave of COVID-19, a very serious threat (media)
• Zemaj: Increase in number of cases, result of failure to respect measures (media)
• Thaci: Kosovo – Serbia dialogue must conclude with mutual recognition (media)
• Lajcak: Form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities (media)
• Assembly to try for seventh time to pass economic recovery bill (media)
• EU foreign ministers to discuss Kosovo – Serbia dialogue on Monday (media)
• Kurti: No sustainable peace possible while Serbia hides mass graves (media)
• Mustafa: Rugova was arrested to damage him and LDK (media)
• Vucic to EU: Ready for compromise, not ultimatum, on Kosovo issue (media)
• Will White House Follow Through On Serbia-Kosovo Deal If Trump Wins Second Term? (RFE)

COVID-19: 49 new cases, two deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said in a statement on Sunday that 49 new cases of COVID-19 and two fatal cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

53 people have recovered from the virus during this time.

The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (27).

There are currently 1,430 active coronavirus cases in Kosovo.

Hoti: Second wave of COVID-19, a very serious threat (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said on Sunday that there is a very serious threat from a second wave of COVID-19 in Kosovo. He warned that there could very soon be an increase in the number of active cases and that more restrictive measures would have to follow.

“This is why we all need to understand that there can be more restrictive measures in the coming weeks, including a ban on closed gatherings, limitations on all activities that include the gatherings of citizens, a strict control in schools to see if they are implementing the protective measures,” Hoti said.

Zemaj: Increase in number of cases, result of failure to respect measures (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj told a press conference on Saturday that the increase in the number of new coronavirus cases has come as a result of “lack of discipline in various public institutions and in the community, as well as from the large number of citizens travelling to Kosovo from high-risk countries”.

Zemaj said that if guidelines from health institutions are not respected, there will be more restrictive measures in the coming days.

Thaci: Kosovo – Serbia dialogue must conclude with mutual recognition (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said on Sunday that he has received Washington’s full support for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration. Thaci, who is visiting the U.S., said he has discussed with U.S. officials there on steps for Kosovo to move forward.

“After my visit to Brussels last week where I met the EU Special Envoy for the Kosovo – Serbia Dialogue, it was necessary to visit the United States of America. I had the pleasure to meet and discuss with State Department officials and other members of the U.S. government about the steps that Kosovo needs to make now and in the future,” he said.

“The United States continue to strongly support Kosovo in internal developments, in institutional stability and in our priorities as a state. Kosovo will remain the most trusted ally of the U.S. in our region.”

Thaci said that both in Brussels and in the U.S., he has stressed that “the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has entered into a new phase and it must have only one point in the agenda – mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia.”

Lajcak: Form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities (media)

The European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak said on Sunday that Kosovo needs to form the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. “If not then when? You have signed the agreement yourselves,” he said.

Lajcak said Kosovo and Serbia are currently discussing on property and financial claims and that both sides have agreed to talk about missing persons and IDPs and economic development.

“Another challenge is the agreement on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo. The parties had agreed to this in 2013 and 2015, but the agreement was never implemented. This is a sensitive issue and the Constitutional Court also ruled on the matter; their decision must be taken into account. But to those who say that now is not the right time, I ask them: if not, then when? You have signed the agreement yourselves. Our objective is an agreement that resolves all open and outstanding issues,” Lajcak said.

Assembly to try for seventh time to pass economic recovery bill (media)

Members of the Kosovo Assembly will meet today at 10:00 to try for the seventh time to pass the economic recovery bill.

Head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group Arben Gashi said they have secured 62 out of 61 votes necessary to pass the law.

EU foreign ministers to discuss Kosovo – Serbia dialogue on Monday (media)

Most news websites reported on Monday that EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet with EU High Representative Josep Borrell on Monday and discuss among other issues the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kurti: No sustainable peace possible while Serbia hides mass graves (media)

Leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti has reacted to the statements of Nenad Canak, former Speaker of Parliament of Vojvodina and chairman of the Social Democratic League, about the existence of 16 mass graves in Serbia.

Kurti tweeted in two consecutive posts: 1. “In a Serbian TV debate, Nenad Čanak says “I think you were there Čedo (@Ceda_Jovanovic) when the Minister of Police, Duško Mihajlović, said, ‘I cannot sleep. I have to share this with you. We found 16 mass graves in Serbia.’”

2. Yet families in Kosova are still grieving and searching for missing loved ones, hoping they might be found one day.

No sustainable peace can be achieved as long as Serbia hides mass graves of the Albanians they kidnapped and executed.”

Mustafa: Rugova was arrested to damage him and LDK (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa said Istog mayor Haki Rugova was arrested on political motives with the aim of damaging him and the LDK. “The arrest was made on the day when the Assembly discussed the 100-days of the government. This is a government without any corruption affair. The arrest is aimed at staining the LDK-led government,” Mustafa said.

The Basic Court in Peja has ordered for Rugova to remain in house arrest. He and another municipal official were arrested on Friday on the suspicion of abuse of official, conflict of interest and forgery of documents.

Vucic to EU: Ready for compromise, not ultimatum, on Kosovo issue (media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that Serbia is always ready to discuss different compromises on the Kosovo but that it will never accept an ultimatum.

“I hope the European Union will understand that someone cannot sign an agreement in Brussels and that make statements that deny the existence of the Association of Serb Municipalities and where they say that Serbia must recognise Kosovo and that then they will form the Association. This is impossible. Serbia is always ready to discuss compromises, but it needs to be a compromise not an ultimatum,” he said.

Will White House Follow Through On Serbia-Kosovo Deal If Trump Wins Second Term? (RFE)

When Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed an economic normalization deal in the Oval Office on September 4, the Trump administration called it “historic” and a sign of Washington’s commitment to the Balkans.

The Trump administration’s interest in one of the region’s most intractable problems surprised some Balkan experts, who expected the State Department to continue a long-standing policy of letting European-led talks resolve local disputes and bring new countries into Western organizations.

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