• COVID-19: 10 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian communities 'excluded' from vaccination (Koha)
• Denmark, Croatia donate vaccines to Western Balkans countries (media)
• Kurti: There is pressure to implement damaging agreements with Serbia (RTK)
• Kurti: Ujman was built in ex-Yugoslavia; was considered a closed issue (media)
• NATO SG reaffirms commitment to KFOR and Western Balkans stability
• Osmani: Kosovo's future is in EU, NATO, UN (media)
• Stoltenberg: KSF cannot go to north without agreement with KFOR (Telegrafi)
• Gervalla: Serbia to recognise reality (media)
• Vetevendosje to join forces with Osmani’s Guxo and Kusari’s party (Kallxo)
• Enver Hoxhaj decides not to run for post of PDK leader (media)
• Kosovo court orders detention for media commission duo for bribery (BIRN)
• Pack: Border changes in the Balkans would be devastating (Klan Kosova)
• Osmani and Kurti appoint new intelligence deputy director (media)

 

COVID-19: 10 new cases, no deaths (media)

10 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 14 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 165 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

8,517 vaccines have been administered in the last 24 hours. To date, a total of 189,006 vaccines have been administered in Kosovo.

Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian communities 'excluded' from vaccination (Koha)

Minority communities in Kosovo are urging institutions to demonstrate more attention to the vaccination against COVID-19 of their members while officials from the vaccination centre in Fushe Kosova municipality, which has a considerable number of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, say there is little interest on the part of the said communities to get vaccinated.

"If we were told where to go to apply we would have gone, but so far no one has informed us," said one of the members of the RAE communities in Fushe Kosova.

The Ministry of Health meanwhile said they are preparing to launch a door-to-door vaccination campaign focused on vulnerable communities.

Denmark, Croatia donate vaccines to Western Balkans countries (media)

Both Denmark and Croatia have announced they will share COVID-19 vaccine with Western Balkans countries. Denmark will donate 1 million vaccines to Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia while Croatia will give Kosovo 20,000 doses.

"Our neighbours in the Balkans are experiencing a large shortage of vaccines, straining individual communities and increasing the threat of new outbreaks that can spread throughout the world," said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. 

Kurti: There is pressure to implement damaging agreements with Serbia (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with RTK on Thursday that he is under pressure to implement what he called damaging agreements with Serbia. “I am under pressure to implement damaging agreements with Serbia. Some of the agreements were ruled out by the Constitutional Court. Some are not being implemented by Serbia, and some were rejected by the people. Kosovo is a subject on the table of dialogue with Serbia,” he said.

Kurti said the dialogue with Serbia was never a priority and that he made a concession by putting it as the fourth priority of his government. “I worked on other issues, starting with the pandemic, the economy and justice,” he said.

Kurti said there will be a new chapter in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, because many concessions were made in the last ten years. “The dialogue, for ten years now, derives from the UN resolution of September 2010. There will be a new chapter of dialogue. Many concessions were made in the last ten years. The process of dialogue has degraded,” he said.

Kurti: Ujman was built in ex-Yugoslavia; was considered a closed issue (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with RTK that the Ujman/Gazivode Lake belongs to Kosovo and he did not mention the US Department of Energy report suggesting a shared management of the lake between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kurti said that the lake was built in the time of the former Yugoslavia and that Serbia could have complained at that time. “It is an artificial lake of Kosovo. It was built in the time of the former Yugoslavia and was considered a closed issue even then. Serbia did not complain then. So, we cannot discuss an issue that is closed. Kosovo was not a republic but an autonomous unit in the federation of the time. This is a closed issue and the ownership cannot be questioned,” he said.

Kurti said that experts working for the government are analysing the findings and that Kosovo will use arguments that are in favor of the state’s sovereignty. “The agreement contains the word ‘share’. I am not in favor of joint commissions between Kosovo and Serbia. I am seeing now that we are having problems on all issues in international summits,” he said.

NATO SG reaffirms commitment to its KFOR and Western Balkans stability

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg travelled to the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), where he met with the KFOR Commander (Major General Franco Federici), personnel from 27 troop contributing nations (including NATO Allies and partners), and the Director of the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (Brigadier General Jörg RÜTER), a press release issued by NATO says.

“The fact that we are so many nations here from NATO allied countries, but also from some partner nations demonstrates the strength of our mission. It demonstrates the commitment by many nations to stability and peace in Kosovo and in this region,” the NATO Secretary General said. “KFOR mission is important not only for Kosovo and for the region, but also for NATO and for all NATO allies, because we have seen throughout history that stability in this region matters for all of us. It matters for Europe, it matters for NATO,” he added.

“My main message today is to thank all the men and women serving in KFOR and I commend you for the way you have been able to cope with the pandemic, as you also conduct your important work in the KFOR mission,” the Secretary General pointed out. “For many years the operation in Afghanistan was the biggest, but as we speak shortly we’ll end that mission; KFOR will not only be the longest, but also the biggest NATO military operation,” he also said.

During his visit, Secretary General Stoltenberg also held bilateral meetings with Ms. Vjosa Osmani, Mr. Albin Kurti and Mr. Goran Rakic. He restressed KFOR’s continued efforts for the benefit of all communities living in Kosovo, and NATO’s steadfast support to the EU-facilitated Dialogue and other efforts aimed at the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Osmani: Kosovo's future is in EU, NATO, UN (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani met yesterday with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.

Osmani thanked Stoltenberg ror the role of the North Atlantic Alliance in the freedom of Kosovo, but also for the current contribution for a calm and safe environment, through KFOR troops. She also emphasized that Kosovo’s future is in the EU, NATO and the UN. "We are working diligently to join NATO. We need the support of this organization even with NATO members who do not recognize Kosovo", she said.

In the context of regional security, President Osmani also mentioned the danger of Russian influence in the Balkans, a press release issued by the presidency notes.

Stoltenberg: KSF cannot go to the north without agreement with KFOR (Telegrafi)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during his visit to Prishtina on Thursday that Kosovo authorities must respect the agreement according to which the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) cannot go to the north without an agreement with KFOR.

“This was discussed, and I welcome the fact that Kosovo authorities continue to support the 2018 agreement according to which the KSF cannot go to the northern part without an agreement with KFOR. This reflects the sensitivity of the situation and is the best way to find a balance. We continue to support a solution from a political agreement within the Prishtina – Belgrade dialogue,” Stoltenberg said. “We have signed an agreement with Kosovo authorities and this agreement is still valid.”

Stoltenberg also said that NATO will continue to work with KSF in its original mandate.

Gervalla: Serbia to recognise reality (media)

Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla said that the integration of the Western Balkans into European Union will be blocked for as long as Serbia refuses to recognise the reality.

Speaking at the Prespa Forum, Gervalla said the art of diplomacy can lead to sustainable solutions but only if those are based on facts and truths. "There is a need to speak about the truth and there is a need to speak that part of the truth which may be inconvenient," she said. "There is no way for the European Union to accept the Western Balkans with great burdens and conflicts on their shoulders. The EU is simply not ready to import our problems."

Vetevendosje to join forces with Osmani’s Guxo and Kusari’s party (Kallxo)

Kosovo Prime Minister and Vetevendosje leader, Albin Kurti, said on Thursday that his party will join forces with the Guxo List and the party of Mimoza Kusari-Lila in the October 17 local elections.

“We expect free and fair elections. The Vetevendosje Movement is making the preparations for internal elections in our centers,” Kurti said in an interview with RTK on Thursday. “Yes, we will cooperate with the Guxo List; we will also cooperate with the Alternative for Kosovo led by the head of our parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, but we will also cooperate with other parties and other organisations, based on our programs.”

Enver Hoxhaj decides not to run for post of PDK leader (media)

 Enver Hoxhaj, former Acting Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said on Thursday that he will not run for the post of party leader at the PDK convention on July 3. Hoxhaj said he will support the new leadership of the party that is elected on Saturday.

“The new generation can make the change in the Democratic Party of Kosovo and it is our duty to support the new leadership,” he said.

Kosovo court orders detention for media commission duo for bribery (BIRN)

The head of Kosovo’s Independent Media Commission and its financial director have been ordered into 30 days' detention after their arrest on suspicion of corruption.

A court in Kosovo has ordered 30 days of detention for the head of Independent Media Commission, IMC, Luan Latifi, and its Director of Finances, Arben Bilalli, a day after they were arrested in Pristina on bribery suspicions.

The Pristina Basic Court on Thursday said there was grounded suspicion that both Bilalli and Latifi have been involved in a graft affair.

The IMC is an independent institution responsible for the regulation, management and oversight of the broadcasting frequency spectrum in Kosovo.

It licenses public and private broadcasters, establishes and implements policy and regulates broadcasting rights, obligations and responsibilities of individuals and entities who provide audio and audiovisual media services.

The board of the IMC held two meetings on Thursday after the arrests. “After the review [of the situation created] the Board has requested an interpretation from the IMC’s legal department on how to further proceed in line with legal obligations,” it said. “The IMC once again expresses its readiness to provide full cooperation with justice institutions in order to help investigations until the end,” it added.

Arben Bilalli, Director of Finances at the IMC, was arrested first on Wednesday. Prosecution documents obtained by BIRN say he was caught red-handed in an undercover police operation.

The documents say Bilalli and Latifi met a private business’s representatives three times to negotiate a fine the IMC had imposed on the entity.

According to the dossier, Bilalli accepted 8,000 euros from business owners but was not aware that the money belonged to the police and was used to simulate the action. The prosecution says that after he received the money, Bilalli was in constant contact with his boss Latifi.

Pack: Border changes in the Balkans would be devastating (Klan Kosova)

Doris Pack, former MP of the European Parliament, said in an interview with Klan Kosova on Thursday that she expects Miroslav Lajcak to be a good mediator in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“I know him from his engagement in Bosnia. I cannot judge what he is doing now but I hope that he is doing his job without taking sides and that he is trying to achieve results without forcing someone to give in … The mediator must mediate in fact. When I look back there was a crazy idea on the table to divide one part of Kosovo and I think that it was even supported by some people in the EU, even by Mogherini. This cannot happen because any change of borders in the region would be devastating so I hope the mediator will follow a wise path,” she said.

Osmani and Kurti appoint new intelligence deputy director (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti have appointed Agon Bytyqi to the post of deputy director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency following the dismissal of Vlora Hyseni from the post few days ago.

According to a statement issued by the presidency, Bytyqi will be serving a five-year mandate.