• COVID-19: 333 new cases, six deaths (media)
• Kosovo begins blood plasma collection to treat COVID-19 (RFE)
• British Embassy cautions against rallies flouting Covid rules (media)
• Hoti: Albanians to unite in the EU (Klan)
• Kurti: Only a high turnout will secure us a victory (media)
• Hoxhaj: PDK will win February 14 elections (media)
• Haradinaj: Vucic using Kosovo Serbs for own interests (Telegrafi)
• Limaj: New government to prepare lawsuit against Serbia (RTK)
• “We would consider moving embassy from Jerusalem if EU conditions it” (Telegrafi)
• CEC meeting dominated by disagreements over diaspora votes (media)
• Agreement on U.S. investments in Kosovo enters into force (Koha)
• Ambassador Abbott meets Constitutional Court president Rama-Hajrizi (media)
• Three members of State Council of Quality quit (media)
• Kosovo Court Urged to Convict Serb of War Crimes (Balkan Insight)

 

COVID-19: 333 new cases, six deaths (media)

333 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 229 persons have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 7,029 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kosovo begins blood plasma collection to treat COVID-19 (RFE)

Kosovo health authorities have begun collecting convalescent plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to then transfuse into patients infected with the virus.

Sali Ahmeti, infectious disease doctor with the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo, said that all administrative procedures for starting the treatment have been concluded. "The blood transfusion has begun collecting first doses. Under our guidelines, we will apply the convalescent plasma therapy to severe cases or those that have the tendency to rapidly deteriorate," he said.

Officials at the Blood Transfusion Centre meanwhile said they have had only three donors so far but that they hoped there would be more blood plasma doses in the coming days.

British Embassy cautions against rallies flouting Covid rules (media)

The British Embassy in Kosovo reacted to large rallies held by political parties ahead of February 14 parliamentary elections.

"These elections are important but some of the pictures we have seen of large rallies and meetings without social distancing have been concerning. We urge all parties and their supporters to abide by Covid restrictions now that the official campaign period has begun," the Embassy said in a statement on social media.

Hoti: Albanians to unite in the EU (Klan)

Outgoing Prime Minister of Kosovo and the head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) election ticket, Avdullah Hoti, addressed statements about Kosovo's unification with Albania.

"The state of Kosovo is permanent and Albanian unification will happen. All Albanians will get together in European integrations. Those people, especially in Kosovo, who make such metaphors and populist statements, know very well how these things happen. They know in what state they left the government, in what state we found it and how we had to act to save their faces as well," Hoti said in a meeting with LDK supporters in Junik.

Kurti: Only a high turnout will secure us a victory (media)

Leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti and acting President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani visited Ferizaj yesterday as part of their election campaign.

Kurti told the gathered crowd that Vetevendosje needs to secure a landslide victory and win over 61 MPs and that to achieve this high voter turnout is necessary. "Only a massive turnout secures us a victory," Koha quotes Kurti as saying.

Meanwhile, in a TV debate last night Kurti said a government led by him would review all decisions of the previous one. "One of the first things we will do, if not the very first, is to review all those decisions taken by a government which from the outset was illegitimate and declared by the Constitutional Court to have been unlawful and unconstitutional and the vast majority of them will either be sent back or cancelled," he said.

He said that for the Vetevendosje Movement, two things are of top priority: justice and employment.

Hoxhaj: PDK will win February 14 elections (media)

Acting leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Enver Hoxhaj said in presenting the party's programme yesterday that they will win elections.

He said PDK is the only party that has a clear recovery programme and vision for Kosovo. "Victory for us is natural because Drenica has given to Kosovo two great national projects: first is the KLA and the second the PDK. You know these two national projects are tied to two names, Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli," Hoxhaj said in Skenderaj.

Commenting on recent polls, Hoxhaj said they are being manipulated and their objective is to mislead the people: "The victory is ours, PDK's."

Hoxhaj also said that with PDK in government, half of the population in Kosovo would receive Covid vaccines during this year.

Haradinaj: Vucic using Kosovo Serbs for own interests (Telegrafi)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said at an election rally in Mitrovica that Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic is using the north of Kosovo for own ‘dirty games’.

Haradinaj said Vucic is preventing the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo. “He is promoting fear and intimidation amongst the Serb minority in our country by constantly interfering in our internal affairs. His war propaganda is preventing the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo.”

At the same time, speaking on TV last night, Haradinaj said that if by the end of the new government's mandate Kosovo's state consolidation fails to happen, he would call for a referendum to join Albania. "This may sound to some as an election promise but it is a sincere warning that this day may come."

"If we have given our allies 25 years since the war - a quarter of a century -  to finalise our status of joining the EU, NATO, we will give the citizens the option of deciding whether to join Albania in a union by creating common institutional values but without going back," Haradinaj said.

He said his position on unification with Albania is different from the land swap idea. "This is a different concept. I am saying we want to join NATO as we are today because it is in the security concept to be part of NATO. But if a solution is not found, we cannot wait indefinitely because this would be a service to Russia's policy on the Balkans."

Limaj: New government to prepare lawsuit against Serbia (RTK)

Leader of the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) Fatmir Limaj said the first line of business for the new government of Kosovo should be to file a lawsuit against Serbia for genocide.

He said NISMA would not be part or support any government that fails to prepare such a lawsuit. "The lawsuit should have been prepared a long time ago. Hundreds of facts have been and are being collected to once and for all prove Serbia's violence, terror and genocide," Limaj said.

“We would consider moving embassy from Jerusalem if EU conditions it” (Telegrafi)

Glauk Konjufca from the Vetevendosje Movement and former foreign minister spoke about relations between Kosovo and Israel and what would be the position of a possible Vetevendosje-led government.

"The opening of the Embassy in Jerusalem has already happened but I consider it was not a wise on the part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Prime Minister Hoti to implement foreign policies that on one hand seem to be improving relations with the U.S. but this was an illusion as the question at hand concerned relations with Serbia not with the U.S.," Konjufca said in a debate at RTV Dukagjini.

Konjufca added: "The Embassy will remain where it is unless we are conditioned in different international processes to move it. For instance, if we are conditioned by the EU during the European integration process to change the location of our Embassy in Jerusalem, I think this would have to be considered as for Kosovo it is vital to be part of the EU."

CEC meeting dominated by disagreements over diaspora votes (media)

The Central Election Commission's meeting yesterday has been dominated by a debate on where should the votes from the members of the Kosovo diaspora arrive.

Vetevendosje Movement's representative at the CEC, Sami Kurteshi, said a group needs to be established to monitor the arrival of the votes from diaspora to ensure the ballots reach their destination, the CEC. The representative of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Sami Hamiti meanwhile argued that the only address for ballots is the P.O. Box.

Agreement on U.S. investments in Kosovo enters into force (Koha)

The agreement for incentive investments of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), signed in September by outgoing Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti and head of DFC Adam Boehler, has entered into force.

"DFC’s new Investment Incentive Agreement has entered into force, enabling DFC to deploy its full range of financial products in Kosovo," the corporation said in a tweet.

The agreement is part of the commitments signed in Washington and includes investments in projects such as the Pristina-Nis highway, Kosovo-Serbia railway line and the Brezovica ski resort.

Ambassador Abbott meets Constitutional Court president Rama-Hajrizi (media)

British Ambassador to Kosovo Nicholas Abbott met yesterday President of the Constitutional Court Arta Rama-Hajrizi.

"We discussed recent court decisions and I offered my support to ensuring the Court’s independence and the rule of law in Kosovo” Abbott wrote on a Facebook post.

Three members of State Council of Quality quit (media)

Three international members of the State Council of Quality at the Kosovo Accreditation Agency have resigned their posts.

Jeff Butel, Herb Amato, and Magdalena Ziolo said in a joint resignation letter, obtained by Kallxo, that the reason behind their decision is not related to them not declaring their assets with the anti-corruption agency as reported in the media but that they felt unappreciated and ignored in their jobs.

"It has become abundantly clear to us that we are neither welcomed, nor valued, by many persons working in, and representing, higher education in Kosovo. As a consequence, our membership of the SCQ has become untenable," they said.

The State Quality Council is tasked with guaranteeing the quality of education and scientific research in higher education institutions in Kosovo.

Kosovo Court Urged to Convict Serb of War Crimes (Balkan Insight)

In closing arguments on Thursday in the trial of former Serb fighter Zoran Djokic at Pristina Basic Court, the prosecution called for the defendant to be found guilty of war crimes against Kosovo Albanian civilians in the town of Peja/Pec and jailed.

“After taking into account all the circumstances and the consequences that his actions have had, and taking into account the fact that Zoran has expressed remorse for the acts he committed, and never apologised to the injured party before this court, I propose that he be found guilty according to the law,” said prosecutor Habibe Salihu.

The prosecution alleges that in March and April 1999, Djokic was part of an organised group that wore military, paramilitary and police uniforms and forcibly entered the homes of Kosovo Albanians in the Kristal neighbourhood of Peja/Pec, physically and mentally abused them, robbed them and then forced them out of their houses. Some of the victims were killed.

Lawyer Kujtim Kerveshi, who is representing the victims at the trial, claimed that Djokic was lying when he said that he was in the Serbian capital Belgrade at the time of one of the incidents.

“His alibi is a lie. This was confirmed above all by two of his work colleagues,” said Kerveshi.

But defence lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic, in his closing statement to the court, argued that the indictment was “not based on credible evidence”.

Pantovic said that the charges “cannot be the basis for a guilty verdict”, and called for Djokic to be acquitted.