- Osmani to EP President Metsola: Kosovo has proven itself as a reliable ally (media)
- Kosovo and Israel ready to expand and deepen cooperation (media)
- Bislimi and team present level of dialogue agreements’ implementation (Klan)
- Gervalla kept secret meeting with al-Maliki, Palestine demands Kosovo remove embassy from Jerusalem (Express)
- Kamberi requests repeat of elections in Presevo Valley (media)
- Von Cramon on Serbian elections: Denying Albanians the right to vote unacceptable (Express)
- Albanians risk losing representation in Serbian Parliament (euronews.al)
- Kosovo, Bosnia call for NATO membership as war rages in Ukraine (Aljazeera)
- Kosovo commemorates 98 slain in Rezalle massacre in 1999 (AP)
- PM Kurti urges fight against discrimination towards Roma community (Koha)
- Rama and Haradinaj leave aside disagreements, meet in Tirana (Kallxo)
- Kosovo health care staff protest over working conditions (euronews.al)
- COVID-19: 20 new cases, no deaths (media)
Osmani to EP President Metsola: Kosovo has proven itself as a reliable ally (media)
The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu held a virtual meeting with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, with whom they discussed a number of topics, from visa liberalisation for Kosovo, the current situation in Europe after Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as Kosovo’s commitment to peace and dialogue.
Thanking President Metsola for her commitment to accelerate the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo citizens, President Osmani reiterated that the people of Kosovo are the most pro-European people in the world, so the right to travel freely must be guaranteed without delay, a statement issued by Kosovo’s presidency reads.
In this conversation, Osmani informed President Metsola about Kosovo’s intention to join international organizations, institutional efforts for recovery from the pandemic and Kosovo’s constructive role in the dialogue process with Serbia. Meanwhile, President Matsola thanked President Osmani for Kosovo’s coordination with Western partners for the war in Ukraine and reiterated the European Parliament’s ongoing request to accelerate visa liberalisation.
Kosovo and Israel ready to expand and deepen cooperation (media)
Prime Minister Albin Kurti received on Tuesday in a meeting the Israeli ambassador in Pristina Tamar Ziv, whom he thanked for the recognition of Kosovo by Israel.
Congratulating her on her appointment, Prime Minister Kurti expressed satisfaction with the meeting and thanked her for the recognition of Kosovo by Israel while the ambassador said that she is honoured to be the first Israeli ambassador to Kosovo, and invited the Prime Minister for an official visit to Israel. She added that ‘although we have not had diplomatic relations, our people have been in contact with each other.’
A press release issued by PM Kurti’s cabinet said that “the meeting confirmed the readiness of both countries to expand and deepen cooperation” and that the two officials also talked about concrete opportunities for cooperation in the fields of economy, agriculture, education and culture, as well as the potential for cooperation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).
Bislimi and team present level of dialogue agreements’ implementation (Klan)
The EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said via social media that the Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi and his team presented the level of implementation of agreements reached in the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels.
“Today, we held a meeting of the Special Group on Normalisation under Kosovo’s SAA. It was a good opportunity to give EU Member States an overview of Kosovo’s level of implementation of past Dialogue agreements. I thank First DPM @BislimiBesnik and his team for their presentations,” Lajcak said.
Gervalla kept secret meeting with al-Maliki, Palestine demands Kosovo remove embassy from Jerusalem (Express)
Kosovo Foreign Minister, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, attending the Diplomacy Forum of Antalya, Turkey, last month had also met her counterpart from Palestine, Riyad al-Maliki, but she had not announced the meeting at all, either at the any press release issued by the Ministry or on other platforms on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, Gazeta Express writes.
However, according to the Turkish media, al-Maliki had stated that Palestine could consider establishing relations with Kosovo only if Kosovo removes its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem. Haberler.com reports that during the meeting with al-Maliki, Gervalla had expressed Kosovo’s desire to deepen relations with Palestine. “The presence of the Embassy in Jerusalem is against international law, the Security Council Resolution, and the position of the European Union. This violation will bring no benefit to Kosovo’s progress towards international recognition and membership in the international community,” al-Maliki was quoted as saying. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo on 13 March this year had issued a press release announcing the meetings that Gervalla had held in Turkey during the Forum in Antalya, but the meeting with al-Maliki of Palestine was not mentioned at all.
Kamberi requests repeat of elections in Presevo Valley (media)
Shaip Kamberi from the Coalition of Valley Albanians has called for a repetition of the voting process in the Presevo Valley saying that many citizens were denied the right to vote in Serbia’s parliamentary elections of 3 April.
“Passivisation of Albanian addresses resulting in their deletion from voters’ lists delegitimised the election process, particularly at the Presevo Valley. Many Albanians have been denied the fundamental right, the right to vote. This makes the election process undemocratic,” Kamberi wrote on Facebook.
Von Cramon on Serbian elections: Denying Albanians the right to vote unacceptable (Express)
Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, said on Tuesday that Sunday’s elections in Serbia were not either free or fair. She also condemned deletion of the addresses of Albanians in Presevo Valley depriving them of their right to vote, Gazeta Express reports.
Von Cramon in a statement posted on her blog wrote that the direct pressure on voters who work in public administration, abuse of media and state resources, physical assault on the opposition leader Pavle Grbovic indicate the impossibility to have a free and fair choice. Further the MEP Von Cramon said that Serbia must fully align to the EU sanctions against Russia following Putin’s war against Ukraine urgently or will face serious political and financial consequences.
“Fundamental rights issues were once again reported in the Presevo valley, as we are seriously concerned about the complaints of ethnic Albanians who were denied voting since deleted from the civil registry at the place of their residence, which is unacceptable and we will closely follow-up on these reports,” Von Cramon said.
Albanians risk losing representation in Serbian Parliament (euronews.al)
Shaip Kamberi, an Albanian candidate running for a seat at the Serbian Parliament, is calling to repeat the elections in the Presevo Valley claiming ‘irregularities’ at the polls.
In a status shared on Facebook, Kamberi said the elections were ‘neither free nor democratic’.
Despite receiving over 9,500 votes, Kamberi noted that it might not be enough to secure a seat in the Serbian legislative chamber.
Kamberi claimed that the inactivation of the mailing addresses belonging to ethnic Albanian citizens was in part to be blamed for the low voter turnout.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3r6zKra
Kosovo, Bosnia call for NATO membership as war rages in Ukraine (Aljazeera)
In interviews with Al Jazeera, Kosovo’s president and Bosnia’s defence minister share their concerns about regional security and Moscow-friendly Serbia.
As Russia’s influence grows in the Western Balkans and war rages in Ukraine, the leaders of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have said joining NATO would help preserve regional security.
Since February 24, when President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine citing Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s potential NATO membership as a leading concern, fears have simmered that the crisis may spread to the Western Balkans.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/37helo4
Kosovo commemorates 98 slain in Rezalle massacre in 1999 (AP)
Kosovo leaders have called on Serbia to accept the genocide that its former regime committed in Serbia’s former province.
Kosovo leaders on Tuesday urged Serbia to accept the 1999 genocide that its former regime committed in Serbia’s former province of Kosovo.
Kosovo commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the massacre at Rezalle, a village 50 kilometers (35 miles) west of the capital, Pristina, where Serb army, police and paramilitary forces killed 98 ethnic Albanians. Some of the dead corpses are still missing.
Read more at: https://abcn.ws/3r5Qyyw
PM Kurti urges fight against discrimination towards Roma community (Koha)
To mark the upcoming International Romani Day, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti visited the oldest Roma NGO, “Durmish Asllano” in Prizren, and urged fight against dicrimination and respect for human rights.
Kurti said the Government of Kosovo has readiness to support all communities and that while the Constitution of Kosovo and its legislation contain advanced rights for communities, more work is needed to improve the lives of their members. “We need to fight prejudice, stigmatisation, discrimination and our Government believes in human rights, believes in democracy, and is a guarantor of this.”
Rama and Haradinaj leave aside disagreements, meet in Tirana (Kallxo)
Three years ago, Edi Rama, as the head of government in Albania, and Ramush Haradinaj, as then prime minister of Kosovo, had deep political disagreements, mainly related to the idea of correcting the border between Kosovo and Serbia, But today, Kallxo reported, adding that three years later, Rama and Hardinaj left aside disagreements by meeting in Tirana.
“Cooperation between Kosovo and Albania in economy, infrastructure, security and foreign policy, were the main topics of today’s meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama,” Haradinaj wrote on Facebook. He said they also discussed the Pristina-Durres railway “as a necessary project for the two countries as well as granting of dual citizenship for our citizens.”
Kosovo health care staff protest over working conditions (euronews.al)
Kosovo health care workers held a protest on Tuesday in front of the University Clinical Center in Prishtina.
In a protest that lasted about one hour, they sought better wages, raising the pay for night shifts from €18 to €36, and additional benefits during national holidays and weekends.
The protest was organized by the Union Nurses, Midwives, and Other Healthcare Professionals of Kosovo.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3x7ahBH
COVID-19: 20 new cases, no deaths (media)
20 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said. 27 persons recovered during this time. There are 545 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.
