• Kurti: Citizens know our government cannot be compared to others before (Kallxo/RTK)
• Abdixhiku on Government’s 100-day report: Empty and disappointing (media)
• PDK’s Tahiri: Kurti government has done nothing of what it promised (EO/RTK)
• Hajdari: Implementation of reciprocity requires good organisation (Telegrafi)
• Petkovic on reciprocity: Kurti destroying dialogue (media)
• LVV supporter seemingly confirms Vitia’s candidacy for Pristina mayor (media)
• 10 active fires remain in Kosovo, out of 50 (media)
• KSC experiencing serious problems with Albanian translation (Klan)
• COVID-19: 48 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Belgium to share COVID-19 vaccines, Kosovo among beneficiaries (media)

Kurti: Citizens know our government cannot be compared to others before (Kallxo/RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said yesterday while reporting on the first 100 days of the government that the success of his cabinet is not measures with those of the past but with expectations of the citizens. “Citizens know that our Government cannot be compared to others before. The competition is not with the past but with the future.”

Kurti also spoke about the economic development of Kosovo which he said is characterised by positive effects. “These positive changes are a result of many factors but there is no doubt that the increase of trust with institutions and the work of the government, the optimism and citizens’ hope for the new government are the main ones,” he said.

He said the management of the COVID-19 pandemic has also seen visible improvement. “From March to June there is a decrease of 99 percent of new infections.”

The session of the Assembly discussing the 100 days of the Kurti-led government is set to continue today.

Abdixhiku on Government’s 100-day report: Empty and disappointing (media)

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), spoke at the Assembly following Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s report on the first 100 days of his cabinet saying that it was empty, disappointing but also true. “It is true because it accurately reflects this government which has taken on the epithet of being of interns and populist.”

Abdixhiku said that according to Kurti, Kosovo is flourishing in all aspects for “some other factors we don’t know about but the main one, the key one, is the fact that they are in power.”

He also accused the Government of Kosovo of changing position regarding reciprocity and dialogue with Serbia: “In 100 days you changed position on reciprocity so much so that you overcame the symbolic cause of Serbia’s bricks with ease, you ironically removed the tariff to the only product that was kept as symbolism. You changed on dialogue as well, without conditions, without platform, without reporting, you ignore this Assembly and the people as a result with non-transparency because you think you will never come down from where you’re standing.”

PDK’s Tahiri: Kurti government has done nothing of what it promised (EO/RTK)

Abelard Tahiri, head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, said at the Assembly debate on the Government’s first 100 days in office that electoral promises of the Vetevendosje Movement and its leader Albin Kurti have not been materialised.

Speaking about what he called were Kurti-led government’s failures to deliver on its promises on a number of fields, Tahiri said that not only has the governance worsened but democracy in Kosovo is also under threat. He said the only success of the Kurti government so far is that it has managed to stay in power for 100 compared to the previous term when it only lasted for 50.

Hajdari: Implementation of reciprocity requires good organisation (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, said at the Assembly that they have identified institutions and agencies that will be tasked with implementing reciprocity measures towards Serbia.

Hajdari said implementation of such measures requires good organisation and logistical coordination. “We know all the barriers we have with Serbia and you know them better than us, having been longer in the government,” she told opposition lawmakers and added: “We will act towards Serbia in the same way and approach it uses towards us, nothing more and nothing less.”

Petkovic on reciprocity: Kurti destroying dialogue (media)

Petar Petkovic, director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, commented on yesterday’s remarks by Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti on reciprocity measures towards Serbia which he said are inevitable.

Petkovic said Kurti was destroying the process of dialogue and everything the parties have so far agreed to in the course of it. “The issue of the so-called reciprocity is a euphemism of imposing new economic barriers which Kosovo had put towards Serbia through the 100-percent tax,” he said.

Kurti said yesterday at the Assembly that Kosovo will introduce reciprocity measures against Serbia but that it wants to make sure the measures are accurately implemented. “In December 2011, we adopted a resolution for full political, economic and trade reciprocity. I presented this principle in our meetings in Brussels. My principal deputy, Bislimi, prepared a document listing the 11 violations that Serbia makes against Kosovo. We have told the international factors about this. In the first 100 days in government, we have had a new director of Customs and we need to make the best preparations so that we don’t fail. If we don’t implement it in its entirety then the concept itself will die.” Kurti said reciprocity is not part of any vengeance but rather “a sound principle between countries that derives from the concept of equality.”

LVV supporter seemingly confirms Vitia’s candidacy for Pristina mayor (media)

A supporter of the Vetevendosje Movement who will run for municipal assembly member come October elections seemed to confirm yesterday via social media that Minister of Health Arben Vitia would be running for mayor of Pristina.

“…I am starting my story by joining the super team of Mr. Arben Vitia as candidate for mayor of Prishtina municipality,” said Petrit Recica.

10 active fires remain in Kosovo, out of 50 (media)

Emergency management agency told Telegrafi that 10 fires are still active in Kosovo, out of the previous fifty.

“During the day we had up to 50 fires but were able to be isolated, also thanks to KFOR’s intervention,” said Nehat Koqinaj from the agency.

Koha meanwhile reports that new fires have been identified in several locations in the municipalities of Gjakova and Malisheva.

According to the Kosovo Police the firefighting teams together with local residents have made efforts to isolate the fires while the Municipality of Malisheva said that the fires in its territory have been put under control.

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti set today on a visit to Suhareka as the municipality battles fires, Klan Kosova reports.

Zeri writes that the police have arrested a suspect in Zubin Potok for starting wildfires.

At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that there are several fires in Kosovo at present but the most serious one is that in the village of Shtupeq, municipality of Peja. The ministry said a number of institutions are involved in distinguishing fires including the firefighter teams, the Kosovo Police, Kosovo Security Force, public enterprises as well as KFOR which is conducting aerial firefighting.

KSC experiencing serious problems with Albanian translation (Klan)

As the Kosovo Specialist Chambers mark six years of establishment, Klan Kosova reports quoting a bulletin published by the Humanitarian Law Centre that the court is facing problems when it comes to translation of documents into Albanian.

“Absence of translation prevents initially the accused as well as other parties to have access to the language they understand. Oftentimes during conferences on the progress of the case there are flaws during translation,” HLC said, adding that many documents only appear in English.

Another issue that HLC highlighted concerns relations between the accused and their counsels whose contacts were limited due to measures against COVID-19.

COVID-19: 48 new cases, no deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 48 new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. Five persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 585 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Belgium to share COVID-19 vaccines, Kosovo among beneficiaries (media)

Belgium has announced it plans to share 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year. Kosovo will be among the beneficiaries of the donation which the Government of Belgium will distribute through the WHO-led COVAX initiative.

“Initially, 168,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered to Ukraine, followed by 225,600 doses planned for Kosovo, Armenia and Georgia,” the Ministry said.