• Escobar: Kosovo-Serbia agreement to center on mutual recognition (media)
• Abdixhiku: Kurti government has abandoned its duties (media)
• Kuci: Whenever there is dialogue, there will be compromises (Dukagjini TV)
• Citaku: Serbia doesn’t have Russia’s power to destabilize the Balkans (KTV)
• Ambassador Hovenier meets AAK leader Haradinaj (media)
• Ex-Infrastructure minister indicted over extra €53 million highway cost (BIRN)
• Komsic congratulates Kosovo's Independence Day, Dodik reacts (media)
• COVID-19: 508 new cases, 3 deaths (media)

Escobar: Kosovo-Serbia agreement to center on mutual recognition (media)

Gabriel Escobar, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, said in his remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation hearing that the Biden Administration remains committed to the Western Balkans region. “A stronger Balkans, integrated in a stronger Europe, makes a stronger Transatlantic Partnership.”

Escobar underlined the need for dialogue and compromise in the region. "We strongly back the EU-facilitated Dialogue to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The Dialogue is the forum in which both sides, as equals, must work to resolve their differences and find a comprehensive agreement, which both countries need for their European futures. We believe this effort should be centered on mutual recognition."

Escobar said the U.S. supports regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, including the 'Open Balkan' initiative while in answering a question about concerns that an Association of Serb-majority municipalities would lead to a 'Republika Srpska' in Kosovo, Escobar ruled out such possibility. "We support the formation of the Association for many reasons. One is, it is already agreed to. Even though the Constitutional Court ruled that some parts of the proposal were inconsistent with the Constitution, it did not say that the Association in itself is unconstitutional," he said, adding that it is up to Kosovo and Serbia to decide how that will look. "We certainly don't want it to be similar to Republika Srpska."

He also said that the United States has issued a clear warning to actors in the region who engage in corruption, destabilizing, or anti democratic behavior and that regional process is also threatened by harmful foreign influences: "Russia weaponizes its energy supply to coerce politicians, foster corruption, and stunt growth potential. It also fans ethno-nationalism that divides and distracts from a brighter future. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is expanding its presence by building critical infrastructure through opaque and predatory loans and “investments.” Promoting transparent governance, human rights, and a rules-based international order will remain the core tenet of our engagement against these destabilizing activities in the Western Balkans."

Watch the hearing at: https://bit.ly/3gN1Q5g

Abdixhiku: Kurti government has abandoned its duties (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, said on Tuesday that Kosovo is facing the most severe case of rising prices seen in its history. Citing a report published by Kosovo’s Statistical Agency which pointed out that the price in the basket of goods reached a record high, Abdixhiku said: “the price of flour rose by 29%, bread 17%, oil 46%, sugar 23%, potatoes 24%, tomatoes 30%, and fuel nearly 30%. Meanwhile, the unsubsidized price of electricity is at 85%-100% higher. This occurred in a year. This enormous and unprecedented rise puts the people of Kosovo in an unaffordable daily crisis.”

Abdixhiku argued that the Kurti-led government “has abandoned its duties”. “In the midst of rising prices, the government stands as a spectator. It is looking at the crisis the same as citizens. No fiscal measures, no government policies, no development packages have been undertaken so far. The government’s incapacity is pricey,” he said.

Kuci: Whenever there is dialogue, there will be compromises (Dukagjini TV)

Kosovo’s former Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said in an interview with Dukagjini TV on Wednesday that the current dialogue should be held for integration because the issue of independence is already closed. “The negotiations in Rambouillet were for freedom, the talks in Vienna were for independence, and the current talks are about integration, the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo and Kosovo’s integration in the European Union. If these objectives are not reached, there is no effect,” he said. “Every time there is dialogue, there will be compromises. We should not have any illusions that there will be negotiations and that there won’t be any compromises.”

Citaku: Serbia doesn’t have Russia’s power to destabilize the Balkans (KTV)

Vlora Citaku, senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Kosovo’s former ambassador to the United States, said on Wednesday that Serbia doesn’t have Russia’s power to destabilize the Western Balkans. She argued that Serbia may be destructive but that the geopolitical and historical circumstances in the Balkans are not the same as those at the Russian-Ukranian border.

“I don’t believe the situation in the Balkans will escalate. Serbia can be as destructive ... but it doesn’t have Russia’s power. There is also a geopolitical and historical context, Montenegro is a member of NATO, and there would be a different reaction. Serbia would suffer fatal consequences in terms of its integration in the European Union.”

Ambassador Hovenier meets AAK leader Haradinaj (media)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said after meeting the U.S. Ambassador Jeff Hovenier that he was happy that the United States support Kosovo in a dialogue with Serbia process with mutual recognition as its end goal.

Haradinaj said that the agreement with Serbia should undermine integrity, sovereignty and constitutionality of Kosovo and that this position was reconfirmed to him by Hovenier.

Ambassador Hovenier meanwhile tweeted that they "discussed the essential role of a constructive opposition and reiterated the steadfast partnership between the United States and Kosovo."

Former Infrastructure minister indicted over extra €53 million highway cost (BIRN)

The Special Prosecution has indicted the former Infrastructure minister and two other former officials over the allocation of an additional 53 million euros for Bechtel & Enka to build a highway.

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed an indictment for abuse of official position against a former Minister of Infrastructure, and two other former ministry officials, over the allocation of an additional 53 million euros to Bechtel & Enka to construct the highway connecting Kosovo and North Macedonia.

The government’s decision in 2008 to allocate another 53 million euros for the US-Turkish company to build the Arbën Xhaferi highway has resulted in an indictment filed against former minister Pal Lekaj, former ministry official Nebih Shatri and Eset Berisha, Lekaj’s chief-of-staff, all suspected of “abuse of official position or authority”.

Lekaj had stated that, “due to the failure of the previous government to pay its bills properly, the company asked us to initially pay 63 million euros for maintenance of equipment and expenses”.

In June 2018, KALLXO.com published research, “Transactions and the source of the fine of 53 million euros for the Highway”, which showed the document that former Minister Lekaj sent to the Secretary General of the Prime Minister on April 20 that year.

Lekaj called the document an “Explanatory Memorandum for the request of the contractor ‘Bechtel & Enka’ for compensation for indirect costs due to the extension of the contract for the construction of the highway R6 Prishtina – Hani i Elezit.”

KALLXO.com had found that the annex-contract was signed only 18 days after the government of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj assumed power. The government was in office from 2017 until 2020.

Under the terms of the initial contract, the Prishtina–Hani Elezit or Arbën Xhaferi highway was to be completed by January 1, 2018.

But the annex to the contract signed by the Haradinaj government extended the deadline for completion to December 31, 2018.

The initial contract for the construction of the highway was signed on July 1, 2014, for 599,944,263 euros. After September 1, 2015 the price was increased by over 8 million euros due to the rise in VAT from 16 to 18 per cent. The cost now rose to 608,348,430 euros.

Former Minister Lekaj through the memorandum informed the government about Bechtel & Enka’s demands, which eventually cost the state budget another 53 million euros.

Bechtel & Enka had asked the government for 16,600,000 euros for indirect damages or expenses for the management staff that administered the project. It wanted another 36,300,000 euros based on the usability of the equipment. Two figures were mentioned here – an initial request for 30.8 million euros, but, in the final calculations, 36.3 million euros – 5.5 million euros more.

The highway was inaugurated on May 29, 2019 with a five month delay.

The highway was started in 2014 by Minister Fehmi Mujota who signed the contract with Bechtel & Enka, continued by Minister Lutfi Zharku and ended during the time of Pal Lekaj.

The new highway is 65 kilometers long and also has the longest bridge in the region,  5,700 meters long and 83 meters high.

To give the project patriotic weight, the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, then the PM, named the new highway after Arber Xhaferi, the ethnic Albanian Macedonian who signed the peace agreement in Macedonia between the government and ethnic Albanian forces, ending an armed conflict there in 2001.

Komsic congratulates Kosovo's Independence Day, Dodik reacts (media)

Zeljko Komsic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sent a letter to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani congratulating her on behalf of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the anniversary of Kosovo's independence.

"Encouraged and happy with advancement of relations between two friendly countries, we are convinced that the path of economic, political and other type of cooperation, like the friendly relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Kosovo, in the near future, will have special importance for the citizens of our countries," Komsic wrote.

Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, slammed Komsic's congratulations on the independence of Kosovo anniversary. "The most recent provocation by Komsic can be briefly explained as a congratulation for the fake state by the fake member of the presidency," Dodik said.

COVID-19: 508 new cases, 3 deaths (media)

508 new cases with COVID-19 and three deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 1,281 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 8,685 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.