• Kosovo: 36 new cases of COVID-19, five recoveries (media)
• Kosovo, Serbia health ministers discuss cooperation against COVID-19 (media)
• UK Embassy urges media to report factually (media)
• Osmani forwards initiative for draft law on fighting COVID-19 (media)
• Von Cramon: Lockdown rules to follow constitutional ones in Kosovo (media)
• MP Berisha writes to embassies: Please help Egyptian community (media)
• Lajcak denies he has knowledge of a Kosovo-Serbia “secret deal” (Klan Kosova)
• Nagavci: LVV will reply to the President after the pandemic (RTK)
• Limaj says his party willing to contribute in a unity government (Kosovapress)
• VV’s Pacolli accuses opposition of creating political crisis during pandemic (Koha)
• “For LDK, health of citizens equally important as health of democracy” (Telegrafi)
• Haxhiu: I was not invited at President’s meeting (Klan Kosova)
• Kosovo Police sends appeal against domestic violence (media)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Kosovo: 36 new cases of COVID-19, five recoveries (media)

National Institute for Public Health announced that out of 173 tests carried out in the last 24 hours, 35 persons have tested positive for coronavirus.

Majority of the new cases are from the municipality of Ferizaj (9), 8 from Kamenica, 4 from Prizren, 3 from Gjakova, 2 from Pristina, 2 from Mitrovica North, and one case in each of the following municipalities: Suhareka, Lipjan, Vitia, Malisheva, Istog, Decan, and Zvecan.

Mayor of Decan Bashkim Ramosaj, whose municipality has not yet had any confirmed cases of coronavirus, said that the case reported last night was from a resident who came from abroad and immediately quarantined at the student's dorms in Pristina. "I wish him a speedy recovery as well as all the others. Decan has no cases of COVID-19 yet," he wrote.

At the same time, the Institute also announced that five persons have been declared as having recovered from the virus, raising the number of recoveries to a total of 71.

At present, the number of COVID-19 cases in all municipalities of Kosovo stands at 448.

Kosovo, Serbia health ministers discuss cooperation against COVID-19 (media)

Kosovo's acting Minister of Health Arben Vitia discussed cooperation on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with Serbian Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar in a video conference hosted by the Italy.

This was announced in a press release issued by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which added: "The discussion, which was attended by KFOR as well, underlined the importance to cooperate in order to effectively contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region."

Italian Ambassador to Kosovo Nicola Orlando hailed the move highlighting the importance of cooperation to contain the spread of the pandemic in the Western Balkans.

UK Embassy urges media to report factually (media)

The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Kosovo called on the media to provide accurate and factual information, especially regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The media has an important role in keeping the public informed and this should not be interfered with for political or other ends. It is essential that individual journalists and their organisations are given the space to operate effectively,” the Embassy said on social media.

Osmani forwards initiative for draft law on fighting COVID-19 (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani has processed the initiative for a draft law on preventing and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in Kosovo, a press release issued by the Assembly states.

"The initiative was launched as a result of requirements stemming from the Constitutional Court ruling KO 54/20 of 6 April 2020, which specifies the role of the Assembly in undertaking the adequate measures to ensure that necessary restrictions of fundamental rights and freedoms aimed at protecting the public health are in line with the Constitution," the statement said.

Von Cramon: Lockdown rules to follow constitutional ones in Kosovo (media)

Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur for Kosovo Viola von Cramon commented on the recent measures taken by Kosovo’s Ministry of Health for movement restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Lockdown rules need to follow #constitutional rules in #Kosovo. Rules make more confusion & are not possible to follow will cause more harm. Other countries have limited time to spend outside, but not the hour when one can go out. Gov need to go back to #constitutional basis,” Von Cramon wrote on Twitter.

She however added later that people should stay at home no matter the rules. “Clarification for my earlier tweet: people need to stay at home. full stop. In #Kosovo in #Germany and everywhere. Regardless what is allowed, just stay home. It’s hard. But we know it is necessary #covid #COVID19  # stayathome,” she wrote. 

MP Berisha writes to embassies: Please help Egyptian community (media)

Kosovo Assembly MP from Egyptian community Veton Berisha, wrote to the embassies accredited in Kosovo and local and international organisations to help Egyptian community, which according to him, is facing difficulties at the time of pandemic.

Berisha informed media about his letter, saying that he has requested from the embassies and international and local organisations to help the Egyptian community which is facing socio-economic difficulties and is fighting to survive at the time of pandemics.

“I decided to address the above mentioned after one month insistence to receive survival aid from the government of the Republic of Kosovo, however this has not happened so far and we have not received an official response to our requests from the office of the prime minister either,” Berisha wrote.

Lajcak denies he has knowledge of a Kosovo-Serbia “secret deal” (Klan Kosova)

Miroslav Lajcak, the EU Special Envoy for the Kosovo – Serbia dialogue and the Western Balkans, said in an interview to Klan Kosova on Wednesday evening, denied he has any knowledge of an existing secret deal between Kosovo and Serbia. “I don’t want to speculate; I don’t do this. I haven’t seen such an agreement, and no one has told me that there is one. I work with facts. We have a clear agenda to move forward. We have a dialogue. We know what our objective is, so I will leave speculations to others. I am completely focused on what lies ahead of us and that is dialogue, and this is my mandate,” he said.

Asked if the EU would introduce measures to convince Serbia to stop its campaign against recognitions of Kosovo’s independence, Lajcak said: “the European Union has made it very clear that it expects both sides to refrain from any actions that may deteriorate the atmosphere. We want to create a favorable atmosphere for a positive outcome of dialogue, and these are our expectations”.

Asked if it is realistic to expect a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia by March next year, Lajcak said “it is realistic to expect a final agreement, it is realistic to expect a good agreement, an agreement that will help both Kosovo and Serbia in their path toward the EU, an agreement that is good for the region and one that will improve the lives of the people in Kosovo. Whether it will happen in February, March or April, it is less important. What is important is the quality of the agreement”.

See the interview: https://bit.ly/3beUu66

Nagavci: LVV will reply to the President after the pandemic (RTK)

The Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) does not intend to propose the name of the candidate for Prime Minister to the President during the coronavirus emergency situation, despite the third letter of the President Hashim Thaci sent to the leader of LVV Albin Kurti, RTK reports.

“Our position is the one that we have already made it clear. Once the circumstances are created to respond to the letter of the President, we will, however, currently, the entire government and each and everyone of us are focused on combating Covid-19 pandemic. And this will also be an invitation to the President and everyone to mobilise everyone on respecting the decisions and instructions of healthcare professionals and be close to the citizens with help and support that they need,” Nagavci said.

“We will send the name, so we will reply to President’s letter as soon as conditions are created; And the President does not have a single right to make pressure on LVV and even less to make proposals as he did today, because it does not belong to him to make steps that he mentioned today,” she added.

“It is not at the discretion of the President to give mandate to anyone else but the winner of the elections. Wishes of the LDK and the others can be different but according to the Constitution and the decision of the Constitutional Court, there cannot be a government without the winner of the elections,” Nagavci said. 

Limaj says his party willing to contribute in a unity government (Kosovapress)

NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj said on Wednesday evening that his party is willing to give its contribution in an eventual unity government.

“My position on whether or not we should go to new elections is a legitimate political position. Following the ousting of the government with 82 votes, the President summoned the political parties to see if there is readiness to go to new elections or to find a different solution. Consultations are an obligation, because elections cannot be declared without the majority of members of the Kosovo Assembly. The President has respected the decision of the Constitutional Court to give Vetevendosje, as the winning party, the right to nominate a Prime Minister candidate,” he said.

VV’s Pacolli accuses opposition of creating political crisis during pandemic (Koha)

Vetevendosje MP Fitore Pacolli, in an interview to KTV on Wednesday evening, accused the opposition parties of creating political crisis during the COVID – 19 pandemics.

“In the most democratic countries, the opposition and governments have come together to fight the coronavirus. Here it is completely the opposite. The PDK together with the LDK, AAK, NISMA and the President are trying to find anti-constitutional ways to stop our actions. The Ministry of Health has made a decision based on the ruling of the Constitutional Court. The measures taken are in line with what we need now and based on the current circumstances,” she said.

Pacolli also criticised the LDK of trying to form a coalition with AAK and NISMA, “only as a way to get closer to the PDK again”.

“For LDK, health of citizens equally important as health of democracy” (Telegrafi)

Head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group, Arben Gashi, said that his party considers that the health of the citizens of Kosovo is equally as important as the health of Kosovo's democracy.

Speaking at a debate aired on RTV Dukagjini, Gashi accused acting PM Albin Kurti for firing Agim Veliu because of 'ego' issues.

Gashi said that the reason why the party won as much votes as it did in the last elections when it ran under a ticket led by Vjosa Osmani was because there was a large-scale mobilisation of the LDK.

Asked whether he would expect LDK to have gained as much votes had it not been led by Osmani to which he replied: "Perhaps we would get more, perhaps less." He noted however that as a general rule, the leader of a party's ticket always wins 70-80 percent of the electorate's vote.

Haxhiu: I was not invited at President’s meeting (Klan Kosova)

The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, met on Wednesday with the heads of the justice institutions to discuss about the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the institutions of the Kosovo Correctional Service and to find a legal solution to prevent the spread in these institutions.

However, Acting Minister of Justice was not seen at this meeting. Asked by the Klan Kosova broadcaster about her absence, Haxhiu said that she has not receive an invitation by the President.

Kosovo Police sends appeal against domestic violence (media)

Several news websites reported on Wednesday that the Kosovo Police issued a press release calling on all citizens to report on potential cases of domestic violence. “In the first quarter of this year, the following number of cases been evidenced: 161 cases in January, 151 cases in February and 169 cases of domestic violence in March,” the police press release noted.

“Despite its additional engagements, the Kosovo Police addresses these cases [domestic violence] with priority and it calls on all persons that may be subject to domestic violence or any other form of violence to the police,” the press release said.