• COVID-19: 772 new cases, 13 deaths (media)
• Kurti: We will prepare a file with all agreement violations by Serbia (Koha/Kallxo)
• Kurti hosts EU Ambassador to Kosovo Tomas Szunyog (media)
• Abdixhiku meets Kosnett and Rohde, informs them about LDK’s role in opposition (media)
• Abdixhiku and Osmani to meet today at 14:00 hours (media)
• LDK officials comment on Vjosa Osmani’s election (media)
• Hasani says Government is internationally obliged to form Association (Klan)
• New minister Aliu denies indictment against him, prosecution confirms it (media)
• Konjufca asks CEC to provide names of MPs replacing ministers (Kosovapress)
• Krasniqi: Association of Serb municipalities undermines Kosovo (Kallxo)
• Monuments Evoke Tragic Memories of NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia (Balkan Insight)
• Kosovo Convicts Two Serb Policemen of War Crimes (Balkan Insight)
• Protesters rally in front of Kosovo embassy in Ankara (AA)

 COVID-19: 772 new cases, 13 deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 772 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours. 618 persons have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 13,775 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kurti: We will prepare a file with all agreement violations by Serbia (Koha/Kallxo)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti is quoted as saying in a discussion organised by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS), aired on KTV, that the Government of Kosovo under his leadership would prepare a file identifying all violations of agreements by Serbia. He also said that an Association of municipality that would have a monoethnic character is not something allowed by the Constitution of Kosovo and that Serbia should accept the truth about what it did in Kosovo and the reality of Kosovo as an independent country.

“We could have an Association of municipalities of Rugova Mountains, an Association of municipalities of Sharr Mountains or of Lepenc River but there can be no association of municipalities on ethnic basis, not along ethnic lines,” he said.

Speaking about the Washington agreement, Kurti said it was done in a rush and resembles a buffet table. “With regards to issues such as division of resources, namely Ujman, or the moratorium on recognitions, these are in violation to the Constitution,” he said.

Kurti said that Serbia will be requested to compensate Kosovo for damages inflicted during the war. “As we know, there are 1,620 persons missing, hundreds of families that have not yet closed the war wounds. Serbia is responsible for telling the truth about missing persons and convict the perpetrators. This is a war crime and genocide.”

Kurti said that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should be on equal footing. “We cannot dialogue as unequal parties. Kosovo was more a topic of dialogue than a party to it and this needs to change.” He added that the dialogue should benefit the citizens and not political leaders.

Kallxo quotes Kurti speaking about reciprocity towards Serbia. “We have set reciprocity as a barrier against Serbia, not to put barriers as such but to make it remove them. This is how we view reciprocity in principle. We will prepare a file with all violations of Serbia, including those of CEFTA by being represented as UNMIK,” Kurti said.

Publicist and writer Veton Surroi was also speaker at the KFOS-sponsored discussion. He said that the issue of the Serb Orthodox Church cannot be one of the topics discussed at the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. “The two countries are secular. Secular countries cannot negotiate about religious communities.” He said the dialogue should be assessed so that the process can move further.

Kurti hosts EU Ambassador to Kosovo Tomas Szunyog (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, together with the Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, met with the Chief of the EU Office and EU Special Representative in Kosovo, Ambassador Tomas Szunyog and his deputy Riccardo Serri.

Ambassador Szunyog wished Kurti a good start and success in his new duty. He restressed EU’s will to deepen cooperation with him, his government and Kosovo in achieving joint goals and in benefit of Kosovo citizens.

PM Kurti expressed appreciation to Mr. Szunyog for his visit and readiness to deepen the cooperation and informed his about his aims and priorities as the Prime Minister of the new government.

Ambassador Szunyog said that the priorities of the new government are the EU priorities as well. They also agreed for an official visit to the central institutions of the European Union.

Abdixhiku meets Kosnett and Rohde, informs them about LDK’s role in opposition (media)

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) hosted on Monday in separate meetings the Ambassador of the United States of America Philip Kosnett and the German Ambassador Jorn Rohde.

According to the press releases issued by the LDK, Abdixhiku, together with deputy leader Lutfi Haziri and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Kujtim Shala, informed Ambassador Kosnett about the democratic elections within this political entity as well as LDK’s position towards the current political situation. He also informed Kosnett about the ‘constructive role of LDK in opposition.’

LDK informs that Abdixhiku informed the German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde about the development in LDK, his political platform and LDK’s position towards the political processes Kosovo is going through.

Abdixhiku and Osmani to meet today at 14:00 hours (media)

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), will meet the candidate for the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani today at 14:00 hours. They are expected to discuss the issue of voting the president.

Vjosa Osmani is up to now the only candidate, however the political party she competed with in the general elections, does not have the sufficient votes to elect her, RTK reports. This is the reason the dialogue with the other political parties started, however the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) stated openly that they do not have votes for Osmani.

LDK officials comment on Vjosa Osmani’s election (media)

Ekonomia Online reported that Mayor of the Vushtrri municipality and member of the leadership of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Xhafer Tahiri has sent clear signals that he supports Vjosa Osmani for the President of Kosovo. “I am for a constructive opposition, pro formation of the new institutions and not for a blockade,” he said.

LDK MP Valentina Bunjaku told Kanal 10 that the population voted Vjosa Osmani for President and according to her, this should also be respected by the MPs. She added that her personal opinion is that LDK should stay during the election and vote Vjosa Osmani.

Hasani says Government is internationally obliged to form Association (Klan)

Former president of the Constitutional Court, Enver Hasani, said that the new Government of Kosovo led by Albin Kurti cannot avoid the forming of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities as this is an international obligation it has agreed to. He said the same applies to the Washington’s last September agreement.

“The Constitutional Court has declared it to be an international obligation. This is not me saying it but it is such, it is there, and cannot be overlooked,” he said.

Hasani also spoke about chances of Kosovo suing Serbia for genocide saying they are slim. “I would have liked it to be successful but I am convinced that at the Hague this request would be rejected.”

Hasani noted that Kosovo should get a new president by 5 May, six months following the resignation of Hashim Thaci from the post, or return to the situation of 17 February 2008 when it declared independence. In such a situation, he said, Kosovo would not even be able to go to elections as there would be no one that would be able to call them. “You would be in year zero. There would be no one to nominate the prime minister.”

Hasani however said Kosovo would not automatically head for elections if a president is not elected and that the Constitutional Court could step in and legitimise Vjosa Osmani to be the new president even without two-thirds of votes.

New minister Aliu denies indictment against him, prosecution confirms it (media)

Soon after elected to the post of Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu faced reports that there was an active indictment against him for abuse of official authority while he worked at the Municipality of Prishtina.

Aliu, who was a director of urbanism at the municipality, said he was not aware of any indictment made against him while the Basic Prosecution in Pristina issued a statement saying Aliu was informed of it and was even interviewed. “Once an indictment is submitted to the court, the same is obliged to equip the parties involved in the case with a copy of the indictment. In the initial hearing, the judge or the head of the trial chamber provides a copy of the indictment to the accused if they did not receive one by that time,” the prosecution said.

Meanwhile, Prishtina Mayor Shpend Ahmeti issued a statement saying that Aliu and several other municipality officials were charged for upholding the law instead of giving in to pressure from a party that wanted to construct a building in an area where such a project was not permitted under urban planning regulations. “I can say with full responsibility that Liburn, Ardian and our other officials are being accused for protecting the public interest and that of the Municipality,” Ahmeti said.

Konjufca asks CEC to provide names of MPs replacing ministers (Kosovapress)

Acting President of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca has addressed the Central Election Commission asking it to provide the names of MPs in line for replacing those that left their mandates vacant after being elected to serve in the new Government of Kosovo.

Twelve MPs joined the Kurti-led government, nine from the Vetevendosje Movement and three from non-majority communities.

Krasniqi: Association of Serb municipalities undermines Kosovo (Kallxo)

Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that the formation of an Association of municipalities with Serb majority is unconstitutional adding that there can be no ethnic structures within a multiethnic country.

“Association of Serb municipalities cannot be implemented. On the other hand there are tendencies to create a Serb republic within Kosovo and this would defunctionalise and destabilise the state of Kosovo,” Krasniqi said adding that the agreement on establishment of Association violates the Constitution of Kosovo in 24 instances.

Monuments Evoke Tragic Memories of NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia (Balkan Insight)

On the anniversary of the start of NATO’s air strikes against Yugoslavia in 1999, BIRN surveys the memorials that have been built in Serbia and Kosovo to commemorate those who were killed during the bombing campaign.

There are memorials across Serbia and Kosovo to commemorate hundreds of people who died during NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, which began on March 24, 1999 and is being marked with an official commemoration in Belgrade on Wednesday evening.

Some of them are huge monuments, like the ‘Eternal Flame’ column in the Serbian capital; others are much more modest, like the engraved stone slab in the Kosovo village of Bishtazhin commemorating 41 ethnic Albanians who were mistakenly killed by a NATO air strike.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3lMta5h

Kosovo Convicts Two Serb Policemen of War Crimes (Balkan Insight)

Pristina Basic Court on Tuesday sentenced former police officer Zlatan Krstic to 14-and-a-half years in prison and former police inspector Destan Shabanaj to seven years for their roles in a deadly attack on Kosovo Albanian civilians during the war.

Krstic was found guilty of being directly being involved the attack in the village of Nerodime e Eperme/Gornje Nerodimlje in the Ferizaj/Urosevac municipality on March 26, 1999.

According to the charges, the attack was followed by torture, destruction of property, expulsions and abductions of 19 members of a local ethnic Albanian family. Four members of the family were killed.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3cX1eaO

Protesters rally in front of Kosovo embassy in Ankara (AA)

Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency reported that a dozen of protestors rallied in front of Kosovo’s embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday. They were showing resentment against Kosovo’s move to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

The protest, organized by the Humanitarian Relief Organization (IHH) and the Memur-Sen Trade Union, was attended by Turkish activists and Arab students. “We believe that Kosovo’s move to open an embassy in Jerusalem will go down as a black mark in history”, Zahid Sengul, a leading figure of Memur-Sen, said in a press statement.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3f6jmSk