• COVID-19: 14 new cases, one death (media)
• New measures against COVID-19 to be discussed Wednesday (media)
• Croatia confirms donation of 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Kosovo (media)
• Gjilan receives 133 food and hygiene packages from UNMIK (media)
• Travel to the region to be made possible through one visa (Koha)
• PM Kurti meets Presevo Valley representatives (media)
• Ministry corrects social media post following backlash (media)
• Conflicting reports about damage to Orthodox church in Shipashnica (Klan/Kallxo)
• Petkovic begins visit to Kosovo after permission from Foreign Ministry (media)
• Gjilan, Kamenica, Vitia sign MoU to support shelter for domestic violence victims (media)

COVID-19: 14 new cases, one death (media)

Kosovo has recorded 14 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in the last 24 hours. At the same time, 93 recoveries have been confirmed over the same time period.

There are 3,645 active cases of coronavirus in Kosovo.

New measures against COVID-19 to be discussed Wednesday (media)

Health Minister Arben Vitia will hold a virtual meeting with mayors of Kosovo municipalities on Wednesday to discuss measures against COVID-19 as well as the vaccination process, RTK reports.

Media report that the COVID-19 rules are expected to be relaxed following a decline of new infections while the owners of bars and cafes have announced a protest today in front of the government building demanding the lifting of the curfew on their working hours.

Croatia confirms donation of 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Arben Vitia signed yesterday agreement with Croatia’s Ambassador Danijela Barisic for receiving a donation of 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health, Vitia expressed appreciation to Croatia on behalf of the Government of Kosovo for the concrete support provided in efforts to combat the pandemic.

Gjilan receives food and hygiene packages from UNMIK (media)

The Municipality of Gjilan received a donation of 133 food and hygiene packages from the UN Office in Kosovo, a statement issued by the municipality said.

Gjilan Mayor, Lutfi Haziri, thanked the UN Office for the donation and the continuous support for the citizens Gjilan while deputy head of UNMIK, Barrie Freeman, said she was happy to be handing out this donation to support vulnerable families in the municipality of Gjilan in overcoming the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Travel to the region to be made possible through one visa (Koha)

Koha reports that the Government of Kosovo has expressed its consent to the second regional agreement which specifies that a person who has obtained a visa to enter in one of the following countries: Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia; will be able to travel to any other country from the group with the same visa.

According to a draft document that Koha claims to have secured, for instance, anyone that has been issued a visa to travel to Serbia will be able to travel to Kosovo on that visa too. “Third-party nationals who are required to have a visa to enter the territory of all parties to the agreement may enter the territory of each party to the agreement on the basis of a valid visa issued by one of the parties to the agreement, in accordance with its domestic legislation,” the draft states.

The parties to the agreement also pledge to work in unifying visa issuing policies in the future as part of efforts to deepen regional cooperation and mutual understanding.

Last week, the Government unanimously endorsed the proposal for signing an international agreement on freedom of movement for nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia according to which nationals of these countries would be able to travel to one another’s territory with biometric identification cards.

PM Kurti meets Presevo Valley representatives (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti held a meeting yesterday with representatives of the Albanian National Council headed by Ragmi Mustafa. The meeting focused on the current situation in the Presevo Valley, particularly the classification of addresses of Albanian residents as inactive by Serbia’s authorities.

Kurti said he was closely following the situation and noted that Serbia’s actions against Albanian residents of the Valley are unacceptable and need to stop as soon as possible.

Ministry corrects social media post following backlash (media)

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry corrected a post on social media after it received criticism over its content and ‘poor English’ in which it was written. Some referred to the post as ‘scandalous’ and ‘undiplomatic’.

In reaction to the Belarus authorities diverting a plane to arrest a journalist, a move which has been widely condemned by the international community, Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said: “Putin gets more aggressive, counts on weak West. Without Putin’s approval no Belarus attack on airliner, no new threats by SRB Vucic, with 30 more tanks, 30 mil. carrier from Russia. NATO, U.S., EU must take action to protect & defend allies. Kosova stands ready.”

The Ministry later took down the post and instead issued the following statement: “There are growing concerns about a more aggressive Serbia, too. SRB got an additional 30 tanks and 30 military carriers from Russia. Pres Vucic’s rethoric is hostile. NATO, U.S. & EU must take action to protect & defend its allies. Kosova stands ready to work with U.S. & EU.”

Petkovic begins visit to Kosovo after permission from Foreign Ministry (media)

Head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, begun his visit to Kosovo after being issued permission from the Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, media report.

Petkovic’s first stop in his two-day visit was Leposavic where he met residents and spoke about the financial assistance from the Serbian Government.

Conflicting reports about damage to Orthodox church in Shipashnica (Klan/Kallxo)

Kamenica mayor Qendron Kastrati reacted on Facebook to the damage of the Orthodox Church in Shipashnice e Poshtme, Kamenica municipality, which he categorized as an act of vandalism. Authorities meanwhile said the only damage was the fall of a candle holder and underlined that the church building is in poor state.

Kastrati condemned the act. “Such acts of vandalism are unacceptable,” he said in a Facebook post, adding that “faith in God, the practicing of faith are very personal matters and rights to be enjoyed without threats or intimidation. It is a value of our society to foster tolerance, respect and emancipation so as not to have prosperity remain an empty goal.”

Deputy Mayor Bojan Stamenkovic spoke to Klan Kosova saying he was shocked with what happened at the Church since the municipality of Kamenica “is an example of religious freedom and good co-existence.”

Police commander in Kamenica, Florim Klaiqi, meanwhile said only a candle holder fell inside the church, noting that the building itself is very old and on the verge of collapse. He said that the case was reported to the police but that the candle holder “could have fallen on its own.”

Gjilan, Kamenica, Vitia sign MoU to support shelter for domestic violence victims (media)

Mayors of three municipalities – Gjilan, Kamenica, and Vitia – signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding, supported by the OSCE, pledging financial assistance for the regional safe house “Liria” which provides shelter for victims of domestic violence.

The MoU was signed by mayors Lutfi Haziri, Qendron Kastrati, and Hasan Alia who thanked the regional office of the OSCE for the initiative. “Unfortunately, domestic violence has increased during the pandemic and we need to work together to make sure there are isolated cases and work harder on protection and awareness raising,” Gjilan’s mayor Haziri said.