Dialogue, regional security discussed in Thaçi-Stoltenberg meeting (Koha Ditore)
The president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, met in Brussels the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed the dialogue with Serbia and security issues in the Western Balkans region. The paper highlights that a press release issued by NATO after the meeting, which does not refer to Thaçi as president of Kosovo but merely as Thaçi of Kosovo, states that Stoltenberg emphasized that KFOR would continue its mission to preserve a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and to guarantee freedom of movement for as long as necessary, in accordance with its UN mandate. Furthermore, any reduction of NATO forces in Kosovo would be based on an improvement of conditions on the ground, said the NATO Secretary General. He also reiterated the importance of the dialogue with Serbia on the normalisation of relations with Serbia and discussed efforts by the local authorities in dealing with the threat of terrorism and foreign fighters.
Thaçi not received by EU leaders because of EULEX mandate (Koha Ditore)
The paper writes that the two-day visit of the Kosovo President, Hashim Thaçi, to Brussels did not go according to plan because of a last-minute cancellation of a meeting with the European Council President Donald Tusk. EU sources told the paper that the meeting with Thaçi was cancelled because of the lack of progress in negotiations for the extensions of the EULEX mandate in Kosovo. Thaçi also did not manage to meet the European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker although EU sources had said earlier that Tusk and Junker would organise a reception for Thaçi.
Žbogar: There is lack of consensus for Kosovo’s future (Klan Kosova)
The European Union Special Representative in Kosovo, Samuel Žbogar, during an interview with Klan Kosova, said that during his four-year stay in Kosovo, has seen many good things and changes for the better. “I think Kosovo has changed for the better in the last four years. Also the relationship between the EU and Kosovo has changed significantly…We have the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, visa liberalisation recommendation and also the north is gradually being integrated,” Žbogar said. However, according to him, there has been a lack of consensus among politicians for the future of Kosovo. “What is lacking is a consensus about the future among the politicians,” he said.
Serbia sends note of protest to Slovenia regarding Kosovo (dailies)
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed on Wednesday a note of protest to Slovenia’s Ambassador Vladimir Gasparić following Slovenian President Borut Pahor’s recent call for the recognition of the independence of Kosovo, especially by the neighboring countries. Pahor made the statement during Hasim Taçi’s visit to Ljubljana. The note of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads that “statements by Slovenian officials regarding the unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo are essentially undermining the efforts Serbia and the EU are investing in the status-neutral dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the only legitimate framework for achieving stability in Kosovo-Metohija.” The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Slovenia to refrain from such or similar statements, which it claimed to be detrimental to bilateral relations and the trust between the two countries.
Government insists on census in the North, depite Serbs’ rejection (Koha)
The efforts of the government to convince Serbs in the North to participate in a census for the first time in seventeen years did not succeed so far. Mayors of the municipalities in the North from the Serbian List, Ministers of the Kosovo Government, MPs from the Serbian List, as well as officials from the Serbian government issued a joint statement rejecting the planned census. However, the government of Kosovo pledged that it will not give up on implementing the census in the four municipalities of the North. Faton Abdullahu, media adviser to the Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, told the paper that the government was not discouraged by the statement. “On the contrary, we will manage to implement this process with the help of the European Union, which offered financial aid for a successful completion. As the government of Kosovo, we will discuss with all relevant factors in order to move the process forward, because we think that it is in favor of the Serb community and of the institutions of Kosovo,” Abdullahu said.
Rasić: Serbs will not support KAF (Koha Ditore)
Reacting to the discussion that the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi had on Wednesday with NATO Secretary General on the issue of transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF), Kosovo Assembly MP from the Serbian List, Nenad Rasić, told Radio Dukagjini that he does not believe that MPs from his party would vote for KAF. “In my opinion and experience, Belgrade considers it not in the interest of Kosovo Serbs to vote for Kosovo Armed Forces,” Rasic said.
Vetëvendosje rejoined Assembly after secret meetings with Veseli (Telegrafi)
In an interview for Rrokum TV, the head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Pal Lekaj, rejected the idea of border demarcation with Montenegro as a criteria for the visa liberalisation. He said there is no such condition set by the EU and no set timeframe for the border demarcation agreement to be ratified by the Kosovo Assembly. He also repeated allegations against the border demarcation commission as being unprofessional and working against Kosovo’s interests. Asked about Vetëvendosje’s decision to rejoin the Assembly, Lekaj said this was taken after Vetëvendosje’s secret meetings with Assembly President Kadri Veseli.
Kosovo ranked 77th in Global Peace Index (Kosova Sot)
According to the Global Peace Index published yesterday, the safest place in the world is Iceland, while Kosovo is ranked 77th. According to the report, Albania is ranked as 54th, Serbia 48th and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the 84th place. Link to the report:
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/GPI%202016%20Report_2.pdf
