Nuland and Mustafa discuss Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration process   

(TV21 & RTK1)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, during his visit to New York, met with U.S Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland.  PM Mustafa informed Nuland about progress in Kosovo as well as the latest developments related to the Euro-Atlantic integration processes.

PM Mustafa told TV21 that in all the meetings he had in U.S, the demarcation issue was mentioned, as the last unfulfilled visa liberalisation criterion. He said that an internal agreement should be reached in order to ratify the Agreement on Border Demarcation with Montenegro. 

LDK MP Gaxheri requests disciplinary measures against Deputy PM Stojanovic

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

Start of the autumn session in the Assembly of Kosovo gathered all political entities in the plenary session.  With a great number of MPs present in the session and a smaller number of Ministers’, the Assembly discussed many issues.  MPs with majority of votes adopted the Draft Law on Amending and Supplementing the Law on Pension Funds of Kosovo.

Kosovo Minister of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) Arban Abrashi justified the draft-law, while Vetëvendosje MPs criticized it harshly, saying that Government aims to get more money from the pensions trust.

Another issues raised by Minister Abrashi is the lack of EUR 15 million for the pensions of war veterans.  AAK MP, Time Kadrijaj said that Government has no funds to pay war veterans, while, as she said, it has enough funds to pay for the commodities of governmental officials.

The issue of the Orthodox Church located within the university campus in Prishtinë/Pristina became a topic of discussion, too.

Addressing the Kosovo Assembly session, LDK MP Besa Gaxherri requested from MPs to take disciplinary measures against Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic. MP Gaxheri said that Deputy PM Stojanovic violated Kosovo Constitutions and laws by taking the initiative to open the Orthodox Church in Prishtinë/Pristina and provoking the political situation.

On the other hand, Srpska List caucus chief, Slavko Simic requested from local and international institutions more security for Kosovo Serbs, as, according to him, there have been a series of attacks recently.

Myrtezaj: Djuric was ordered to leave Kosovo

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

As in previous occasions, the Head of Serbia’s Government Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric used the official permit to enter Kosovo and misused it for Serbian Government’s politics, KTV reported.

But his undisciplined behaviour forced Kosovo authorities to react.  In the evening hours of Wednesday, Kosovo Police stopped the vehicle which was transporting Djuric and requested from him to leave Kosovo.

Undisciplined behaviour and excess of permit are the reason why Djuric was requested to leave Kosovo, said Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Valon Murtezaj.

Deputy Minister Myrtezaj told KTV by phone, that Djuric has continuously demonstrated a certain tendency to violate the permission issued from Kosovo institutions and therefore he was ordered to leave Kosovo on Wednesday night.

However, Serbian media reported differently. According to them, the pressure of Serb citizens who were gathered on Wednesday evening in Gracanica/Graçanicë prevented Djuric’s deportation to Serbia.

Video footages aired by Serbian media, show the vehicle of Marko Djuric, stopped by Kosovo Police officers and surrounded by Serb citizens chanting ‘Serbia’, KTV reported.

Later, Djuric told Serbian media that Kosovo Police failed to arrest and deport him to Serbia.

“They wanted to arrest me and deport me out of Kosovo’s territory.  I believe that by this act they wanted to humiliate Serbia and intimidate our people. But they failed to do so as the citizens were quickly organized.  They (Police) failed to achieve the goal, to humiliate and offend us,” Djuric told Serbian media.

Kosovo institutions were also criticized by Srpska List representatives in relation to Djuric’s stay in Kosovo.

“Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs had no right to deport the Serbian official from Kosovo. This incident conveys a bad message to the Serb community in Kosovo. Similar incidents against Serbs in Kosovo raise the question if Kosovo laws really guarantee the freedom and human rights,” said Srpska List caucus chief, Slavko Simic while addressing to MPs during Thursday’s session of Kosovo Assembly.

KTV requested information from Kosovo Police about Djuric’s deportation from Kosovo, but they did not provide any details about this case.

During his visit to Gracanica/Graçanicë, Djuric was accompanied by Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic and the Mayor Gracanica/Graçanicë, Vladeta Kostic.

Apostolova requests inclusion of opposition parties in dialogue

(KTV)

During an introductory meeting held on Thursday, the Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova requested from Kosovo Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri, inclusion of opposition parties in the dialogue process.

Apostolova also said that citizens should be better informed about the dialogue process and the impact.

According to a press release issues on Thursday, Minister Tahiri said that Brussels dialogue contributes to integration of Kosovo Serbs, expansion of sovereignty throughout Kosovo’s territory and dissolution of parallel structures.

Minister Tahiri emphasized that Brussels dialogue gave important results, while she outlined that full implementation of some agreements by Serbia should be accelerated.

Hoxhaj: Ratification of demarcation in October

(RTK)

Kosovo Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in an interview for Voice of America, that ratification of the Agreement on Border Demarcation with Montenegro might happen in the first weeks of October, the online version of RTK reported.

He said that the issue of demarcation is not an open issue between Kosovo and Montenegro as two sovereign countries, but rather an internal issue of different stances between ruling and opposition parties in Kosovo.

Among other, Minister Hoxha said that Serbia should firstly implement some agreements before the Agreement on establishment of Serb Majority Municipalities is to be implemented by Kosovo.

Rasic: Church in Prishtinë/Pristina must be functionalized

(KTV)

The Orthodox Church located in the university campus in Prishtinë/Pristina must be functionalized and any other option would not be good for Kosovo, said Srpska List MP, Nenad Rasic in an interview for KTV’s show ‘Rubikon’.  He said that the only things that might be discussed are the ways and the deadline for the functionalization of the church.

Rasic considers Srpska List as the ‘savior’ of the 01 September plenary session in which the demarcation was planned to be voted, as, according to him, the ruling coalition lacked the number of required votes to ratify the demarcation.

He said that does not see any reasonability to partake in the Assembly if the demarcation is resubmitted.

“Based on the current situation, I honestly do not see any political reasonability regarding the political presence,’ said Rasic, the online version of KTV reported.

As there is no political gain to vote for demarcation, Rasic considers as unreasonable to do such a thing.

“We have no political gain if vote in favour of the demarcation,” Rasic stressed.

He said that he does not know if Kosovo is losing territory or not, but he expressed convinced that the process is not as simple as it has been elaborated by the Governmental Commission.

In this situation, Rasic commends the stance of Montenegro.

“The stance of Montenegro is encouraging. Its stance is that if Kosovo has any concern, they are ready to review it,” said Rasic.