• Berlin against border changes, calls for suspension of tariff (media)
• Veseli: I do not stay in a government that harms relations with U.S. (Epoka)
• Veseli reveals details from meeting with David Hale (Epoka)
• PM Haradinaj to meet today with senior UK official (Klan Kosova)
• Limaj: We informed Brussels on Kosovo’s official position on dialogue (Epoka)
• Mustafa: We need new elections (media)
• Hoxha: Decision on visa liberalization, in June (media)
• U.S. demands responsibility on expulsion of six Turkish nationals (media)
• Kusari-Lila calls for early general elections (Bota Sot)
• Albanian intelligence service: Russia is trying to step up its influence (Koha)
• Kosovo to declare Graham Phillips persona non grata today (Klan Kosova)

Berlin against border changes, calls for suspension of tariff (media)

One of the leading stories in today’s press is the visit to Pristina on Monday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s senior advisors, Jan Hecker and Matthias Luttenberg. They held separate meetings with President Thaci, Prime Minister Haradinaj and Deputy Prime Minister Hoxhaj.

Under the front-page headline Germany calls for suspension of tariff to unblock dialogue, Koha Ditore cites reliable sources as saying that in their meetings in Pristina, the two German officials have reiterated Berlin’s position that the tariff on Serbian goods is blocking the Brussels dialogue and they have called on the Kosovo government to suspend the tariff. The same sources told the paper that Berlin’s position on a comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia remains the same as repeated by Chancellor Merkel on several occasions: no changes to Kosovo’s borders.

Prime Minister Haradinaj wrote on a Facebook post: “an open conversation with the political advisors to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Jan Hecker and Matthias Luttenberg, about current developments in the country, the process of dialogue with Serbia, Kosovo’s internal consolidation and its Euro-Atlantic path. We are grateful for Germany’s continuous support in all phases of Kosovo’s state-building process. Germany is an important economic and political partner of Kosovo and its powerful voice in Euro-Atlantic structures”.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoxhaj said he had a fruitful meeting with Merkel’s advisors and that 2019 represents a very good opportunity to reach a historic agreement that should conclude in mutual recognition [with Serbia] and Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations.

Epoka e Re reports on its front page that the senior German officials did not comment on their meetings in Pristina and that neither Haradinaj nor Hoxhaj said that the tariff on Serbian goods was mentioned at the meetings.

Zeri notes in one of its front-page headlines that according to some political commentators in Pristina Americans are against the tariff, but the Germans are in favor of it. The paper quotes a member of the Pristina-based Kosovo Democratic Institute as saying that “Prime Minister Haradinaj has silent support from Germany and the UK to keep the tariff in force”.

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) deputy leader, Xhavit Haliti, told Zeri on Monday that Haradinaj was keeping the tariff in force “because of electoral reasons”.

Veseli: I do not stay in a government that harms relations with U.S. (Epoka)

Kadri Veseli, President of the Assembly of Kosovo was asked by Pista.News about his position in relation with the import tariff on Serbian goods, despite the request of the U.S. to suspend it.

“I am saying this publicly: my position will be the same with that of the U.S. and our western partners. I do not stay even for two days in a government which threatens these relations. This relation does not concern only a few states, but it concerns the future of this state, this nation. I cannot imagine Kosovo’s development, perspective, army, let me call it developed, without relations with the U.S. and EU,” Veseli said.

Veseli reveals details from meeting with David Hale (Epoka)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli spoke about the visit of the U.S. Under Secretary of State Davis Hale and his meeting with Kosovo institutional leaders. According to Veseli, Hale said that the U.S. want to be seriously involved in the process of the dialogue, that he read to them once again the letter sent some time ago by the U.S. President Donald Trump, by highlighting some facts in the letter. “He asked what will your position be, on the fact that the U.S. want to be seriously involved, however I am rephrasing the Under Secretary: but not to waste time if there is no readiness of Kosovo to make decisions. This was the position that could first be considered as an extraordinary message on the position of the U.S. That Kosovo goes to the dialogue as an independent and sovereign state and that it goes for recognition. However, at the same time he said that you take over responsibility whether you decide to go or not,” Veseli explained. “Tarif is your decision as an independent and sovereign state, but you have to think strategically,” Hale said according to Veseli and asked if Kosovo gains by imposing tax as means of blockade and using it as a pretext or by going to the table of discussions.

PM Haradinaj to meet today with senior UK official (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj will meet today in Pristina with Richard Moore, Director General for Political Affairs at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Pristina-based news website reports. Klan Kosova also notes that Haradinaj met on Monday with German Chancellor Merkel’s senior advisors who called on the government to suspend the import tariff on Serbian goods.

Limaj: We informed Brussels on Kosovo’s official position on dialogue (media)

Fatmir Limaj, co-head of Kosovo’s negotiating team in the dialogue with Serbia, told KosovaPress on Monday that the purpose of their visit to Brussels was to submit the Platform on dialogue to the Office of EU High Representative Frederica Mogherini.

“At the same time, the intention of the meeting with representatives of this office was to inform them about the vote of the MPs on dialogue and to inform them that Kosovo already has an official position on dialogue,” Limaj said.

Under the headline First splits in Kosovo’s negotiating team, Kosova Sot quotes Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj as saying that he has no information why the co-heads of the negotiating team travelled to Brussels on Monday. Hoxhaj further said that such meetings are unnecessary and unreasonable if there is no unity in Kosovo on the matter.

Mustafa: We need new elections (media)

All media report that Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader, Isa Mustafa, said on Monday that Kosovo is facing a government stalemate and that this shows that the country needs to go to early parliamentary elections. Mustafa argued that the current government with its actions is threatening Kosovo’s relations with the United States of America and other international partners. “We have told the current government too to change its approach in this respect,” he said.

Mustafa also said it is in the interest of the people for Kosovo to meet the requirements of the European Union. “We don’t have two homes, like Serbia has Russia and the EU. We have only one. We need to become part of the EU and to have economic development. The government is not working for the interests of the people. The biggest problems are corruption, unemployment and the fact that the state is seized. They are trying to cover up these problems with some decisions … We will give our contribution to dialogue with Serbia, but we will do so from the opposition,” he added.

Hoxha: Decision on visa liberalization, in June (media)

Most media quote Kosovo’s Minister for European Integration, Dhurata Hoxha, as saying that Kosovo is very close to visa liberalization but that a final decision on the matter can be made only after the end of elections for the European Parliament.

“There is more work to be done, because the member states do not want to make a decision before the end of elections for the European Parliament. We have the visa liberalization requirements; we are now on the final step and a decision will be made at the Council of Ministers in June,” Hoxha said.

U.S. demands responsibility on expulsion of six Turkish nationals (media)

The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo has issued a press release, which urges for full transparency in the security sector.

“It was almost a year ago that Kosovo expelled six Turkish citizens as alleged threats to national security without due process.  We were pleased to see the establishment of a parliamentary investigative committee, which exposed legal violations surrounding the incident despite attempts to obstruct its work.  The committee’s findings, which suggest 31 legal or procedural breaches by the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Interior Ministry, and other institutions, raise concerns about overreach by key security agencies, as well as the security sector’s susceptibility to political manipulation.  We call on Kosovo institutions to ensure full accountability for anyone violating the law, and remind Kosovo leaders that security institutions must act only within their constitutional authority, subject to the rule of law.

The issue is not the alleged guilt or innocence of the individuals, but rather the apparent circumventing of Kosovo’s legal processes by Kosovo politicians.  Political pressure on the security sector to break Kosovo law is an egregious breach of democratic values.  We urge full transparency in the security sector, and in the conduct of foreign affairs, to prevent inappropriate interference by Kosovo politicians in the future,” reads the press release.

The German Ambassador to Kosovo Christina Heldt, took to Twitter to write that “We fully support  the U.S. Embassy in Pristina statement today on expulsions of Turkish citizens last March.  Kosovo institutions must be accountable and subject to the rule of law.”

Kusari-Lila calls for early general elections (Bota Sot)

Alternativa leader Mimoza Kusari-Lila said in a front-page interview to the paper that her party will not help the Haradinaj-led government to remain in power and that Kosovo needs to go to early parliamentary elections.

Asked to comment on the border correction initiative, Kusari-Lila said that if the idea is implemented it would undo Kosovo’s statehood and send the country back to a situation that would be worse than before 1999.

She also said that if the import tariff on Serbian goods is lifted, “we should know what will come in its place, and if the Prime Minister lifts the tariff now, this would show that he was under tremendous pressure”.

Albanian intelligence service: Russia is trying to step up its influence (Koha)

Helidon Bendo, the head of Albania’s Intelligence Service (SHISH), told a parliamentary committee in Tirana on Monday that Russia is trying to step up its influence in Albania. He said he was concerned by the attempts but did not say if these efforts have reached the high levels of Albanian politics.

“Data analysis from 2018 show that there are increased attempts by Russia to step up their influence in our country,” Bendo is quoted as saying.

The SHISH annual report has already been submitted to Prime Minister Edi Rama and Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta. Bendo also said that a summary of the report would soon be available to the public too.

Kosovo to declare Graham Phillips persona non grata today (Klan Kosova)

The news website reports that Kosovo institutions will declare British reporter Graham Phillips persona non grata today, because of his reporting against Kosovo. Klan Kosova claims to have secured a copy of the decision which will reportedly be permanent. Kosovo’s authorities will be obliged to deport Philips from Kosovo if he enters the territory and notify the British Embassy in Pristina.