• U.S., Germany in one line with Kosovo, call for mutual recognition (Koha)
• NATO brings reserve troops for training amid fears of unrest (Reuters)
• Osmani: Kosovo remains steadfast in support of Ukraine (Albanian Daily News)
• European Commission: Visa liberalisation for Kosovo without delay (media)
• Murtezaj: There will be positive movement on visas in autumn (KTV)
• International “mediation” does not bring an end to strike in education (Koha)
• Kosovo Assembly to discuss strike of BSPK today (media)
• Haradinaj: I am always with Kurti when facing Serbia is concerned (media)
• Tahiri: No agreement in sight without strong U.S. involvement (media)
• Kodra denies allegations of being involved in assassination plots (T7)

U.S., Germany in one line with Kosovo, call for mutual recognition (Koha)

The daily reports on its front page this morning that the existence of a new framework for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia was denied at the Kosovo Peace and Democracy Summit on Wednesday. Representatives of Germany and the United States of America confirmed their position that the dialogue must conclude with mutual recognition. The same was said by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He and German Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, refuted statements by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said that he was told about a four-page document on the new framework of the dialogue.

NATO brings reserve troops to Kosovo for training amid fears of unrest (Reuters)

NATO has brought in reserve troops assigned to its KFOR peacekeeping mission to Kosovo for training, one of the mission commanders said, as a deadline approaches in a spat between the Serbian minority and the government that may spark fresh unrest.

“As part of normal contingency planning, there are reserves that are rehearsed in terms of their arrival here,” KFOR’s regional commander east, Colonel Christopher Samulski, told reporters at Camp Bondsteel.

Earlier attempts to introduce Kosovo licence plates in heavily Serb dominated northern Kosovo had led to clashes between police and local Serbs, who erected roadblocks in summer. The barricades were only dismantled when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peacekeepers stepped in to oversee the process and Kosovo agreed to postpone the licensing rule deadline to Oct. 31.

The approaching deadline has raised fears of a conflict between Kosovo and Serbia, more than two decades after NATO bombed Serbia to end repression of Kosovo’s Albanian majority.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3S5FP2n

Osmani: Kosovo remains steadfast in support of Ukraine (Albanian Daily News)

During her visit to New York, President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani met with her counterpart from Estonia, Alar Karis, with whom she discussed the deepening of bilateral relations, developments in the region, and further cooperation.

Osmani thanked Karis for the continuous support given to Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and other international organizations. She emphasized Kosovo’s commitment to advance the Euro-Atlantic integration and at the same time laid out the need for the urgent completion of visa liberalization.

Speaking about the dialogue with Serbia, Osmani emphasized that Kosovo remains a constructive party in the dialogue, which aims at a final agreement, focused on mutual recognition.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Osmani emphasized that Kosovo has condemned without hesitation the unprovoked war against Ukraine and that Kosovo is fully in line with EU and US sanctions against Russia.

European Commission: Visa liberalisation for Kosovo without delay (media)

The European Commission called for visa liberalisation for the citizens of Kosovo on Wednesday. Anita Hipper, EU Commission spokeswoman on home affairs, migration, and internal security, said the 27 member states should act on this. “The 27 member states should give visa liberalisation to Kosovo without any delay, after a five-year engagement between the governments and the European Commission, to repeat once more next month the position that Kosovo has met all requirements to enjoy freedom of movement in the territory of the European bloc, same as other countries of the Western Balkans have done since 2009-2010,” Hipper is quoted as saying.

Murtezaj: There will be positive movement on visas in autumn (KTV)

Professor of international relations, Valon Murtezaj, said in an interview with the TV station on Wednesday that he believes there will be positive movement on visa liberalisation for Kosovo in autumn. He said that Kosovo has met all the requirements for several years now, and that countries like France, Germany and Poland have given positive signals in the process. “I believe in autumn a decision to remove visas for Kosovo will be made with a certain timeline … However, [Kosovo’s] foreign policy has lagged in promoting the interests of the citizens of Kosovo. The task of foreign policy is to always be present in countries that have decision-making roles about processes that relate to the Republic of Kosovo,” Murtezaj said.

International “mediation” does not bring an end to strike in education (Koha)

No agreement to end the strike in the education sector was reached at the meeting between the Kosovo government and the Union for Education, Science and Technology (SBASHK), which was attended also by the Director of the European Trade Union Committee for Education Susan Flocken. The latter said after the meeting that she regrets there were no positive developments and said that she supports the demands of the union.

“I will tell Brussels and our membership about the course of the meeting. It was important for me to be here and to give my support to the teachers, but we were not able to find a solution to the issue,” Flocken told reporters.

SBASHK leader Rrahman Jasharaj said the strike will continue. “Unfortunately there is no development. We had high expectations from this meeting and we expected that the government would move from its position,” he said.

Kosovo Assembly to discuss strike of BSPK today (media)

Members of the Kosovo Assembly will meet today at 11:00 and one of the topics of discussion will be the general strike of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo (BSPK).

Haradinaj: I am always with Kurti when facing Serbia is concerned (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said in a debate on TV Dukagjini on Wednesday that he hopes Prime Minister Albin Kurti will not make any mistakes in the dialogue with Serbia. “I hope Kurti won’t make mistakes in the dialogue. Any eventual failure in the dialogue would have long-term consequences,” he said.

Haradinaj said that he is always with Kurti when facing Serbia is concerned. “Any agreement that does not include mutual recognition is unacceptable. There needs to be a comprehensive and legally binding agreement on mutual recognition that would safeguard Kosovo’s integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional order. In this respect, I don’t mind cooperating with Kurti because I believe we can reach our objectives as a state,” he added.

Tahiri: No agreement in sight without strong U.S. involvement (media)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said in an interview with the Voice of America on Wednesday that without a strong involvement and leadership by the United States of America, there can be no final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. He argued that the facilitators of the dialogue, and especially the U.S., must send very clear messages to Belgrade. “History shows us that even in the case of the Ahtisaari agreement, if it weren’t for Ambassador Frank Wisner who pushed the process forward, there would have been no agreement. I want to reiterate that without a strong U.S. leadership, there is no agreement in sight,” Tahiri said.

Kodra denies allegations of being involved in assassination plots (T7)

Preke Kodra, a citizen of Albania, in an interview with T7 on Wednesday evening, denied allegations according to which he had planned to assassinate Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, PDK MP Xhavit Haliti and Ismet Haxha. Kodra said that contrary to reports in some media he is not a sniper but a hunter and that he was never interviewed by the Kosovo Police about the allegations.