• KLA war veterans threaten to block Government and Assembly (media)
• Prime Minister Kurti: Kosovo, a success story (media)
• Pride Week starts in Kosovo: “LGBTI+ rights are human rights” (RFE)
• President Osmani to visit Slovenia in July (media)
• Haradinaj, Hovenier discuss latest developments (media)
• “Decision to block trip, reflects commitment to hold Russia accountable” (Kallxo)
• Russia supports Open Balkan; reactions follow (Koha/RTK/Klan Kosova)
• Two die as storm winds, lightning hit Kosovo (Reuters)
• Polish Airlines begins operations from Kosovo (Kosovapress)

KLA war veterans threaten to block Government and Assembly (media)

Koha Ditore reports on its front page this morning that KLA war veterans protested on Monday in front of the Kosovo Assembly premises and attempted to enter the plenary session where MPs were scheduled to discuss legal amendments for increasing the minimum wage. Protesters said that if the war veterans are not included in the increase, they would block the Government and the Assembly. The legal amendments did not pass as there was no quorum in the Assembly, and the protesters dispersed but warned they would block the institutions if the legal amendments are discussed again.

Prime Minister Kurti: Kosovo, a success story (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, at the start of his visit to the UK, gave a speech at the Oxford Union. “It was an honor to have the opportunity to speak at the @OxfordUnion about our young Republic, its origins, journey, and destiny. Today, Kosova is a success story, a victory for democracy and a promising prospect for social-democracy,” Kurti tweeted after the event.

During his visit, Kurti is scheduled to meet Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss and give a speech at Cambridge University.

Pride Week starts in Kosovo: “LGBTI+ rights are human rights” (RFE)

Pride Week started in Pristina on Monday, with non-governmental organizations arguing that there has been regress in respecting the rights of the LGBTI+ community and authorities pledging they will engage in furthering the rights of this community. The Government of Kosovo officially opened the Pride Week, the sixth event of this kind.

The director of the Center for the Development of Social Groups (CSGD), Arbër Nuhiu, said that it is up to the relevant authorities to advance the rights of the LGBTI + community. “This edition of Pride Week comes with the slogan ‘Both in the state and in the family’, which reflects the current situation and reflects the denied presence and existence of LBGTI persons both in the state and in the family,” he said. Nuhiu was very critical of statements made by some members of the Kosovo Assembly during discussions on the Draft Civil Code on March 16. He claimed that the Assembly allowed hate, homophobic and transphobic speech and that the MPs failed to defend the Constitution which guarantees equal rights for all citizens.

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said at the event that equality should not be selective and that full equality should be a daily goal. “Unfortunately, stigma and discrimination continue to exist in our society, and this does not only apply to the LGBTI + community,” she said. “Pride Week reminds us of the importance of being proud of who we are, of the fact that even when we are different because diversity is wealth. This week reminds us that equality must never be selective. Equality must apply equally to every person because equality is the most fundamental and initiating premise of our Constitution, therefore equality must be our daily goal.”

President Osmani to visit Slovenia in July (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, will visit Slovenia in July following an invitation by her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor. Osmani said the visit would contribute to furthering inter-state relations in areas of mutual interest.

Haradinaj, Hovenier discuss latest developments (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, met the United States Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier on Monday and discussed latest developments in Kosovo, with special emphasis on the need to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “The friendship between our two countries is eternal,” Haradinaj said after the meeting.

“Decision to block trip, reflects commitment to hold Russia accountable” (Kallxo)

The U.S. State Department said that the decision by Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia to ban Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s plane from passing through their airspace, resulting in the cancellation of a visit to Serbia, reflects the commitment of Europe to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine. “This reflects Europe’s commitment to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unwarranted aggression in Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told the Voice of America.

Russia supports Open Balkan; reactions follow (Koha/RTK/Klan Kosova)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that the purpose of his visit to Belgrade, which was cancelled, was to express Russia’s position on many topics, including Kosovo and the Open Balkan initiative. “It is clear that Brussels officials did not want us confirming our position on Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to express our position on Belgrade’s initiative, the Open Balkan,” Lavrov said.

Klan Kosova quoted Milazim Krasniqi, political commentator, as saying that “Lavrov wanted to support the Open Balkan, which is a Serbian-Russian project. Russia has hidden its part so far and it proved these days that it is a project that enjoys Russia’s support”.

RTK covers a Twitter post by Janusz Bugajski, US expert on the Balkans, who said that “the Kremlin views the Open Balkan as a useful tool for subverting and dividing Europe. Pro-Western governments should abandon the scheme and not follow the Moscow-Belgrade agenda”.

Two die as storm winds, lightning hit Kosovo (Reuters)

A man was killed and a woman injured when a falling tree hit them during a storm in Kosovo’s capital Pristina on Monday afternoon, police said. Less than an hour later, another man was killed and his workmate injured when lightning hit them in a marble quarry in the southwestern town of Rahovec, officers added.

Police said they were on alert for more damage elsewhere following the fierce gusts and heavy rain. Some schools closed early.

“You have to be cautious especially in parts of the city where there are trees,” Pristina’s deputy mayor, Alban Zogaj, wrote on his Facebook page.

Police said the man and woman, both in their 30s, were walking when high winds toppled the tree. Officers had earlier said they were in a car.

The men hit in Rahovec were both Turkish nationals, authorities said. “They were working in a marble quarry when lightning hit them,” the town’s police commander, Fazli Morina, told Reuters.

Polish Airlines begins operations from Kosovo (Kosovapress)

Kosovapress reported that a new airline will start operating from Kosovo, connecting it to Poland. The first flight to Warsaw departed this Monday from the International Airport of Prishtina “Adem Jashari”. Kosovo and Poland government representatives hailed the launch of the new route as “crucial for strengthening economic and political bilateral ties”.