• Price hikes in Kosovo, Kurti: This is the cost of freedom! (media)
• LDK leader calls on PM Kurti to act, “unbearable crisis” (media)
• German Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Lajcak meets Escobar in Brussels (media)
• Kosovo Police checks citizens leaving to fight in Ukraine (BIRN)
• Working group on NATO integration holds first meeting (media)
• Clark: Kosovo should join NATO as soon as possible (KTV)
• Kosovo’s Interior Minister Svecla meets US special envoy Escobar (media)
• Bislimi calls for visa liberalisation for Kosovo in European Parliament (media)
• Haradinaj: If Serbian soldiers step in Kosovo, Belgrade “will be bombed” (TV Dukagjini/Telegrafi)
• COVID-19: 49 new cases, two deaths (media)

Price hikes in Kosovo, Kurti: This is the cost of freedom! (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that the rise in prices for oil and basic products “is the cost we have to pay for living in a free and democratic Kosovo”.

In addition, he said that the Russian aggression in Ukraine is what’s dictating prices hikes and that the government has nothing to do with it, Kosovapress reported.

During a government meeting, Kurti promised rigorous auditing in order to prevent any manipulations or unfair price gouging as a result of the crisis. “I know and I understand your concerns when it comes to these price hikes as they are the concerns all of us share – even though we are not the ones that caused this, neither our country nor our government. However, it influences all of us. 13 days ago, we joined the western world’s initiative to sanction the Russian aggression in Ukraine – and this is an unavoidable cost we all have to pay. However, this is the cost for freedom and democracy,” – said Kurti.

In addition, he said that Kosovo is greatly dependent on its imports, as a result, according to Kurti, of the negligence shown by prior administrations in terms of prioritizing and investing in domestic production.

LDK leader calls on PM Kurti to act, “unbearable crisis” (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, took to Facebook on Wednesday to call on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to act in the face of “an unbearable crisis”. He said Kurti should follow the example of North Macedonia which reduced the VAT on oil and fuel, saying that “these are logical and temporary measures, and they don’t pose any threats to the budget”. Abdixhiku also said that “every day that the government is late in acting this constitutes an irreversible impact on the economy”.

German Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)

German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock will visit Kosovo today and is scheduled to meet President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and KFOR leaders, all media report.

Lajcak meets Escobar in Brussels (media)

The United States Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar met in Brussels on Wednesday with the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak. Lajcak tweeted after the meeting: “very happy to welcome DAS Gabriel Escobar in Brussels today. We share the same assessment of the developments in the Western Balkans, including in light of the Russian war in Ukraine. We will continue to work closely together to help make the region’s EU future a reality.”

Kosovo Police checks citizens leaving to fight in Ukraine (BIRN)

Kosovo Police on Wednesday said they were collecting information about two Kosovars who reportedly headed to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russian invasion.

On Tuesday, Pristina-based TV channel Kanal10 interviewed two Kosovar men at the Poland-Ukraine border who were on their way to Ukraine. That was the first reported case of Kosovo nationals joining the war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, however, Kanal10 reported that the two were not allowed to enter Ukraine and had been held for more than four hours by Polish border authorities.

“Relevant Police units are in the stage of collection and verification of information and in line with the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure we will cooperate with Prosecution on this case,” Police told BIRN.

Kosovo outlawed participation in foreign armed groups in 2015 after more than 400 of its citizens joined the conflict in Syria, fighting alongside Islamist terrorist organisations such as ISIS. Tens of those who returned from the Middle East have since faced trial and have been imprisoned.

“We will first address the issue [of the two men] if it’s true or not, but we cannot say anything more at this stage,” Blerim Isufaj, head of Kosovo’s Special Prosecution, told BIRN. “The law prohibits participation [in foreign conflicts],” he added.

Maliq Behluli, from the southern town of Suharekë/Suva Reka, told Kanal 10 from the Poland-Ukraine border on Tuesday that he was joining the fight for “humane reasons”. He described Russia as “our common enemy”, meaning Ukraine and Kosovo.

His friend, Ismet Shala, who has been living in Western Europe, said that “all EU members have supported the Ukrainian war” and that “images of refugees remind us what we experienced during the Kosovo war… everyone has the right to fight for peace”.

Behluli and Shala said they were not part of Kosovo’s armed resistance against Serbia in 1998-99.

Read full article here: https://bit.ly/3hWRYq8

Working group on NATO integration holds first meeting (media)

Kosovo’s inter-ministerial working group, established yesterday to prepare for NATO membership, held its first meeting.

Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla, who chairs the group, said that the relevant institutional representatives met “to step up our preparations for NATO membership.” She added that in light of the situation in Ukraine, the new era in Europe seeks a new strategy for ensuring peace.

Clark: Kosovo should join NATO as soon as possible (KTV)

Former NATO SACEUR Wesley Clark said in an interview with KTV on Wednesday that Kosovo must become a member of NATO as soon as possible. “I think NATO should give the Membership Action Plan to Kosovo as soon as possible,” Clark said. “I think that would be an important factor and the countries that have not recognised Kosovo should recognise it as soon as possible.”

Clark also said he understands that certain states have their internal problems. “What is happening in Ukraine is an attack against the international system. Therefore, all the states should get together to protect it. The recognition of Kosovo’s status as an independent state is a part of that protection,” he added.

Kosovo’s Interior Minister Svecla meets US special envoy Escobar (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs said on Wednesday he met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and Special Representative for Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar. Svecla thanked Escobar for his role in important processes for Kosovo and for the generous assistance given to Kosovo over the years. “At the meeting, they discussed specific achievements of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in fighting crime, corruption and terrorism, and the need for a close cooperation for a long-term stability in the region and beyond,” a statement issued by the Minister’s office notes. Escobar thanked Kosovo for its support in temporary accommodation of Afghan citizens and for the Kosovo Government’s readiness to accept refugees from Ukraine.

Bislimi calls for visa liberalisation for Kosovo in European Parliament (media)

Kosovo’s Principal Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, said at the meeting of the Parliamentary Commission for Stabilization and Association, in Strasbourg, on Wednesday, that the European Parliament voted twice in favor of the visa liberalization for Kosovo, but that the citizens of Kosovo still remain isolated. He said the process must be concluded.

Bislimi also reiterated Kosovo’s position about the conflict in Ukraine and highlighted the resolution adopted by the Kosovo Assembly condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine. He said that “the EU has responded in a unified manner and Kosovo has joined the democratic front.”

Haradinaj: If Serbian soldiers step in Kosovo, Belgrade “will be bombed” (TV Dukagjini/Telegrafi)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said on Wednesday that there is no analogy between the war in Kosovo and the war in Ukraine. In a debate on TV Dukagjini, he said he notices a lack of reaction by the international community in Ukraine, similar to the delayed intervention in Kosovo.

According to Haradinaj, Vucic and Serbia cannot intervene in the north of Kosovo at this time because of international guarantees. “If this were to happen, the whole world would know that Vucic was doing this in the service of Russia,” he said. “I know that the Americans would never allow a single Serbian solider to step in Kosovo territory. I know that Belgrade would be bombed if something like this were to happen just like in 1999. The Serbian leadership is well aware of this.”

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

49 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said in its daily report. 80 persons recovered during this time. There are 831 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.