• Kosovo’s Kurti, Gervalla meet Greek deputy minister Fragogiannis (media)
• PDK, AAK react to State Department’s report on Kosovo (media)
• Kosovo requests official information from Swiss authorities on Marty’s case (media)
• KLA veterans urge government to act on Marty’s allegations (Koha)
• KSC comments on whether Marty could be called in to testify (Express)
• Blic: West putting pressure for dissolving “Open Balkans” initiative (Koha)
• Osmani reviewing KPC’s proposed nominee for chief prosecutor (Klan)
• Property tax collection in 2021 reached €36 mil.; nothing from northern municipalities (Kallxo)
• COVID-19: 23 new cases, no deaths (media)

Kosovo’s Kurti, Gervalla meet Greek deputy minister Fragogiannis (media)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla had separate meetings in Pristina yesterday with a delegation from Greece headed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Kostas Fragogiannis.

“They discussed cooperation possibilities which would be of benefit to the citizens of the two countries,” a press release issued by the Government of Kosovo said. It further quoted Fragogiannis as expressing readiness for advancing relations and trade exchange between Kosovo and Greece.

According to a statement from Kosovo’s foreign ministry, further deepening of relations, Kosovo’s NATO membership and the war on Ukraine were discussed in the meeting. “Speaking about the dangers that the region may face from Russian military aggression against Ukraine, Minister Gervalla stressed that Serbia’s continued support for its ally, Russia, even in this case, requires a clear message and position of the EU,” the press release reads.

PDK, AAK react to State Department’s report on Kosovo (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said the recent State Department’s World Human Rights Report has not only identified numerous cases of “incapable” governance but has also shown deterioration in the freedom of expression field.  Krasniqi called on the Government of Kosovo to reflect on the findings of the report and “give an example in the respect for the freedom of the press and stop their intimidation.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj commented on the report on Twitter saying that while the State Department’s assessments on several issues, including the KSF transition, are encouraging, the findings about the undermining the freedom of expression and the media, corruption impunity and others are equally concerning. “The Government needs to urgently address these findings,” he wrote.

Kosovo requests official information from Swiss authorities on Marty’s case (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani is reported to have asked for official information regarding allegations by the former Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty that the Serbian intelligence service was trying to assassinate him and frame the Albanians for the act.

“As soon as the news about former senator Dick Marty was published, President Osmani contacted security institutions and asked them to immediately obtain official information from authorities in Switzerland about the plan by Serbia’s intelligence agencies to eliminate the former senator so as to blame persons for Kosovo afterwards,” Bekim Kupina, media advisor to President Osmani, said. He added that due to the sensitivity of the case, Osmani will not be commenting on the issue further.

KLA veterans urge government to act on Marty’s allegations (Koha)

Faton Klinaku from the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans’ Organisations called on the Government of Kosovo to raise at the international level the statements of the former Council of Europe rapporteur and Swiss senator Dick Marty, that the Serbian intelligence service was trying to assassinate him and then blame the Albanians.

At a press conference, the KLA veterans said that they expect actions from authorities both in Kosovo and Albania. “It is not the first time that Serbia tries to blame the Albanians for all the bad things it has done,” Klinaku said.

KSC comments on whether Marty could be called in to testify (Express)

The former Swiss senator, Dick Marty, who recently claimed he was a target of an assassination plan by Serbia’s intelligence services and who authored the report on behalf of the Council of Europe accusing KLA leaders of involvement in organ trade, could be a witness at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Gazeta Express reports.

“Any party (Prosecution or Defense) can call such witnesses that may be relevant to their case. The relevant college can decide on the significance of such evidence. Regarding information regarding witnesses before the Specialist Chambers, they can be found on the website of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. As you will see from the KSC website, Dick Marty’s name is not currently reflected there,” KSC told the news website.

Blic: West putting pressure for dissolving “Open Balkans” initiative (Koha)

The Serbian newspaper “Blic” dedicated its Thursday’s edition cover to the regional initiative “Open Balkans” and according to the paper, there is an increasing pressure from the West for dissolving the initiative.

“The British are the most fervent opponents of the initiative of Vucic, Rama and Zaev,” Blic wrote. It added that the biggest pressure is being exerted in Skopje where, after Zoran Zaev stepped down from prime minister’s post, his successor Dimitar Kovacevski is being seen as the weakest link.

Osmani reviewing KPC’s proposed nominee for chief prosecutor (Klan)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has received the proposal from the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to decree Blerim Isufaj to the post of state chief prosecutor and is reviewing the documentation submitted.

“The President is in contact with interested parties and in the coming days will be meeting representatives of organisations that monitored the selection process to listen to their observations,” said Bekim Kupina, advisor to Osmani.

Property tax collection in 2021 reached €36 mil.; nothing from northern municipalities (Kallxo)

Last year, revenues from the municipalities’ property tax reached over €36.2 million euros, Kallxo reports quoting the annual financial records from the Kosovo’s Ministry of Finance, Works and Transfers.

The data, which are still unaudited, show that compared to 2020, the collected tax for 2021 is higher by 13.5 million. At the same time, the data  also show that the northern municipalities: Mitrovica North, Leposavic, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan have not collected any property taxes.

COVID-19: 23 new cases, no deaths (media)

23 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said. 18 persons recovered during this time. There are 509 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.