• Pristina-Belgrade meeting in Paris postponed  (RTK, DW, VoA)
• Haradinaj informs Veseli about the meeting in Berlin  (media)
• Haradinaj: Meetings in Berlin are not trumpeted, but they are not secret (RTK)
• Haradinaj: Tariff may remain eternally, if Serbia does not recognize us (RTK)
• Pacolli: Kosovo will not remain hostage or isolated due to Serbia’s whims (RTK)
• Justice Minister responds to Kosnett (media)

 

Pristina-Belgrade meeting in Paris postponed  (RTK, DW, VoA)

Meeting in Paris on 1 July, during which the representatives of Serbia and Kosovo were scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has been postponed, Deutsche Welle reported on Friday. According to this media outlet, the information comes from the German government, which also stated that Berlin and Paris will remain in close contact with Belgrade and Pristina. Later on the annulment of the meeting was also confirmed by official Paris.

 Voice of America reported that the U.S. State Department has issued a statement about the postponement of the meeting stressing that Kosovo and Serbia should remove obstacles, avoid provocations and discuss.

“We are ready to listen and help both parties, as well as the EU as mediator, to find solution that would be agreeable for all,” was stressed in the press release.

Asked about the reason for annulment of this meeting, Kosovo’s Prime Minister said he does not know. “I do not know the reason why the meeting was postponed. But I can confirm one thing, that Kosovo is a serious party. Dialogue helps political atmosphere, but it is not a condition for visa liberalization,” Haradinaj said.

Haradinaj informs Veseli about the meeting in Berlin  (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj and Assembly President Kadri Veseli met on Friday at PM’s office. Haradinaj said he informed Veseli about the meeting in Berlin between representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President  Emanuel Macron and the Serbian party.

“I met the Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, to discuss recent political developments in the country. I briefed Veseli on the Berlin meeting between representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Serbian delegation,” Haradinaj said in a statement posted in Facebook. He said meeting of Kosovo-Serbia delegations in Berlin was to discuss progress in implementation of the agreements reached so far during the technical dialogue in Brussels. Among other things, Haradinaj said that he informed Berlin that Kosovo has implemented all Brussels agreements and is ready to resume the dialogue which leads towards final agreement.

Haradinaj: Meetings in Berlin are not trumpeted, but they are not secret (RTK)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj spoke on Friday about the meeting held in Berlin between representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President  Emanuel Macron and the Serbian party.

He said it was a meeting between the technical delegations and that he has informed in advance the coalition partners and internationals.

“I hear about titles of the newspapers, they claim it was a secret, but there are no secrets at the office of the Chancellor, they are working meetings, they are not trumpeted, but they are not secret,” Haradinaj said.

However, the Office of the President of Kosovo issued a press release on Friday to inform that they were not informed about this meeting.

“The Office of the President was not informed about the participation of a Prime Minister’s team in a secret meeting in Berlin and we have neither received any official information about what was discussed in that meeting. Such unannounced, secret and uncoordinated meetings do not held the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia, especially when having the Negotiating Team, which has as a duty to negotiated any issue with Serbia. Institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have for a constitutional and legal obligation  to be transparent to the citizens of Kosovo in such a sensitive and important process, dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia,” was noted in the press release.

Kosovo’s opposition political parties also came out with press releases criticizing Haradinaj about this meeting.

Vetevendosje Movement considered that the meeting was against national interests and stated that Haradinaj refused to take over responsibility of preventing the project of division of Kosovo, and now he resurrects closed projects such as Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) considers the meeting to be unacceptable and very dangerous.

“There is no reason to hide the dialogue, no matter the level and matters that are discussed in the dialogue. EU countries also make a mistake if they cultivate such practice, as they make the dialogue process unreliable for us and the citizens of Kosovo,” was written in the press release of this political entity.

Shpend Ahmeti, leader of the Social-democratic Party (PSD), who is also co-head of the negotiating team for discussions with Serbia, said the meeting is unacceptable and harmful for political developments in Kosovo and the dialogue with Serbia.

Haradinaj: Tariff may remain eternally, if Serbia does not recognize us (RTK)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said on Friday in Lipjan that the tariff on Serbian goods may remain in power eternally if Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo.

“We made it difficult for Serbia to recognize us, we ourselves hampered it. We have accepted a position which is less than an independent state at the table, we have made it impossible to be recognized as an independent state, because we sat at the table as a weak party, we have ourselves accepted to be a an unequal party. We have made it more difficult to the international factors to defend us,” Haradinaj said.

“Now, everyone is aware that yeas, to dialogue, but dialogue has a name: mutual recognition of existing borders,” he added.

Speaking about the 100 percent imposed tariff on Serbian goods, Haradinaj said “whenever Serbia is ready, we are too.”

Pacolli: Kosovo will not remain hostage or isolated due to Serbia’s whims (RTK)

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli wrote on Facebook that Kosovo will not remain hostage or isolated by Serbian fantasies.

“The Paris Summit is postponed, which delays the Kosovo-Serbia legally binding agreement. Kosovo will not remain hostage or isolated by Serbian fantasies. Every obstacle that is made to Kosovo is an obstacle that is being made to the region in our European integration journey,” Pacolli wrote.

“Serbia is firmly tied to Russia, so other states do not have to remain hostage to this agenda. The EU and its MS must tighten the accession process of Serbia. Only then reaching the Agreement will be a real option. We regret that Serbia prefers delays, sabotage, and uncertainty,” he added.

Justice Minister responds to Kosnett (media)

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip Kosnett took to Twitter to criticize release of the convict for war crimes.

“Justice Ministry signed the release of a war crimes convict sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in the Kukes case, who served fewer than 12 months in past 3 years. Regular abuse by well-connected criminals of the medical leave system and suspended sentences must stop,” Kosnett wrote.

“The sole competency that relates the Ministry of Justice with convicts is management of the Correctional Centers which in every circumstance related to release or hold of convicted individuals in prisons, implement the decisions of independent bodies, respectively judicial verdicts, as it usually happens  in the states where law and order rules,” Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Abelard Tahiri wrote.

“I want to inform the wide opinion, Ambassador Kosnett and respected media that the Ministry of Justice does not have any legal competency to release from sentence or suspend conviction for any individual,” he added.