• Lajcak: With European proposal, Kosovo gains a lot and loses nothing (Klan)
• Lajcak meets Kurti and Bislimi in Pristina (media)
• Price: Kosovo, Serbia want rapid progress in dialogue to avoid escalation (Klan)
• Howell: Kosovo should be accepted to the Council of Europe (RFE)
• What is happening in Kosovo? The U.S. invites politicians to the embassy, ​​journalist shares details (euronews.al)
• PDK’s Krasniqi confirms he will attend discussion on Association (media)
• FES to present draft statute of Association on January 30 (Nacionale)
• EU and Germany help improve waste management in Kosovo; invest additional €49 mil in the sector (eeas.europa.eu)
• UN Committee: Switzerland shouldn’t deport Turkish couple to Kosovo (BIRN)
• Plisi shouldn’t exist only in museums (Prishtina Insight)
• Serbia Jeopardises EU Integration Path If It Rejects Kosovo Plan, Vucic Says (schengenvisainfo)
• Serbian parliament to debate Kosovo, Vucic calls opposition for talks (Euractiv)

Lajcak: With European proposal, Kosovo gains a lot and loses nothing (Klan)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in an interview with Klan Kosova on Wednesday that Pristina will only benefit from the European proposal for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Lajcak said in this agreement they will work in steps, starting from the first and moving on to the others. He stated that this proposal contains a total of 11 points, while the versions of the proposal published in the media so far, are fabrications. “With this proposal, Kosovo does not lose anything and gains a lot. Step one for me is to focus on the first step of the agreement, you cannot ask for guarantees for step five, without doing step one,” Lajcak said.

“The proposal is very good that gives a lot to Kosovo, the status of Kosovo and the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the international position of Kosovo, I would have said the maximum achievable at this moment,” he said.

“This is not the end of the story, this is not very important, the story continues with what is written in my mandate “Legally binding agreement for the normalization of relations for all open issues” and I said that this proposal addresses most, there will be some left, and that would be the end of the story and we will not end with this but we will continue until the end”.

He listed, among others, some of the benefits that Kosovo will have from this agreement. “Kosovo has a lot to gain in terms of its own status, the quality of relations with Serbia, regional cooperation will be unlocked.”

“The four freedoms will be brought for the cooperation between the countries of the region, to a large extent there is to improve Kosovo’s position next to the EU and the international community, there are many concrete elements to improve,” Lajcak added.

“We are conducting these discussions separately with the parties, but when we bring them together, we will of course expect them to accept the plan, sign it and implement it of course.”

Asked what if one party agrees and the other does not, Lajcak said that ‘then the international community has to respond appropriately, and will support one side more, or will reduce support for the other side.’

“This process is very much in the focus of the international community. Last Friday’s mission was really heavy duty, the USA, the EU and the three countries would not have come here for nothing,” Lajcak said.

Speaking about the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities, Lajcak said “If one person says that Republika Srpska is good, it is Dodik. I am surprised that people are afraid of something that does not exist, then, you will form it yourself. It will not be imposed. Kosovo has an equal role in the dialogue as Serbia. What is co-designed by you is also agreed upon by you. You won’t sign something you don’t agree with. Do not be afraid of something that you will design. We are wasting time for something that doesn’t exist and for something that you are a co-author of,” Lajcak said.

“We are partners, we do not come with threats or ultimatums, I believe that it is a really serious group, and we have the best intention to really move the quality of relations between Kosovo and Serbia to a higher level,” he added.

Lajcak meets Kurti and Bislimi in Pristina (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, met on Wednesday evening in Pristina with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his deputy Besnik Bisimi. Lajcak tweeted after the meeting: “Back in Kosovo today to continue my frank, open and intense discussions with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi on next steps and the way forward on normalisation of relations with Serbia. We also agreed that all past Dialogue Agreements must be fully implemented.”

Price: Kosovo and Serbia want rapid progress in dialogue to avoid escalation (Klan)

Spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Ned Price, commenting on Wednesday on the European plan for Kosovo and Serbia, saying that it has the full support of the United States.

“We refer to it as the EU dialogue, but it is something that has our strong support. I think we’ve seen that during this administration. Just last week, our deputy assistant secretary, Gabe Escobar, with high representatives of the EU – Germany, France and Italy – conducted a joint mission in Pristina and Belgrade to discuss the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” Price said.

He said that the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, “emphasized the possibilities of the proposal, emphasized the urgency of rapid progress to avoid the risk of further escalation”.

Price said that the U.S., together with its partners in the EU, expects the parties to fulfill their responsibilities.

“Both Kosovo, as well as Serbia in this case, must implement the agreements they have signed through this dialogue process, including the progress on the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority, and we strongly encourage the Kosovo Serbs to return to the institutions of Kosovo as soon as possible to improve security and stability for all citizens,” he stressed.

These, he said, are the messages that Kosovo and Serbia are hearing from the USA, they are also hearing from the EU, they are hearing from the EU member states, in this case from the delegation that visited Kosovo and Serbia days ago. So, he said, “we are very supportive of this process”.

Price added that the U.S. approach to conflicts and tensions around the world is often consistent with its approach to the Balkan region.

“We support in some cases local solutions and in others regional solutions. The U.S. provides its support when and how we consider it to be most effective. And in this case, the EU dialogue, we believe, has the potential to be an effective tool to reduce tensions and resolve the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia and bring higher levels of stability, prosperity and opportunities for both peoples,” Price said.

Howell: Kosovo should be accepted to the Council of Europe (RFE)

Kosovo should be allowed to move forward with membership in the Council of Europe, said UK representative John Howell, at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of this international organization. In a debate held at the initiative of the UK at the headquarters of the Council of Europe, Howell requested that the issue of Kosovo’s membership be separated from the progress in Kosovo’s dialogue with Serbia, which is mediated by the European Union.

“Kosovo should not be held hostage in relation to progress in the dialogue led by the EU. We must show that the Council of Europe is separate from the European Union and that it has its own values and principles on the basis of which decisions are made,” said Howell in his speech.

During the session, Albania, North Macedonia and Croatia supported Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, while Serbia called on the members to reject Kosovo’s request.

What is happening in Kosovo? The U.S. invites politicians to the embassy, ​​journalist shares details (euronews.al)

Journalist Kosove Gjoci has given details about the current political climate in Kosovo, where it seems that the pressure on the issue of establishing the Serb-majority association has increased.

He said that Prime Minister Albin Kurti continued to maintain his position in the conversation he had with American official Derek Chollet, but the latter asked him that the issue of the association should move forward.

Among other things, he emphasized that the purpose of the meeting called by the US embassy, ​​which will take place on January 31, is what will be the version of the association.

“It’s not like we have a lot of information about the meeting that will take place on the 31st. I think it will be members of civil society but also from politics from both sides. The purpose of this meeting is to gather and talk about what will be the final version of this association and what it could ultimately become. What the Americans want from the government of Kosovo for the association, is to have an idea on the table of how the association will be. According to what Chollet has stated, this association will not be a repetition of Republika Srpska, but will be an association based on the Constitution of Kosovo,” he said.

Among other things, the journalist said that if Vucic resigned, it would affect the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, and it would postpone the process for another year.

Derek Chollet called on Kosovo this Tuesday to accept the European proposal for the normalization of relations with Serbia. In a post on his Twitter account, Chollet announced that he had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, while adding that they had talked “about the EU’s proposal for the normalization of relations with Serbia and to ask Kosovo to accept it.

“An essential issue was our cooperation and common goal in the advancement of Kosovo towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration”, Chollet emphasized.

PDK’s Krasniqi confirms he will attend discussion on Association (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said on Wednesday that the PDK has been invited to a discussion organised by the U.S. Embassy on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

“We have received such an invitation. We will participate because we have never in our political existence refused meetings with the USA. I think it is absurd even considering whether I should meet with the representative of the American government or not. It is not a topic for PDK,” he said.

“The topic is about the dialogue and the issue of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. PDK’s positions on these issues are known,” Krasniqi said.

He added that he will not personally participate in this meeting, as he will be in Washington DC that same day for some official meetings.

“I will not be there in person, because on the same day I will be in Washington DC on the same day, I will have official meetings there.”

FES to present draft statute of Association on January 30 (Nacionale)

One day before the U.S. Embassy in Pristina holds the discussion on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung will present a draft statute of the Association. The news website has already received an invitation to the event which will be held on January 30 in Pristina. “The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in Pristina has the pleasure to invite you to attend the public event where we will present and discuss our work on the statute of the ‘Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Kosovo where the Serb community is in the majority’, drafted together with the European Institute of Peace,” the invitation notes.

EU and Germany help improve waste management in Kosovo; invest additional €49 mil in the sector (eeas.europa.eu)

The EU in Kosovo, in collaboration with the German Embassy, GIZ, Ministry of Environment, and the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, marked today the completion of a three-year-long project dedicated to the improvement of the solid-waste management in Kosovo and presented the newly launched activities in the sector.

The recently finalised project worth EUR 7 million was jointly funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by GIZ. It led to an increase in the collection of solid waste in all 38 Kosovo municipalities from 57.8 to 90.2 per cent, an extension of waste-collection and management service to additional 77,000 households, and the closure of more than 1,500 illegal dumpsites.

“The EU and Germany funded project supporting the waste management in Kosovo yielded impressive results over the last three years,” said Kosovo Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu.

“In addition to tangible results on the ground, the project also helped us develop a strategic national framework for waste management that will guide our future work on waste treatment and recycling. We look forward to working with the EU and the German Government to further improve waste management and environmental protection in Kosovo, and bring them in line with the EU standards.”

The project also supported the work of the regional and local waste collection and management companies.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3wurfZ9

UN Committee: Switzerland shouldn’t deport Turkish couple to Kosovo (BIRN)

The UN Committee Against Torture said Switzerland should not deport a Turkish couple affiliated with exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen to Kosovo because there is a risk that they could be transferred to Turkey and face torture.

The UN Committee Against Torture said in a decision that the Swiss government should not deport a Turkish couple who are alleged members of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen’s network to Kosovo because “they would face a real risk of being forcibly transferred to and subjected to torture in Turkey”.

The couple, who worked in Gulen-affiliated schools in Kosovo as teachers for years, applied for asylum in Switzerland in 2020 but their request was rejected by the Swiss authorities and it was decided that they should be deported to Kosovo.

But the UN committee said in its decision, which has been seen by BIRN, that under the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Switzerland has an obligation to refrain from forcibly returning the couple to Kosovo.

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

Plisi shouldn’t exist only in museums (Prishtina Insight)

The disappearance of handcraft and the old tools for the processing of plis, the traditional Albanian hat, complicates the campaign to get plis on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The corner store where the 85- year-old Nijazi Kasapi used to work and store his traditional work tools is now a modern building.

Kasapi learned how to craft plis, the traditional Albanian hat, at the age of 12. Now, his profession as a plis-maker has disappeared.

As demand for the traditional white caps has fallen, so has the interest in learning how to craft them. Instead of passing his tools down to a family member, as his father did with him, Kasapi handed over his plis-making tools to the Museum of Peja.

The 85-year-old said that he is very upset that his house had been torn down to build apartments and that he no longer has the opportunity to keep his old work tools in his house.

It is possible that the plisi and the old work tools will become an artifact preserved only  within the four walls of the museum. Future generations may not recognize the white cap as an inseparable part of Albanian culture.

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

Serbia Jeopardises EU Integration Path If It Rejects Kosovo Plan, Vucic Says (schengenvisainfo)

The President of Serbia, Aleksander Vucic, has said that the country will take into consideration a European Union plan that attempts to further normalise ties between Serbia and its neighbouring country, Kosovo, otherwise, it risks losing the chance to become part of the bloc.

Vucic unfolded plans for a broad public debate in order to consider the EU proposal, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to Bloomberg, the proposal among others foresees Serbia and Kosovo developing neighbourly relations as equal sovereign territories.

Even though Kosovo declared its independence on February 17, 2008, Serbia still does not accept such a fact.

“We would become politically and economically lost without EU support,” Vucic told reported in this regard, soon after the meeting envoys from the United States and the European Union.

The President of Serbia added that the plan is worth considering, despite the fact that, according to him it is not easy to find anything that would delight Serbia in this document, “quite the contrary.”

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3DbW3BW

Serbian parliament to debate Kosovo, Vucic calls opposition for talks (Euractiv)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called all opposition parties to brief them about the latest European plan for Serbia and Kosovo, amid growing pressure from the EU on Belgrade to acknowledge the sovereignty of its former province if it wants to keep alive its prospects of joining the EU.

At the same time, Serbia’s parliament is set to debate Kosovo “in the next 10 days”, parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic announced, according to Vreme.

Vucic, who has already made a half-hearted offer to resign over the issue of Kosovo, has said that he wants all parties to know the details of the plan, which he referred to as “Franco-German”,  and that he will seek a stronger role of the government and parliament in reaching a decision.

A significant part of opposition parties have refused to heed to call, however, Vreme reported.

Vucic warned on Monday that Serbia could face international isolation – as well as economic decline – if it rejects the comprehensive new Western plan for normalising relations with Pristina.

He said that Serbia must continue on its European path, and acknowledged that the EU is the biggest investor and donor in the Balkan country, at a time when popular support in Serbia for the EU has sunk to an all-time low.

According to a report provided by Danas, the proposal of France and Germany, presented as an offer of the EU, does not demand Serbia to officially recognize the independence of Kosovo but to stop lobbying against the membership of the latter in international bodies.

The report among others says that Kosovo would gain international acceptance, while at the same time, Serbia may get some autonomy for citizens of Serbia living in Kosovo.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3H6OltO