• Haradinaj has two conditions to represent Kosovo in talks with Serbia (Koha)
• Haradinaj: Serbian scenario can destabilise the north (Koha)
• “Serbs are buying Kosovo goods; no Serbian truck will enter Kosovo” (Express)
• Bahtiri: Serbia’s plan to stage humanitarian catastrophe has failed! (media)
• Tahiri: We should be vigilant and cautious with situation in north (Epoka)
• Failed scenario in the north ends, shops to open today (RTK)
• Borrell nominated for EU foreign policy chief (media)
• Haziri: There will be early general elections in autumn (Telegrafi)
• Kosnett: Government to act quickly on vehicle homologation contractct (Epoka)
• Kosovo and Albania with joint diplomatic missions (Epoka)

Haradinaj has two conditions to represent Kosovo in talks with Serbia (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj commented on Tuesday on a recent ruling of the Constitutional Court about the role of the Assembly and the Government in the talks with Serbia, the paper reports on page three. “I cannot represent Kosovo without the inclusion and the roles of all parties, including the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Vetevendosje Movement and the Social Democratic Party of Kosovo. I can govern, but I cannot represent Kosovo if there is no broad-based inclusion,” Haradinaj told the paper. He also said that he would maintain his position on dialogue with Serbia. “The position of the Prime Minister is that without a framework-agreement for mutual recognition in the current borders there is no basis for dialogue,” Haradinaj added.

Haradinaj: Serbian scenario can destabilise the north (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that if Serbia’s scenario for a staged humanitarian catastrophe in the north is carried out, it could lead to the destabilisation of that region. Haradinaj also said that he has informed Quint countries about the government’s measures to supply the residents of the north with all necessary products. “Kosovo will implement law and order, and this should be clear to everyone. There will never be vacuum in the rule of law in any part of Kosovo. I believe they got the message [Belgrade], if they want to test us, they will get another response,” Haradinaj said. “We are not surprised by any action. I have personally warned against this scenario and we told the international community about it. This scenario is part of efforts by those that wanted to divide Kosovo”.

“Serbs are buying Kosovo goods; no Serbian truck will enter Kosovo” (Express)

The news website reports that the Kosovo Government continued Tuesday its action of supplying the four Serb majority municipalities in the north with food products. This action came after the closure of all grocery shops by Serbs in the north.

“Belgrade can send as many goods as they want, However, when they reach the border point, if they are goods produced in the Republic of Serbia, they will have to pay 100 percent tariff, or they will be stopped. But if we are talking about goods of humanitarian character, then that is something else,” Kosovo’s Minister of Trade and Industry Endrit Shala said.

He stressed that there is no humanitarian crisis in the north and added that actions of the government of Kosovo are a response to Serbian paramilitary officials who ordered closing of the shops.

“The supplying plan is flowing well. All the required products are reaching well, all citizens are being supplied with products in that part. I do not possess information for attempts to bring Serbian products in that part. But we will normally respond in a reciprocal measure,” Shala said.

Bahtiri: Serbia’s plan to stage humanitarian catastrophe has failed! (media)

Mitrovica South Mayor Agim Bahtiri said on Tuesday that supermarkets and other stores will be opened today in the northern part of Kosovo and that Serbia’s plan to stage a humanitarian catastrophe has failed. Bahtiri wrote in a Facebook post: “I want to thank the Kosovo Government for opening mobile shops in the north. After my cooperation with [Trade and Industry] Minister Endrit Shala, business from Mitrovica South too have joined the action. I want to thank all businesses for their contribution. The failure of Serbia’s destructive and destabilizing plan shows that when determined the state of Kosovo will not allow any interference by countries that do not wish us well, especially Serbia. I call on residents in the north to never fall for traps by destructive people and to think about the future of their children”.

Tahiri: We should be vigilant and cautious with situation in north (Epoka)

Kosovo’s former Minister for the dialogue with Serbia Edita Tahiri appealed to local and international institutions to be vigilant towards Serbia’s provocations in the north. She said simulation of humanitarian crisis there is Serbia’s open provocation with the intention of destabilizing the northern part of Kosovo. According to her with such actions, Serbia continues to show its hegemonistic mentality. Tahiri said she expects the dialogue to resume in October, after change of the EU leadership and added that Kosovo should build a serious team of unity by then.

Failed scenario in the north ends, shops to open today (RTK)

The news website reports that the Association of Kosovo Serb Businessmen has decided in a meeting on Tuesday to open shops in the north today. They said they decided to undertake more radical steps including protests to show readiness of Serbs in the north to fight the imposed tariff on Serbian goods. They said these two days were only a warning and that activities against tariff in the north will not stop. “We are aware that a long war which requires unity, efforts and perhaps sacrifices, is ahead of us,” they told Serbian media. They also appealed to the international community to understand the situation in the north, which according to them is dramatic.

Borrell nominated for EU foreign policy chief (media)

Most media report that Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell has been nominated for the post of EU foreign policy chief. Under the leading front-page headline Borrell, an opponent of Kosovo’s independence, nominated as Mogherini’s successor, Koha Ditore reports that Borrell’s nomination to the post could be problematic given that as Foreign Minister of Spain he has publicly opposed Kosovo’s independence. Kallxo news website quotes political commentators in Pristina as saying that Borell’s nomination is “bad news for Kosovo”.

Haziri: There will be early general elections in autumn (Telegrafi)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader, Lutfi Haziri, said in an interview to the news website on Tuesday that Kosovo will go to early parliamentary elections this autumn. “Elections in autumn are inevitable. One of the key conditions is dialogue … We are expecting to have a political agreement on early elections or an agreement on a no-confidence motion … No one wants to go elections without a political agreement. Every political group and individual want to know their positions after elections,” Haziri was quoted as saying.

Kosnett: Government to act quickly on vehicle homologation contractct (Epoka)

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip Kosnett took to Twitter to show support on the statement of the EU Special Representative to Kosovo Nataliya Apostolova at the Assembly Economic Committee on Tuesday, raising concern over monopoly in vehicle homologation and imposition of non-tariff barriers for new vehicles, causing unnecessary expense to the people of Kosovo.

“I share EU, Kosovo Assembly, and Competition Authority concern about monopoly contract for vehicle inspections—it distorts markets and raises prices for consumers. Government should act quickly on Assembly’s nonbinding resolution and open up process to free and fair competition,” Kosnett wrote.

Kosovo and Albania with joint diplomatic missions (Epoka)

Kosovo and Albania signed on Tuesday an inter-ministerial agreement for unification of diplomatic and consular missions as well as for strategic cooperation on the foreign affairs. The agreement was signed by the Foreign Ministers Gent Caka and Behgjet Pacolli. “We will work together for interests of both states, but de facto and de jure we will work and you will see that the results will be great. We live in a time when policy and interests of states have changed, and we should adopt to this reality. Our adoption will start with this agreement and it will be more in the countries we have not been so far. We have to open diplomacies. There are many countries where we act as two entities and I think that this is excessive. We should unite these energies and act together,’ said Gent Cakaj.