• Kosovo PM Kurti meets UK Foreign Secretary Truss (media)
• Greek foreign minister to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Gervalla invited to “Summit of the Americas” (media)
• Vucic and Borrell discuss a Kosovo-Serbia declaration on missing persons (Indeksonline)
• EU on Lavrov remarks: We don’t comment on positions of someone on sanctions list (Telegrafi)
• Open Balkan Meeting Kicks off in Ohrid with Presence of Montenegro (Exit)
• Varhelyi to attend Open Balkan meeting amid claims of Russian backing (Euractiv/Exit)
• Krasniqi: “Open Balkan” is a political project, Kosovo doesn’t support it (RTK)
• Robelli: Alexander Soros attended “Open Balkan” with no mandate (Koha)
• Konjufca and Richardson hold virtual meeting (media)
• For Kosovo Women, In-Laws are Often Abusers Too (BIRN)

Kosovo PM Kurti meets UK Foreign Secretary Truss (media)

In his visit to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met the country’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss.

Truss took to Twitter to reveal what was discussed in the meeting: “Strengthening our bilateral relationship; Galvanising action against Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine; Challenging malign influence in the Western Balkans.” Also on Twitter, Kurti said of the meeting: “Agreed on the necessity to take additional actions against Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and to challenge malign influence in the WB region. We will work together to enhance our bilateral cooperation.”

Kurti: Kosovo will first join NATO then EU (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was a guest speaker in a debate organised at the University of Cambridge.

Koha quotes Kurti as saying that Kosovo will first join NATO and then the European Union. “We must first join the NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. It is the first step, I imagine that joining NATO is faster and easier than joining the EU.” Kurti said he could not speak of dates but that inclusion of Kosovo in NATO will contribute to the stability of the whole region and Europe.

In a press release, the Government of Kosovo quotes Kurti saying that Kosovo is a success story: “First, a success story of NATO’s intervention, the people’s endurance and liberation war, and second, we are flourishing economically.” Kurti said the image of Kosovo is improving and that democracy is its best asset. “Kosovo is the most pro western and democratic country of all the Western Balkans countries,” he said. On the issue of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Kurti said the agreement will be centred on mutual recognition, as formalized through the letters of the U.S. President Joe Biden and State Secretary Antony Blinken.

Kurti also spoke about the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo saying that Belgrade is hampering the process. “I have communication and cooperation but the main obstacle comes from Belgrade. Belgrade bullies Serbs who wish to act and think independently. In spring of 2020, I had appointed a person from Ranillug, Aleksandar Stankovic, as my political advisor. Two hours later he resigned. Illegal structures called him and threatened him, his wife lost have of the teaching hours at the high school.”

Greek foreign minister to visit Kosovo today (media)

Foreign Minister of Greece, Nikos Dendias, is expected to arrive for a visit to Kosovo today.

Dendias will be received by President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, media report quoting a statement issued by the Kosovo presidency. Dendias will also meet Prime Minister Albin Kurti on return from visit to the United Kingdom.

According to a statement issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry, Dendias in Kosovo will also have a joint meeting with representatives of the international community – UNMIK, Council of Europe, OSCE, EULEX, EU/EUSR Office, KFOR – and Quint representatives.

Gervalla invited to “Summit of the Americas” (media)

The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, sent an invitation to Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, to attend the “Summit of the Americas”, in Los Angeles, between 8 and 10 June.

“I know we can count on the support of responsible governments from around the world to help the peoples of the Americas in their aspirations to foster a green and equitable recovery, bolster pandemic response and resilience, build strong and inclusive democracies, and address the root causes of migration,” Secretary Blinken said in the invitation letter. Kosovo’s Ministry said this is the first time Kosovo is invited to join the event.

Vucic and Borrell discuss a Kosovo-Serbia declaration on missing persons (Indeksonline)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic had a telephone conversation with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell from Ohrid, North Macedonia, where he is attending the “Open Balkan” summit.

Vucic said that in the coming days there could be a declaration signed by Pristina and Belgrade on the issue of missing persons while Borrell said on Twitter: “Important work for EU-Western Balkans ahead; want to count on Serbia as a sincere candidate & reliable European partner for common principles, values, security & prosperity. Also addressed regional issues and Bosnia and Herzegovina, including importance of upcoming elections.”

EU on Lavrov remarks: We don’t comment on positions of someone on sanctions list (Telegrafi)

The statement of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Russia supports the “Open Balkan” which he said is Serbia’s initiative has triggered many reactions, Telegrafi reports.

The EU meanwhile did not wish to comment on Lavrov’s statement noting that he is among the persons sanctioned by the EU for their role in Ukraine. “We do not see the need to comment on the position of Lavrov, who is on the EU sanctions list for promoting unlawful aggression that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and who is involved in spreading misinformation,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano told the news website. “Russia’s destabilising efforts in the Western Balkans are well known, and Russia does not qualify to judge on the EU cooperation with partners in the Western Balkans,” he added.

Open Balkan Meeting Kicks off in Ohrid with Presence of Montenegro (Exit)

On 7 and 8 June, a meeting of the Open Balkan initiative will take place in Ohrid, North Macedonia with Montenegro participating in it for the first time.

The initiative sees multiple agreements that facilitate the free movement of people and goods, as well as various trade initiatives throughout the participating countries. Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia are currently members while Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina refused to participate due to fears it would impact EU integration.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti sent a letter to his Macedonian counterpart Dimitar Kovacevski, stating that Kosovo is engaged in the Berlin Process.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3xazTfr

Varhelyi to attend Open Balkan meeting amid claims of Russian backing (Euractiv/Exit)

The announcement that European Commissioner for enlargement Oliver Varhelyi will attend day two of the Open Balkan initiative just a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to support it has caused outrage amongst politicians and analysts in Albania.

The Open Balkan initiative sees multiple agreements that facilitate the free movement of people and goods, as well as various trade initiatives throughout the participating countries.

Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia are currently members, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro refused to participate due to fears it would impact EU integration. Montenegro, however, is taking part as an observer this time around.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Q7vH8V

Krasniqi: “Open Balkan” is a political project, Kosovo doesn’t support it (RTK)

Memli Krasniqi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said that the “Open Balkan” initiative is political in nature and does not enjoy the support of Kosovo institutions, and even less so after the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called it “Serbia’s project,” RTK reports.

Krasniqi said there is consensus in Kosovo in opposing the “Open Balkan”. “The origin of the ‘Open Balkan’ is problematic for us, we cannot so easily sit at the table and considered equal when in fact we were not treated such from its outset and I believe there is consensus amongst the political spectrum of Kosovo in not supporting Kosovo’s inclusion in the ‘Open Balkan’, Krasniqi said at a press conference yesterday where he expressed the support of his party to the demands of the KLA war veterans for inclusion in the draft law on minimum wage.

Robelli: Alexander Soros attended “Open Balkan” with no mandate (Koha)

Columnist Enver Robelli commented on the participation of Alexander Soros, Deputy Chair of the Open Society Foundations, in the “Open Balkan” summit underway in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Robelli said Soros pursues his own interests and does not officially represent any government. “No one has given him an official mandate in the region to be a mediator or pusher of agendas for the interests of the region’s autocrats. In the past, clearly, the Soros Foundation may have supported good initiatives in the civil sector, but the interference in active politics in the Balkans for years makes Alexander Soros a harmful protagonist,” Robelli wrote on Facebook.

Konjufca and Richardson hold virtual meeting (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca had a virtual meeting with UN Development Coordinator Ulrika Richardson. They discussed issues of interest for Kosovo, the political situation in the region and global consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a press release issued by the Kosovo Assembly said.

Konjufca briefed Richardson on the Assembly’s activity and plans towards implementation of the legislative agenda. He emphasised the mobilisation of Kosovo institutions in overcoming economic challenges as a result of the war in Ukraine.

For Kosovo Women, In-Laws are Often Abusers Too (BIRN)

Too little attention is paid to the abuse faced by women in Kosovo at the hands of the parents and siblings of their husbands.

On a winding hillside road in Kosovo stand two large houses, set a few metres apart. With short, quick steps, Vjosa [not her real name] heads through the gate of one, while glancing at the security camera on the wall of the other.

“See how they control everything,” she said, once inside her home. “They will use anything against me, every move I make.”

‘They’ are 32-year-old Vjosa’s husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law, all three of them the targets of a one-year restraining order issued by a Kosovo court ordering them not to “disturb, offend, belittle, hit, threaten, attack, stalk, follow” Vjosa, “destroy or threaten her personal property, monitor her or impede her movement.”

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3zFzDbl