• COVID – 19: 634 new cases, 15 deaths (media)
• Government secures votes to pass economic recovery bill (media)
• Hoxhaj: Candidate for Kosovo President must come from PDK (media)
• LDK’s Veliu doesn’t say if they will accept PDK candidate for President (media)
• Mustafa ends speculation: I have no ambitions for President post (Indeksonline)
• Gashi: PDK will remain in opposition (media)
• EU: We’re working on next meeting between Kosovo and Serbia (Express)
• Gashi offers €10,000 to any MP that brings him Williamson report (Telegrafi)
• Hamiti: Special court came after EULEX and UNMIK justice failed (media)

COVID – 19: 634 new cases, 15 deaths (media)

634 new cases of COVID – 19 and 15 deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 340 patients recovered from the virus during this time. There are 14,989 active cases of the virus in Kosovo.

Government secures votes to pass economic recovery bill (media)

All news websites reported on Wednesday that the ruling coalition has agreed to the demands of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to pass the economic recovery bill in the Assembly. The Kosovo Assembly’s Committee for Budget and Finances held a meeting on Wednesday where MPs from the ruling coalition supported the amendments proposed by the PDK in order to get the votes of PDK MPs required to pass the bill.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said in a press conference after the meeting that they have called an extraordinary session of the Assembly to pass the bill. PDK Acting Leader Enver Hoxhaj said that even though in the opposition, the PDK has followed with concern the situation with the COVID – 19 pandemic.

“For months in a row we have called on the parliamentary parties to meet and amend the law on economic recovery. However, in the lack of readiness to cooperate, the government proposed a law which was insufficient and which needs to be complemented,” Hoxhaj said.

Hoxhaj: Candidate for Kosovo President must come from PDK (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Acting Leader Enver Hoxhaj said on Wednesday that PDK MPs will not vote for any candidate for Kosovo President from the parties of the ruling coalition.

“We don’t have votes for any candidate from parties of the ruling coalition. If they want the votes of the PDK, then the candidate must come from the Democratic Party of Kosovo,” Hoxhaj told a press conference after a meeting of the PDK chairmanship.

“The PDK is in the opposition and it will remain in the opposition but there are four or five topics of national interest that require our consensus.”

LDK’s Veliu doesn’t say if they will accept PDK candidate for President (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader Agim Veliu was asked to comment on PDK acting leader Enver Hoxhaj’s remarks that the candidate for Kosovo President must come from the PDK. Veliu told Prishtina-based Gazeta Blic that all issues will be discussed in the LDK forum. “The LDK discussed every situation in its forum and then the forum announces the decisions,” he said.

Veliu however refused to comment if the LDK will agree to the PDK’s request for the post of President. “I have nothing to add to this,” he said.

Mustafa ends speculation: I have no ambitions for President post (Indeksonline)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa said on Wednesday that he has no ambitions for the post of Kosovo President, saying that his party has the post of Prime Minister.

“I have said that in this mandate the LDK does not aim for the post of Kosovo President. We have the government. We have Mr. Hoti as Prime Minister and we don’t have ambitions [for the President post]. I will never put my ambitions above the interest of having Mr. Hoti as Prime Minister and I will never make deals with anyone on this matter,” Mustafa was quoted as saying.

Gashi: PDK will remain in opposition (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Kujtim Gashi said on Wednesday that the PDK has never discussed joining the Hoti-led government.

“I assure you that we have never discussed joining the government. Our meetings were very short,” he said. “The position of PDK structures is to remain in the opposition. There are voices both inside and outside saying that the PDK should join the government. But our position is that we will remain in opposition,” Gashi said.

EU: We’re working on next meeting between Kosovo and Serbia (Express)

The European Union Special Representative for the Prishtina – Belgrade Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Wednesday that the EU is preparing for a new high-level meeting in the dialogue and that property claims are on the table of talks.

In an address to the EU Foreign Policy Committee, Lajcak said that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia must lead to a comprehensive agreement that will resolve all outstanding problems once and for all.

Lajcak also said that negotiations so far have achieved full progress in resolving the issue of missing persons. He added that the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina are two key issues in the Western Balkans.

Gashi offers €10,000 to any MP that brings him Williamson report (Telegrafi)

Prishtina-based attorney Tome Gashi said in a debate on T7 on Wednesday evening that he will give €10,000 to any member of parliament that brings him the Clint Williamson report.  “The report that sent Hashim Thaci and the others to prison is not the Dick Marty report, but Clint Williamson’s report. Our MPs do not have this report and they have never read it. Any MP that has read the report or has the report can bring it to me in my office in downtown Prishtina and I will give him or her €10,000,” Gashi was quoted as saying.

Hamiti: Special court came after EULEX and UNMIK justice failed (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) member Muhamet Hamiti said in a debate on Dukagjini TV on Wednesday that the Specialist Chambers were formed because the justice of UNMIK and EULEX failed to do its job.

“The Special Court is here because the justice failed in the time of UNMIK, EULEX and even when locals governed. Even the Dick Marty report was published many years ago, but only now the Parliament of Albania decided to adopt a draft resolution,” he said.

“These are only indictments, but the truth about the killings will come out … I don’t think there is anything bad in the families of victims seeking justice,” Hamiti said.