• Osmani meets Turkish President Erdogan (media)
• Kurti: We established the Security Fund (media)
• Mandl: The five EU countries should immediately recognize Kosovo (Telegrafi)
• Croatia’s President proposes status of EU candidate for Kosovo (Kallxo)
• Ukraine invasion revives debate in Kosovo on NATO membership (BIRN)
• Kosovo to shelter 20 Ukrainian journalists working remotely (Reuters)
• LDK proposes Resolution for Kosovo’s membership in NATO and EU (Koha)
• Kosovo government issues decision on new anti-COVID-19 measures (media)
• COVID-19: 61 new cases, one death (media)

Osmani meets Turkish President Erdogan (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was received on Tuesday at a meeting by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A press release issued by Osmani’s office after the meeting notes that she thanked Turkey for its support to Kosovo during the liberation and independence processes as well as in state-building. Osmani received the confirmation of President Erdogan that Turkey supports Kosovo’s membership in NATO. The Turkish President also expressed his readiness to further assist Kosovo in securing new recognitions, for which he promised his personal commitment.

“The current political situation in the Western Balkans region and in Europe was a discussion topic at the meeting of two Presidents. President Osmani, referring to the situation in Ukraine, stressed that Kosovo condemns the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. According to her, Russia and its ally Serbia, aim to destabilize the Western Balkans, challenging and threatening the sovereignty and stability not only of Kosovo but also of the region,” the press release notes.

Read full statement here: https://bit.ly/3sxbNdM

Kurti: We established the Security Fund (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti took to Facebook on Tuesday to say that “in accordance with the needs of the Kosovo Security Forces, the current situation and after consultations with international partners, I have authorized today the Ministry of Finance to establish a “Security Fund”.”

“The collected funds are intended to be used in accordance with the state security strategy of the Republic of Kosovo which is expected to be approved by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. The operation of this fund will be regulated by relevant procedural acts and will be used exclusively for the purpose set by the government.”

“In accordance with the legislation in force, the procedures for the origin of financial means will be implemented in order to preserve the integrity of the fund and its purpose.”

“The citizens of Kosovo and our compatriots in the diaspora are invited, as well as other donors to contribute to state security.”

Mandl: The five EU countries should immediately recognize Kosovo (Telegrafi)

Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl has stated that it is time for the five EU member states, which have not yet recognized Kosovo, to finally do so.

The Austrian politician, spokesman for the Austrian People’s Party on foreign policy and security, has said that it is up to our political generation to provide future generations with a life without war.

“All EU institutions must now urgently call on Serbia to clearly distance itself from any form of war. Otherwise, EU membership negotiations would be a futile undertaking. Also, the normalization of relations with the Republic of Kosovo must conclude immediately, and the recognition must be prepared without delay,” Mandl said.

He said that this would also be a strong sign of the unity of values ​​of the European community.

“The moment is now,” he said.

Croatia’s President proposes status of EU candidate for Kosovo (Kallxo)

Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic stated that the utmost must be done in order to prevent the spread of the crisis to the Western Balkans.

“It is in Croatia’s strategic and national interest that the countries of South East Europe, which have declared and proved their intention and readiness to join the EU, become members of the European Union as soon as possible.

Therefore, President Milanovic has proposed that the EU membership candidate status be requested for both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and that the EU, after repeated promises, immediately starts membership negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Albania, which already have candidate status.

Furthermore, negotiations with Montenegro should be accelerated.

“In regard to Serbia, at this important moment for European peace, this state must decide whether it actually wants EU membership or not and pursue its policy accordingly. The EU must let Serbia know that now is the moment of decision,” reads the statement.

Ukraine invasion revives debate in Kosovo on NATO membership (BIRN)

Amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, a threat to territorial security is also felt in Kosovo, reactivating calls for NATO membership from both institutions and experts.

As Russia’s invasion unfolds in Ukraine, calls for Kosovo to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, in order to protect its sovereignty and security, have revived.

In addition to requests from Kosovo institutions and security experts in recent days, as war ravages Ukraine, appeals have become a trend on social networks.

The latest discussion started with the request of the Minister of Defence, Armend Mehaj. On Sunday, for a second time he called for Kosovo to be admitted to NATO and for the alliance to build a new military base in the country.

“Based on the reality created by Russian military aggression in Ukraine and its reflection on the overall security environment of the Western Balkans, Europe and the world, we ask the US and all allied and partner countries to accelerate the membership process: the Republic of Kosovo in NATO,” Mehaj wrote on Facebook.

On the same day, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, reacted by saying that he could not assess how real the risk was to Serbia of Kosovo joining NATO, but according to him, non-member neutral Serbia should “not be at all naive” about it.

Security experts support Mehaj’s requests for NATO membership, calling it necessary for Kosovo’s national security.

Naim Maloku, a former superior of the former guerilla army, the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, said the Minister’s statement was right, but it should be kept in mind that a country must be accepted into the United Nations to be admitted to NATO.

“Four NATO members have not yet recognized Kosovo,” he noted, referencing Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Greece, “and [NATO] membership must have the support of all other [member] countries,” Maloku told BIRN.

NATO is already present in Kosovo through the KFOR peacekeeping force, which was deployed in Kosovo under the mandate of the UN Security Council through Resolution 1244.

Kosovo has been left out of the process of NATO enlargement, however. NATO told BIRN its engagement in Kosovo will continue as it has been so far.

“NATO’s engagement in Kosovo has not changed. We remain committed through the NATO-led and UN-mandated Kosovo Force (KFOR), which contributes to a safe and secure environment and to wider stability in the Western Balkans,” it told BIRN.

“Any changes to our force posture in KFOR remain conditions-based and not calendar-driven,” it added.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in an interview with TRT World, also requested all NATO members to enable Kosovo’s membership of the peacekeeping alliance.

“I do now make an appeal to NATO members to view [Kosovo’s] membership …  especially from a security perspective, and leave some of the political issues they usually keep in mind on the side for the moment, and consider how what is going on in Ukraine can have spillover effect very quickly on the Western Balkans and other parts of Europe,” Osmani said.

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3tmSCT5

Kosovo to shelter 20 Ukrainian journalists working remotely (Reuters)

Kosovo plans to offer shelter for up to six months to 20 Ukrainian journalists forced to leave their country following the invasion by Russia, according to a government document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The document says priority will be given to female journalists who will be chosen by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).

The government will initially allocate 150,000 euros to pay for their living costs, wages and offices for a period of up to six months, to enable them to work remotely.

There was no indication when the journalists would arrive in Kosovo, which is neither a NATO nor an EU member but has joined other Western countries in introducing sanctions on Russia.

Last August Kosovo also agreed to temporarily host about 2,000 Afghans seeking visas to enter the United States. Most of them have already left although some are still waiting for their paperwork.

Ukraine does not recognise Kosovo’s independence but it has 40 troops serving as peacekeepers in the country under a NATO mission.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti confirmed the news in a Twitter post. “Our government just decided to host 20 journalists from Ukraine in Kosovo. They were forced to leave their homeland by Russian invasion. In support and solidarity with Ukraine & its people, in cooperation with @EFJEUROPE & #ECPMF, we will enable them to work remotely,” Kurti tweeted.

LDK proposes Resolution for Kosovo’s membership in NATO and EU (Koha)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) submitted on Tuesday a draft resolution to the Assembly Presidency for discussion with other caucuses, about condemning the Russian aggression to Ukraine and the endanger of global security, and in coordination with the Western allies, impose sanctions against Russia and apply for Kosovo’s membership in NATO and the EU.

According to the statement, the new global insecurity situation is caused by the unprecedented Russian war intervention against Ukraine.

LDK requested an urgent meeting of the caucuses, in order to take the necessary steps as soon as possible and to adopt the Resolution on Thursday.

Kosovo government issues decision on new anti-COVID-19 measures (media)

The Kosovo Government issued a decision on Tuesday on the new anti COVID-19 measures. The measures can be read at: https://bit.ly/3hxUIKd

COVID-19: 61 new cases, one death (media)

61 new cases with COVID-19 and one death from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 241 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 1,696 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.