Kurti with conditions for participation in the government (Epoka e Re)
Albin Kurti, leader of Vetevendosje movement, stated on Thursday after a three-hour meeting with the leaders of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), that they have created a working group which has to agree by Sunday, 13 July, with the conditions of this movement on the dialogue and privatization issues. He said that Vetevendosje cannot give its vote to the LDK-AAK-NISMA coalition without a prior agreement. He added that the movement is also ready to become part of the government, if its conditions are considered.
Ashton requests a solution on barricades issue (Epoka e Re)
Edita Tahiri, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, will meet today in Brussels Serbian officials to discuss the issue of the removal of barricades in Mitrovica North. The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Catherine Ashton, has asked her team in Brussels to immediately convene a meeting between the two sides to agree on a way forward for all the issues related to the Mitrovica Bridge, in line with the agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue and in the spirit of the normalization of relations.
Rakic: “Adem Jashari” square, illegal (Tribuna)
Mayor of Mitrovica North, Goran Rakic, said that the placing of the concrete container named “Adem Jashari” square in the Bosniac Mahalla has been done without relevant permit from local authorities. He added that illegal activities do not contribute to stabilization of situation in Mitrovica. “I expect reason to prevail and relevant mechanisms, primarily the police and inspectorate, carry out their work accordingly”, said Rakic.
Serbs trying to build “Tsar Lazar” square within mosque facilities (Epoka)
Islamic Community of Kosovo has issued a press release where it expresses indignation with the recent developments in Mitrovica North. “We, the Islamic Community, have been directly attacked at our property with the recent action in Mitrovica North by building the so-called Peace Park and later Tsar Lazar square,” says the press release which adds that the square is being built at the place where a mosque, completely destroyed by Serbian forces in 1999, used to be.
Fuele and Svilanovic gather regional diplomats (Koha Ditore)
Foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia are taking part in a regional meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, and the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Goran Svilanovic. The meeting is taking place in Kotor, Montenegro and Kosovo is represented by Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi. The meeting is aimed at fostering regional cooperation and participants also discussed the proposal of the European Commission for establishing an informal and operational mechanism that would further boost cooperation. Interlocutors agreed to begin applying the principle of rotation so that all participating countries can have the equal opportunities to provide contribution and also assume responsibilities in the regional context. In 2013, the RCC Board had agreed for Kosovo not to be represented anymore by UNMIK but by its own institutions.
Hoxhaj and Zbogar discuss SAA (Zeri)
Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, and EU Special Representative, Samuel Zbogar, discussed Thursday the process of Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and visa liberalization for Kosovo. Hoxhaj said Kosovo institutions expect to sign SAA in the near future so that there is clear European perspective for Kosovo. He noted that granting Kosovo visa liberalization would mark a turning point not only for Kosovo in its path to EU but also for the region.
Macedonia presents diplomatic notes to Albania and Kosovo (Epoka e Re)
Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented diplomatic notes of protest to the ambassadors of Albania and Kosovo regarding some of the official viewpoints and statements related to the violent protests in Skopje.
“The ambassadors of both countries were told that positions and interpretations that question the functioning of the legal state and the judiciary as an independent power in the Republic of Macedonia – along with political assessments of high political representatives – do not contribute to nurturing constructive, positive, friendly and good-neighborly relations. These statements may be interpreted as interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia and are not in line with strengthening of mutual trust and good-neighborly relations, which the Republic of Macedonia nurtures and puts honest efforts for in the bilateral relations with its neighbors,” says a press release issued by this Ministry, which adds that the Ambassador of Kosovo was also presented with a note of protest that heavily condemns the vandal act of burning the Macedonian flag in front of the Embassy of Republic of Macedonia in Pristina on 8 July 2014.
