• COVID-19: 277 new cases, three deaths (media)
• World leaders congratulate Kosovo on independence anniversary (media)
• U.S. to encourage new government to continue dialogue with Serbia (media)
• Biden says Kosovo holds ‘special place’ for his family (AP)
• Kurti: I would vote to unify Albania and Kosovo (euronews)
• Vetevendosje does not want to co-govern with PDK, LDK, and AAK (Koha)
• LDK's Mustafa calls LVV's victory damaging for Kosovo (Koha)
• Abazi declares Mini-Schengen dead under LVV governance (RTK)
• Brnabic: Regrettable that dialogue is not Kurti's priority (media)
• International analysts say Kurti may face pressure on dialogue (Telegrafi)
• Albin Kurti has promised to change Kosovo. He has a fight on his hands (euronews)
• Kurti has no limitations for being prime minister, opposition may dispute it (KP)
• Judge at Kosovo court alerts EU diplomats to attempts to undermine court's work (RFE)
• Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Claim Prosecution is Hampering Their Defence (BIRN)
• Kosovo and Italy sign security agreement for the first time (Koha)

 

COVID-19: 277 new cases, three deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 277 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the last 24 hours. 343 persons have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 7,315 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

World leaders congratulate Kosovo on independence anniversary (media)

Kosovo authorities have been receiving congratulatory messages from world leaders on the thirteenth anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence.

U.S. President Joe Biden conveyed congratulations in a letter to Acting President Vjosa Osmani saying that the bonds between the people of Kosovo and the United States remain strong. "We look forward to working with Kosovo's next government to move Kosovo forward on its European path. There is a great deal of work to be done, including securing a comprehensive normalization agreement with Serbia centered on mutual recognition that strengthens the rule of law, confronting the global COVID-19 pandemic, and fostering economic growth that enables a prosperous future for all of Kosovo's citizens," President Biden said.

Reconfirming the U.S. support, President Biden added: "Kosovo continues to hold a special place for the Biden family in honor of the time our late son Beau Biden spent working to ensure peace, justice, and the rule of law for all the people of Kosovo."

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, conveyed congratulations to the people of Kosovo. "After what has been a difficult year, I hope we may look forward to overcoming global health challenges and to better times in the future."

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Kosovo has made significant progress since declaring independence. "Decisive and sustainable reforms for strengthening the rule of law, and normalising relations with Serbia, remain crucial to continue this path. Resumption of dialogue last year under the EU facilitation was an important step in this direction," Steinmeier said adding that Germany will continue supporting Kosovo in the future.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in his letter to Osmani that he commends Kosovo's engagement in the dialogue with Serbia since its resumption following the high-level meeting hosted by the German Chancellor Merkel and him in July 2020. "I fully support the facilitation of the European Union and its special representative for dialogue Mr. Miroslav Lajcak in an effort to achieve a comprehensive, final and legally binding agreement. It is important for the discussions to restart as soon as possible, once the new government of Kosovo is elected, on the basis of the progress already made," Macron said.

Osmani also received congratulatory letters from the Belgian King Phillippe, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, President of Switzerland Guy Parmelin, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic.

U.S. to encourage new government to continue dialogue with Serbia (media)

State Department's Spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. congratulates the people of Kosovo on their successful parliamentary elections.

With regards to the dialogue with Serbia, Price said the U.S. strongly supports the EU-facilitated dialogue. "We will encourage the new government, once formed, to continue those," he is quoted.

Biden says Kosovo holds ‘special place’ for his family (AP)

President Joe Biden said that Kosovo holds a “special place’ for his family because of the time his late son Beau spent in the war-torn country helping to strengthen the rule of law there.

Biden’s remark was made in a letter the U.S. president had sent to Kosovo’s acting President Vjosa Osmani on the occasion of the country’s independence day. Osmani made the contents of the letter public on Tuesday.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3djf8FT

Kurti: I would vote to unify Albania and Kosovo (euronews)

Kosovo opposition leader and election winner Albin Kurti says that if a referendum was held on his country joining Albania, he would vote yes.

“We believe in strengthening the state of Kosovo as a sovereign and independent republic and in our constitution, article 1.1 is in contradiction with article 1.3. Article 1.1 says that Kosovo is a sovereign independent country and article 1.3 says that Kosovo cannot join another country. So I believe that full independence implies also, independence from independence, so we could join a federation with Albania or an EU federation. Two referendums in the future could solve this, in Albania and Kosovo, but never by violating our constitution. The constitution would have to be changed first and only if it can be done in a peaceful and democratic manner one day.”

On the prospect of dialogue with Serbia, Kurti said: “I'm ready to engage in a dialogue where people will be the beneficiaries. But I think it is not acceptable to anyone in Kosovo - of course, including me - to engage in a dialogue where we are supposed to compensate the state of Serbia for the loss of this state during times of Milosevic. Serbia committed genocide in Kosovo. We don't have to read history books or listen to our grandfathers. We experienced that. I think it's very important to address justice being delayed and denied and based on the past in order to have more long-term peace, security, stability and reconciliation.”

See the full interview: https://bit.ly/3u1bvut

Vetevendosje does not want to co-govern with PDK, LDK, and AAK (Koha)

Vetevendosje Movement counts only on MPs of the non-Serb communities to form the government.

This party has decided not to invite any of the three Albanian parties which will be represented in the Assembly to the coalition, continuing at the same time to maintain the red line with the Serbian List.

"We expect to have a sufficient number of MPs to continue with the formation of the government and the formation of institutions. On the other hand, we are waiting to see who the MPs of non-Serb entities will be, so, of non-majority, non-Serb communities. You know, in the last legislature we cooperated closely, we had Elbert Krasniqi and Mrs. Zikreta part of the parliamentary group," Arberie Nagavci, member of the LVV leadership said.

After counting all the regular votes, LVV won 56 seats in the Assembly, PDK 20, LDK 14, AAK 9, Serbian List 10 and other non-majority communities another 10.

27,249 conditional votes have not been counted yet, just as about 43,000 envelopes with ballots sent by mail.

LDK's Mustafa calls LVV's victory damaging for Kosovo (Koha)

The now-resigned leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Isa Mustafa commented on the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) winning Sunday elections saying the outcome does not do Kosovo good. "To me any populist result anywhere, even before in the past regimes, as well as now in European democracy, has not proven to be good and useful," he said.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with heads of LDK branches, Mustafa said he cannot explain why his party performed so poorly in elections but ruled out this having to do with Vjosa Osmani's departure. He said the new LDK leader is expected to be chosen in an election convention which will take place in several weeks' time.

Abazi declares Mini-Schengen dead under LVV governance (RTK)

There is a series of issues that need to be resolved once the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), officially takes over the government. Among them are Mini-Schengen and the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Haki Abazi, LVV candidate for MP, spoke for Euronews about these issues. He said that Mini-Schengen is dead.

"Mini-Schengen is dead because it has no constitutional weight and nothing has been ratified in Kosovo," Abazi said. He further added that LVV will change the platform of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

"We want mutual recognition and not sabotage from Serbia, which will buy time through dialogue. We will go with our options on the table and not unprepared," he added.

"I will change the platform of dialogue, as there was no talk about the Albanians of Presevo, Bujanovac or the disappearance of Albanians in Medvedja, the issues of the missing or even the Sandzak. In the developed dialogue, peripheral issues from Serbia have become important," added, among other things, the LVV official.

Brnabic: Regrettable that dialogue is not Kurti's priority (media)

Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic said it was regrettable that the leader of the party that won the elections in Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that continuing the dialogue with Serbia is not among his priorities.

"I think this is a lack of seriousness of the political elites in Pristina. Dialogue is the only way to have a normalisation agreement, which would mean more prosperity, economic progress and stability. I do not know what else could be a bigger priority," Bernabic said.

She said Kosovo has no "perspective" without dialogue and agreement with Belgrade stating that more than half of the world does not recognise Kosovo. Bernabic added that Kosovo "cannot negotiate EU membership" as the bloc's five member states do not recognise it as a state.

International analysts say Kurti may face pressure on dialogue (Telegrafi)

International analysts, Richard Caplan and Aidan Hehir, spoke to RTV Dukagjini about the outcome of early parliamentary elections in Kosovo and that challenges that the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti may face.

Caplan said he was surprised with the landslide victory of the LVV and that while Kurti's main priority does not seem to be dialogue with Serbia, the U.S. President Joe Biden underlined the importance of dialogue and mutual recognition. "Kurti will be pressured into returning to the negotiating table. I can say that this status quo is not good for any side," he said.

Hehir meanwhile noted that Kosovo was in need of a change. "People are tired from the old political caste and the way they went about business. Unemployment and lack of perspective has forced citizens to seek major changes," he said adding that Kurti's and Osmani's election victory is also a message to the European Union. "The situation with dialogue has changes. Trump and Grenell are no longer. The Biden Administration is inclined to be more constructive on dialogue. The European Union has realised that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade has failed already and that something in this direction needs to change."

Albin Kurti has promised to change Kosovo. He has a fight on his hands (euronews)

The joint ticket of Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje (‘Self-Determination Movement’) and Vjosa Osmani, the acting president who now hopes to fully assume the post, has swept to power in snap elections in Kosovo, writes Ian Bancroft, a writer and diplomat, in a comment for euronews.

"They have promised to tackle a "huge wall of corruption" that has hindered progress over the past two decades. It marks a fundamental shift away from the two parties who have dominated post-war politics in Kosovo - the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) - and the latest chapter in the fascinating story of this social movement turned political force.

"It is Vetëvendosje’s second electoral triumph in less than eighteen months. Their first stint in government came to a premature end after a US-engineered demise of their governing coalition with the LDK last March, just as the first wave of COVID-19 hit.

"The subsequent Trump-sponsored Washington deal involving Serbia and Kosovo may have secured Israeli recognition of the latter's independence (in return for its embassy being located in Jerusalem against EU wishes), but very little else. The subsequent mishandling of the pandemic has only bred further discontent amongst an increasingly impatient electorate."

See more at: https://bit.ly/3qtm9rp

Kurti has no limitations for being prime minister, opposition may dispute it (KP)

Kosovapress quotes analysts saying that the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) Albin Kurti is not expected to face any legal obstacles in taking on the post of prime minister despite being barred from running for election due to a previous court conviction. At the same time, the opposition parties could still dispute his possible appointment by addressing the Constitutional Court.

Head of the "Cohu" NGO Arton Demhasaj said that since there is no set legal criteria that a PM candidate has to meet, Kurti should be able to be elected to the post. "There is no law on the government which stipulates certain specificities about what a candidate for prime minister should or should not fulfil. To be an election candidate we have the Law on Elections which has set forth certain principles, one of them being that you cannot run if you have a court conviction in the last three years," he said.

Rreze Hoxha from the Group of Legal and Political Studies said that there is no legislation in power that prevents Kurti from assuming the post of prime minister.

Judge at Kosovo court alerts EU diplomats to attempts to undermine court's work (RFE)

The head of a special court investigating war crimes allegedly committed during Kosovo's war of independence has told EU diplomats that the court is facing increased efforts to impede ongoing legal proceedings.

Kosovo Specialist Chambers President Ekaterina Trendafilova warned the diplomats last week in a confidential briefing that efforts to undermine the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office (SPO) located in The Hague "have not stopped and will likely increase in various forms as the court proceedings take place."

The efforts include attempts to challenge the law that established the court in 2015, including efforts to amend it to allow the pardon of anyone convicted or a relocation to Kosovo.

"This certainly will put at stake the life, safety, and security of people who have or will be willing to cooperate with us," Trendafilova said, according to a transcript of the meeting seen by RFE/RL's Balkan Service. "Such changes would certainly have a chilling effect on witnesses, who may no longer want to appear, thus making it impossible for the specialist prosecutor to continue with his cases."

Trendafilova did not elaborate on who was behind the efforts or say how the changes would be implemented, but she urged EU diplomats to help fight back against the efforts.

A transcript of the briefing, which took place on February 11, was first obtained by Euronews.

See more at: http://bit.ly/3arHj3S

Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Claim Prosecution is Hampering Their Defence (BIRN)

Lawyers for former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA guerrilla leaders accused the prosecution at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Tuesday of hindering the defence’s efforts to prepare its case by not properly disclosing evidence.

Thaci and his co-defendants Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are all accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity when they were senior figures in the KLA in the late 1990s. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Thaci’s lawyer David Hopper told a status conference at the Specialist Chambers that the prosecution has disclosed there are 124 witnesses testifying under pseudonyms, but has not said what these witnesses will talk about or how they are connected with the evidence.

Veseli’s lawyer, Ben Emmerson, argued that “investigations were being hampered” by prosecution’s “unorganised and chaotic way” of disclosing evidence.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3s24Y0I

Kosovo and Italy sign security agreement for the first time (Koha)

Kosovo and Italy signed on Tuesday a security agreement for the first time. The agreement was signed in Rome where a delegation from Kosovo of the Ministry of Defense is staying. With this agreement, Italy joins the U.S. and Germany in supporting the Kosovo Security Force in achieving full military capabilities.

The bilateral plan was signed after a six-hour meeting, where cooperation projects between the Kosovo Security Force and the Italian Armed Forces were outlined.

The agreement was signed by Colonel Hasan Hoxha on behalf of the Ministry of Defense of Kosovo and by Colonel David Morpurgo from the General Staff of the Defense of the Republic of Italy.