• Haradinaj: All international allies are calling for tariff to be lifted (media)
• Mogherini ready to call dialogue as soon as tariff is revoked (RTK)
• Tahiri: We won’t allow relations with U.S. to be threatened (media)
• Isufi: Serbia should be pressured, 100-percent tariff remains (Klan)
• PDK’s unserious threats for elections (Zeri)
• Vucic: We won’t recognize Kosovo with its current borders (Zeri/Prva)
• Sfecla: We were compromised in the case of six Turkish nationals (Zeri)
• Konjufca: Thaci is behind deportation of Turkish nationals (Express/Bota Sot)
• Cuni on Turkish nationals’ deportation: AKI was misused for illegal acts (media)
• Kosovo Assembly to hold another extraordinary session today (media)
• UN and EU jointly host Global Open Day on Women, Peace and Security (RTK)
• Tahiri calls on women to use activism to prevent border correction ideas (Koha)
• Mogherini offers support to Kosovo survivors of sexual violence (media)
• Chief Executive Officer of World Jewish Congress visits Kosovo (media)
• Assembly President Veseli travels for an official visit to Japan (RTK)

Haradinaj: All international allies are calling for tariff to be lifted (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that all of Kosovo’s international allies are calling on Pristina to lift the import tariff on Serbian goods. Haradinaj said after meeting German Chancellor Merkel’s top advisors in Pristina: “Berlin’s position is clear, dialogue is important and it has to resume, the import tariff is an obstacle and you should lift it”.

Haradinaj also said it was not fair from the international community to make pressure only on Kosovo, because Serbia is setting conditions to return to dialogue. “I think that everyone should it is enough of stepping on the victim. In this case, Kosovo is the victim.” He added that despite the request of the Western partners, he cannot lift the tariff without seeing the constituting elements of the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Koha Ditore reports on its front page that Haradinaj has accused the West of exerting pressure as in medieval times. “The international community is not able to threaten Serbia and to ask them to return to dialogue, so it is putting pressure on the victim, which in this case is Kosovo. I don’t think we are living in medieval times and these are not the right practices. These are not medieval times. Things are not done this way. We are all free countries,” Haradinaj said.

Mogherini ready to call dialogue as soon as tariff is revoked (RTK)

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday that she is ready to strengthen cooperation with the UN Security Council to assist Serbia and Kosovo in normalizing relations as soon as Pristina suspends the import tariff on Serbian goods.

“For a full-fledged resumption of the talks, the tariffs that have been imposed by the government of Kosovo must be revoked, the day the tariffs are suspended, I will immediately call for a new meeting of the dialogue... which should fully normalize relations between Pristina and Belgrade,” Mogherini said at the UN Security Council. “I am personally ready to intensify our exchanges with all members of the UN Security Council on this.”

Mogherini noted that despite of the European Union’s readiness to assist the negotiations, the dialogue belongs only to the parties and it is up to them to find an agreement.

Tahiri: We won’t allow relations with U.S. to be threatened (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice and member of the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Abelard Tahiri, said in an interview to RTV Dukagjini on Tuesday that the import tariff on Serbian goods has hurt Kosovo’s relations with the United States of America.

Tahiri said PDK leader Kadri Veseli has made it clear that Kosovo will not go to early parliamentary elections because of the import tariff. “The tariff was introduced in a joint decision by partners of the ruling coalition, but it was not coordinated with our international partners. It was introduced to a country that has not been friendly toward Kosovo,” he said.

“We have had continuous requests and visits by U.S. officials, who have called for the tariff to be lifted or suspended for a certain period of time”. “The PDK has made it clear that we need close coordination with the U.S. We as a coalition cannot allow relations with our most important partner to be threatened”.

Isufi: Serbia should be pressured, 100-percent tariff remains (Klan)

Ahmet Isufi, caucus of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said on Tuesday that the 100-percent tariff on Serbia will not be suspended despite the requests of the internationals.

He said opposition political parties are manipulating with the public by accusing the government. “Serbia, with the money from Kosovars’ pockets is making campaign against Kosovo,” he said. “Any state would do this and this should not be interrelated with other issues, Serbia should be pressured,” Ahmeti said.

PDK’s unserious threats for elections (Zeri)

The paper reports on its front page that statements by senior Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) officials that they could take the country to early general elections as a result of Prime Minister Haradinaj’s refusal to lift the import tariff on Serbian goods, are seen as unserious and unfounded. Political commentators in Pristina told the paper on Tuesday that such statements are only “games of words”.

Political analyst, Ramush Tahiri, said the PDK does not have 61 votes in the Assembly. “No party is cooperating with the PDK. It has no allies. The PSD, Nisma, the AAK, Alternativa or the Serbian List, are not cooperating with the PDK. The PDK will find it very difficult to secure 61 votes,” he added.

Vucic: We won’t recognize Kosovo with its current borders (Zeri/Prva)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Prva TV station on Tuesday that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo with its current borders. “It is impossible … What is the alternative to negotiators? Do you want us to go to war? If we go to war, we will have to negotiate again,” he said. Vucic said Belgrade cannot leave Serbs in Kosovo in the mercy of what he called an eventual attack. “I have said what we will do, and we are going to do that. If Pristina goes into action, we will respond … What do you think will happen if we don’t talk? There is no other solution,” he added.

Sfecla: We were compromised in the case of six Turkish nationals (Zeri)

The paper reports on page five that there have been strong reactions from foreign embassies in Pristina on the anniversary of the deportation of six Turkish nationals from Kosovo. Several embassies said in recent statements that the deportation was forceful and not in line with legal procedures.

Xhelal Sfecla, member of the Kosovo Assembly and former head of a parliamentary committee that investigated the case, told the paper on Tuesday that the committee faced many obstructions in their work. “We were compromised with quorum in the Assembly, because MPs from the ruling coalition would leave the assembly sessions or they wouldn’t show up at all whenever they didn’t like the results of our group. Everything that had to be done was for the MPs to vote on the report we presented, but the voting was made impossible as a result of obstructions by some committee members,” Sfecla argued.

Konjufca: Thaci is behind deportation of Turkish nationals (Express/Bota Sot)

Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief, Glauk Konjufca, claimed in an interview to Express on Tuesday that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was behind the forceful deportation of six Turkish nationals from Kosovo in 2018.

“The President was behind this. There are many findings by the [parliamentary] committee which show that the President needs to explain some uncertainties surrounding his involvement in this case … He didn’t respond to the invitation of the committee,” Konjufca said.

Cuni on Turkish nationals’ deportation: AKI was misused for illegal acts (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP, Anton Cuni, said on Tuesday that there were legal violations in the deportation of six Turkish nationals from Kosovo in 2018. Cuni said these were the findings of the parliamentary committee that investigated the case.

“After several months of work, we concluded that there were legal violations. We asked for additional time to conclude our work, but our request was not taken into consideration … Competencies and authorizations were violated. The Kosovo Intelligence Agency, in particular, was misused to carry out an illegal and anti-constitutional action,” Cuni was quoted as saying.

Kosovo Assembly to hold another extraordinary session today (media)

Several news websites report that the Kosovo Assembly will hold another extraordinary session today. MPs will meet today at 10:00 to discuss “the blocking of the Central Election Committee by the President”, RTK reports.

UN and EU jointly host Global Open Day on Women, Peace and Security (RTK)

RTK reported on Tuesday that the United Nations in Kosovo and the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative jointly hosted the 2019 Kosovo edition of Global Open Day, recognising the upcoming 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security with an event focusing on gender-inclusive and responsive political processes.

This year’s theme is Trust-builders and Deal-Makers: Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Kosovo

Launched in October 2010 by the Department of Peacekeeping, Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme and UN Women in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Global Open Days events are designed to support regular dialogue between UN senior leadership and women’s organisations around the world.

Global Open Day consultations provide a platform where women’s voices can be heard and offer an opportunity to review the implementation of Resolution 1325. Today, Global Open Days are organised worldwide and inform the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on Women, Peace and Security.

The 2019 Kosovo edition will feature a panel and two televised debates stretching the gamut of local, regional and global issues and experiences, with local and international experts, civil society leaders and politicians leading robust debate (please see the attached agenda for more details on panelists and themes).

This year, for the first time, UN Global Open Day has been organised in cooperation with the European Union as the organisations look to further increase their collaboration on Women, Peace and Security. It is also the first time such an event will be televised, with a television debate with prominent panelists to be moderated by Jeta Xharra, and later televised by the Balkan Investigative Research Network (BIRN).

Tahiri calls on women to use activism to prevent border correction ideas (Koha)

Women involved in peace-building processes give better results to the sustainability of agreements and the progress of society in general and therefore they need to be involved in decision-making processes. This was said at the UN Global Open Day for Women, Peace and Security, organized by the OSCPA and the EU Office in Kosovo.

Edita Tahiri, former chief negotiator in the talks between Pristina and Belgrade, called on women to be actively involved in dialogue with Serbia in order to stop border correction ideas. Tahiri said women in the Balkans have a very important role.

“Kosovo is the only country that has trusted women and it proved this in Rambouillet and Brussels. I don’t want to praise my country, but this is the truth. We need more women in government however. Our agenda nowadays is being sidelined. We are hearing some short-sighted politicians talk about border correction ideas. We know that borders can be changed only through wars. We, the women, must take on leading roles. The International Court of Justice has confirmed that there cannot be any ethnic states. We, the women, need to speak up. I am surprised by Federica Mogherini, because she too is a woman and she is supporting this idea. I say we, the women, need to take on leading roles and reject ideas that can produce instability,” Tahiri said.

Sonja Licht, from the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, said that societies cannot progress if women are not sufficiently represented in decision-making bodies. “This is why I think that meetings like this one are very important. The whole world has agreed that we need to fight for common values, from freedom to what is called global development,” she added.

Mogherini offers support to Kosovo survivors of sexual violence (media)

Several media report that Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, the first Kosovo Albanian survivor of wartime sexual violence to speak out publicly, met EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on Monday. According to Krasniqi, Mogherini has offered support to all survivors of sexual violence promising that the issue of victims of sexual violence will not be forgotten.

“Tonight, I had the opportunity to meet with Federica Mogherini, I shared the concerns of survivors of sexual violence, we don’t want to be forgotten in the negotiation, we want our voices to be heard. She promised me to do her best to ensure that survivors are supported,” Vasfije Krasniqi wrote in social media.

Chief Executive Officer of World Jewish Congress visits Kosovo (media)

Media report on the visit of the Chief Executive Officer of the World Jewish Congress, Robert Singer, accompanied by Votim Demiri, the President of the Jewish Community of Kosovo. They reportedly met with the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, PM Ramush Haradinaj and Deputy PM Enver Hoxhaj.

According to a press release issued by the Office of the President, Thaci said that Kosovo is grateful for the help and support that the state of Israel has given to the citizens of Kosovo, especially in 1998 and 1999.

The Hebrew World Congress Officer, Robert Singer, stressed that the Jewish people does not forget the help of the Albanian people for the Jewish people.He added that the new state of Kosovo has much potentials.

“You are situated in a sensitive region and the determination for peace and harmony among religions is admirable”, said Singer.

Assembly President Veseli travels for an official visit to Japan (RTK)

Kadri Veseli, President of the Assembly of Kosovo, has traveled for an official visit to Japan. He is expected to visit his Japanese counterpart, a number of ministers and other senior Japanese officials. Veseli is expected to discuss increase of cooperation especially in the field of innovation and economy and Japan’s support for Kosovo in international arena.