• EU makes remarks about two out of six conditions for Association (Koha)
• Discussions on Association, Hovenier to hold unofficial meeting today (Telegrafi)
• Hill asks Serbia to find solution with Kosovo: Dialogue is aimed at forming the Association (Nacionale)
• Kosovo approves three draft laws within Berlin process (media)
• Osmani: We’ll find solution with Decani Monastery on Decan-Plav road (media)
• Wigemark meets Rakic and Simic; discuss security in the north (media)
• Kosovo journalists’ association condemns threat with firearms against T7 crew in Leposavic (media)
• Osmani visits Ulqin and Tuz in Montenegro (media)
• KJC sends judge warning after BIRN report (Prishtina Insight)
• Protest will be held in Berlin against Association (Koha)

EU makes remarks about two out of six conditions for Association (Koha)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said on Wednesday that the European Union has found remarks in two out of six conditions that Prime Minister Albin Kurti has presented for the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. Bislimi however did not specify the remarks, saying that EU Special Representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, should talk about this. He also argued that the French-German plan is a de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia.

“The six conditions presented by Kurti are in fact pre-conditions that show that there can be discussions about an advanced protection mechanism for the rights of minorities. The EU has made remarks about two conditions, but you can ask Mr. Lajcak when he comes to Pristina what these remarks are and why they were made,” Bislimi told reporters.

Koha contacted the EU office in Brussels to comment on Kurti’s conditions but received no response.

Meanwhile, an official from the German Foreign Office told the news website that because of the fragile situation the Kosovo government should not set conditions. “A constructive approach is urgent because of the fragile security situation in the north of Kosovo and there should not be any pre-conditions,” the official said.

Discussions on Association, Hovenier to hold unofficial meeting today (Telegrafi)

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Pristina told the news website that the embassy will bring together today in an official meeting, representatives of institutions, political parties and civil society, to discuss on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

“Following a productive discussion on January 31 with a wide range of actors at the U.S. Embassy, the Ambassador will organise an official meeting at his residence to facilitate further discussions. There is no official program or topic of discussion,” the spokesperson said.

Hill asks Serbia to find solution with Kosovo: Dialogue is aimed at forming the Association (Nacionale)

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, said on Wednesday that the resolution of the Kosovo issue is possible based on the principle of mutual concessions. He said that it is time for Serbia to make a decision on sanctions against Russia. “The United States are becoming Serbia’s main economic partner, and nothing would increase the trust of investors than Serbia finally finding the courage to resolve the conflict with Kosovo and to embrace its European fate,” he said.

Hill said at the annual assembly of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade that one of the biggest challenges which Serbia is faced with is finding a solution with Kosovo. “Those that think that the Kosovo issue can be easily solved, they don’t understand the problem. It is one of the problems that if a solution is found, everyone wins something and loses something,” he said.

Hill said that the negotiations are aimed at reaching the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities and enabling Kosovo’s membership in international organisations. “Today, negotiators from the European Union, joined by their American colleagues, are trying to implement the Association of Serb Municipalities and create a space where Kosovo can have the rights and obligations of membership in international organisations. For accidental observes, they may seem simple. But it is certainly far from that,” he said.

Kosovo approves three draft laws within Berlin process (media)

The government of Kosovo has approved three draft laws related to the agreements within the Berlin Process. The executive gave the green light to the Draft Law on the ratification of the agreement on free movement with ID cards in the Western Balkans, and also ratified the agreement on the recognition of the professional qualifications of doctors, dentists and architects.

The government of Kosovo also approved the draft law for the ratification of the agreement on the recognition of higher education qualifications in the Western Balkans.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the ratification of these agreements is an indication of Kosovo’s dedication and commitment to regional cooperation.

Kurti wrote on Twitter after the meeting: “Integrated with our region & closer to the EU. Today, our Government approved 3 mobility agrmts signed last year in the Berlin Process. Freedom of movement of people & services that enable mobility of businesses & professionals are two out of the four fundamental freedoms of the EU.”

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, welcomed the government’s decision to approve the three draft laws. “Good news indeed! The 3 mobility agreements clearly show the benefits the #BerlinProcess brings to citizens. They foster regional integration and move WEB6 closer to the EU,” Rohde wrote on Twitter.

Osmani: We’ll find solution with Decani Monastery on Decan-Plav road (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in an interview with Montenegrin TV station Vijesti that the border issue between Kosovo and Montenegro is closed and that she advocates for the Montenegrin community to be recognised as a minority in the Constitution of Kosovo, but that this also depends on complicated constitutional procedures.

Osmani said that the French-German proposal is acceptable as a good platform to continue discussions on the normalisation of relations with Serbia and that now it remains to be seen if Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will accept the plan.

Asked about the construction of the Decan-Plav road, Osmani said: “We are in the process of finding a solution to this issue very soon and I have a lot a faith that we would find a solution that would not be refused by the Serbian Orthodox Church, because no one is interested in creating any problem. However, we have to find a solution that does not cause problems or does not have an extremely high cost for the Republic of Kosovo. I think we are on the right path for finding a solution to that part and we will continue other sections of the road”.

Wigemark meets Rakic and Simic; discuss security in the north (media)

Head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, said on Wednesday that he met with the leader of the Serbian List List Goran Rakic and his deputy Igor Simic, and discussed the security situation in the north of Kosovo. “Good meeting with Srpska Lista’s President, Goran Rakic, and Vice President, Igor Simic, in Mitrovica on the security situation in northern Kosovo. EULEX confirmed its continued commitment to support the security of all communities in Kosovo,” Wigemark tweeted after the meeting.

Kosovo journalists’ association condemns threat with firearms against T7 crew in Leposavic (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo said in a statement on Wednesday that it is concerned about reports of a serious incident in the north of Kosovo involving a team of T7 TV station. The TV crew was threatened with firearms by armed people on Wednesday in Leposavic as they were reporting on a smuggling case in the north of Kosovo. The crew was reportedly chased by a car with three people inside who pointed their guns at them and told them to stop. The chasing stopped only as the TV crew got near the static point of Kosovo Police.

The journalists’ association strongly condemned the attack and raised the alarm about the insecurity of reporters that go from Pristina to report about the north. The association also called on local and international mechanisms of security to step up their efforts to provide the necessary security for reporters to do their job.

Osmani visits Ulqin and Tuz in Montenegro (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Twitter post on Wednesday she was “delighted to visit Ulqin and Tuz, two municipalities that are special and dear to the citizens of Kosovo”. “Today, we reaffirmed our commitment to nurturing our long-standing relationship and to strengthening the strong ties that bind our peoples and countries together,” she said.

KJC sends judge warning after BIRN report (Prishtina Insight)

The Kosovo Judicial Council, KJC has imposed a disciplinary measure on a judge of the Basic Court in Gjilan over his conversation with one of our journalists, talking about allegations that he had threatened someone with a gun.

“If I had threatened him with a gun, I would have killed him,” judge Veli Kryeziu told BIRN, asked about the claim.

The KJC sent a written public warning to Kryeziu after accepting the plea agreement for what he had said and not contesting it.

“According to the assessment of the investigative panel, the facts were not disputed because they were public,” the decision of the KJC published on December 14 on the official website, said.

Disciplinary proceedings were opened against Kryeziu after the news was published by BIRN. In a session held on December 14, 2022, the decision was made to approve the voluntary agreement for admission of guilt.

In July last year, BIRN reported that the judge was suspected of having threatened a person with a weapon.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Yll1ao

Protest will be held in Berlin against Association (Koha)

A protest will be held in Berlin against the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities on Saturday. Organisers of the protest, activists and associations of Albanians living in Germany, said the goal of the protest “is to raise awareness about the threat coming from the formation of monoethnic enclaves, namely the formation of a Republika Srpska for Kosovo and the whole region”. The branch of the Vetevendosje Movement in Germany said they support the protest.