• New mayors in the north swore outside their offices (BIRN)
• Varhelyi: Support for Kosovo’s European path (RTK)
• Murphy calls for swift implementation of agreement (media)
• North Macedonia Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Grenell: I managed to convince Thaci and Vucic to undo Special Court (media)
• UNDP Pulse: Lower satisfaction with work of Kurti, Osmani, Konjufca (Kallxo)
• Serb reporter: Besnik Bislimi will visit Mitrovica North on Monday (media)
• Administrator: USAID to continue supporting Kosovo (Euronews)

New mayors in the north swore outside their offices (BIRN)

On Thursday the new mayors of the three northern municipalities of Kosovo, Leposavic, Zubin-Potok and Zvecan, swore outside their offices and under the security of the police, KFOR and EULEX.

On Thursday, Izmir Zeqiri, Ilir Peci and Lulzim Hetemi who are the new mayors of the three northern municipalities of Kosovo, Leposavic, Zubin-Potok and Zvecan, swore outside their offices.

Because of security concerns they did not use the facilities of municipality building and instead the new mayors swore in other public buildings.

The new mayor of Zubin Potok, Izmir Zeqiri, who comes from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, has taken his oath at the Local Office for Return and Communities in the village of Çaber.

The new head of Zubin Potok emphasized that they will be focused on respecting the laws of the Republic of Kosovo throughout the territory of Zubin Potok.

“I will also go to the office that is in the municipality facility, today or tomorrow. All the facilities that belong to the municipality and the citizens will be in the possession of the directorates, departments,” Zeqiri said.

Furthermore, he added that he expects Serbian professionals living in Zubin Potok to be part of the team of the municipality’s directorates.

The object of the institution where Zeqiri swore was initially secured by the security forces of the Kosovo Police, and members of KFOR and EULEX were also seen near the object.

Read more at: https://rb.gy/zcqj3

Varhelyi: Support for Kosovo’s European path (RTK)

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood, Oliver Varhelyi, during his stay in Kosovo on Thursday, met with President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Varhelyi said in a Twitter post that he had an open discussion with Kurti, Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and members of the [government] cabinet, on the progress of Kosovo’s European path.

“The EU is providing great support for economic development related to the further implementation of reforms and the implementation of the dialogue agreement, including the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority,” he said.

In an earlier press conference with Osmani, Varhelyi said that the EU expect the Kosovo-Serbia agreement to be implemented unconditionally.

Murphy calls for swift implementation of agreement (media)

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said during his visit to Belgrade on Thursday that Serbia and Kosovo should quickly implement an EU-brokered agreement to normalize ties, calling it a step forward that both sides should be proud of. “Sometimes it’s easy to make an agreement compared to implementation,” he said.

Murphy also said he knows that in Belgrade the focus is on the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities but that “the agreement requires both parties to make steps towards its implementation”.

The U.S. Senator also said that the issue of timelines for the implementation of the agreement needs to be treated by the negotiators and experts, but that he believes it calls for swift action. “I don’t think another year needs to go by to understand how the Association will be created, in compliance with the Constitution of Kosovo. Another year should not go by for Serbia to meet its obligations and allow Kosovo to join international organisations,” he said.

North Macedonia Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)

North Macedonia Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani will visit Kosovo today and meet President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla.

Grenell: I managed to convince Thaci and Vucic to undo Special Court (media)

Former U.S. Presidential Envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Richard Grenell, said in an interview with Tirana-based Top Channel that he had mediated talks between then Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He claimed that at one point there was an agreement to undo the Special Court.

“Yes, I got an agreement both from Serbia’s Vucic and Kosovo’s leader, who was Thaci, I managed to convince both of them to agree on removing the international court in the Hague. I don’t know if you know this story,” Grenell said. “I will be brief. What I did in the negotiations was that I managed to convince them to remove the international court and to bring the judicial systems in their countries and we would have signed this as part of the agreement”. Grenell said he then made a mistake by telling the U.S. Department of Justice about his plan.

UNDP Pulse: Lower satisfaction with work of Kurti, Osmani, Konjufca (Kallxo)

The news website reports that a poll conducted by the UNDP in November last year that compared to spring last year there is lower satisfaction among Kosovo citizens with the work of the heads of the three main institutions. The level of citizen’s satisfaction with the work of Prime Minister Albin Kurti in May 2022 was 52.65 percent whereas in November 2022 it was 44.93 percent or 7.7 percent lower. The data were made public in the UNDP Public Pulse. They show that the level of citizens’ satisfaction with the work of President Osmani in May 2022 was 58.39 percent whereas in November 2022 it was 56.85 percent or 1.55 percent lower. The level of citizens’ satisfaction with the work of Assembly President Glauk Konjufca in May last year was 54.44 percent whereas in November last year it was 50.86 percent.

Serb reporter: Besnik Bislimi will visit Mitrovica North on Monday (media)

According to a Serb reporter from the north of Kosovo, Branislav Krstic, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, will visit Mitrovica North on Monday. During a debate on Kanal10, Krstic said that Bislimi will also visit Mitrovica South, and will talk with the locals there to get to know the problems better.

“According to my information, the Deputy Prime Minister will come to the north on Monday to talk with the people. He will also have some meetings in the southern side. I will be at the meeting. Neither I nor any citizen of Kosovo have any reason to be concerned,” Krstic said.

Administrator: USAID to continue supporting Kosovo (Euronews)

The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development Samantha Power said USAID will continue to work with Kosovo. During the presentation of “Diia” app in Washington D.C., Power stated that USAID aims to create innovative platforms, developing new digital services for all citizens.

“We are committed in helping our partners find ways to advance in public digital infrastructure. I am happy that USAID will work with Columbia, Kosovo and Zambia as a start, to explore collaborations in all fields, from improving current systems to developing new digital services for citizens, to creating innovative and easy to use platforms.”

“Diia” is an app developed by Ukraine, connecting 19 million citizens to more than 120 governmental services, tens of digital documents, setting Ukraine as a global leader in the innovation of electronic governance.