Pristina and Belgrade agree on permanent border facilities (Epoka)
Delegations from Pristina and Belgrade yesterday signed in Brussels the agreement for the construction of permanent Integrated Border Management (IBM) facilities. Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator, Edita Tahiri, said the agreement is very important because it represents the full implementation of IBM. She said this agreement had been discussed for a year and that, with the signing, all sides would now be contributing to the free movement of people and goods and to an increase in quality and security at border points. She added that such efforts would help meet visa liberalization requirements for Kosovo.
Coalition bloc has limited options (Tribuna)
In a front-page report, the paper quotes sources from the opposition coalition as saying that they have realized it won’t be easy to get the post of Assembly President and form the new government. The same sources said that, because of this, the bloc is considering the possibility of leaving the post of Assembly President to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and meanwhile to request support from the Vetevendosje Movement in forming the new government. “Talks will begin with the Vetevendosje Movement to see what a joint government would look like,” the source said.
Beqiri: We’ll attend the constitutive session (Epoka e Re)
Deputies of the opposition coalition will attend the constitutive session of the Assembly, despite the fact that they were not present at the prior consultations called by Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Flora Brovina. Ismet Beqiri, Secretary General of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), told Epoka e Re that they are now waiting to receive invitations for the session. “We have requested that the session be held earlier. We will be present and will continue with our project, convinced that Isa Mustafa will be reconfirmed for the post of Assembly President because we have the necessary number of votes,” said Beqiri. On the consulting meeting called by Flora Brovina, he added, “We did not respond to the invitation for preliminary discussions because it is not under her authority to call party leaders for consultations. Based on the Regulation and Constitution, her only obligation is to call the session. Delays in scheduling the session is in fact PDK blackmail,” Beqiri said.
European Commission without Enlargement Commissioner (Koha/Lajm)
The enlargement process will not be a priority for the new European Commission, Koha Ditore reports. Jean-Claude Juncker, the new President of the Commission, does not want to have a Commissioner for Enlargement during the five-year mandate. The paper notes that diplomats in Brussels fear that this will not be a good message for Kosovo and other countries of the Western Balkans that aspire to join the European Union. Natasha Bertrand, Juncker’s spokesperson, did not confirm or deny that there would not be an Enlargement Commissioner post, saying, “We do not comment on reports that are based on unofficial documents”. Bertrand, however, recalled Juncker’s statement that “he does not expect any enlargement in the five-year mandate, even though processes will continue, especially with countries of the Western Balkans.”
Jevtic calls for Belgrade’s aid (Kosova Sot)
A regional conference on “Operational groups for sustainable solutions for persons displaced inside and outside Kosovo” was held yesterday in Pristina. It was organized by the Ministry for Returns and Communities and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A press release issued after the meeting quotes Minister for Communities and Returns Dalibor Jevtic as saying that, in the future, there should be direct communication with institutions in Belgrade in order to resolve efficiently issues related to displaced persons.
