• Prime Minister Kurti interview with Le Monde
• Haradinaj threatens Kurti about veterans’ list (media)
• Draft law on wages – risk of outbreak of social dissatisfaction (RFE)
• Hovenier: Kosovo’s multiethnic diversity, among its greatest strengths (media)
• 5 to 7 percent increase in prices by end of year, financial expert says (Koha)
• COVID-19: 30 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Serbia sues person who “discovered” killer of Oliver Ivanovic (Koha)

Prime Minister Kurti interview with Le Monde

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that in an interview with Le Monde last week he spoke about “the unprovoked invasion and aggression in Ukraine that’s exposed the Kremlin's despotic nature, as well as its close ties with Serbia who refuses to sanction and distance itself from Russia; much like from its past.”

Read full interview at: https://bit.ly/3iRvl72

Haradinaj threatens Kurti about veterans’ list (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Albin Kurti should not play games with the list of war veterans. “Kurti doesn’t want to apply the criteria of the minimum wage for the war categories. I am saying here that so far, we have tolerated all his fabrications … he should not play with these categories. This is a public and a serious threat, do not play games with these categories. You must come to your senses. We had our reasons why we tolerated you, but our patience has limits,” Haradinaj said about Kurti in a debate on TV Dukagjini. He even said that if Kurti continues the same way, they will take to the streets and won’t allow him to enter his offices.

Draft law on wages – risk of outbreak of social dissatisfaction (RFE)

Kosovo risks being embroiled in social dissatisfaction due to the draft law on wages. Trade unionists from various public sectors have warned of protests and strikes as a form of pressure for the draft law to be adopted as soon as possible.

The salary law was approved once in February 2019 and entered into force the following month. But, a month before its implementation began - in January 2020 - the Ombudsperson sent the law to the Constitutional Court to assess its compliance with the Constitution.

The court subsequently found that the adopted law was not in accordance with 11 articles of the Constitution and that it caused “a disorder of the separation of powers to the detriment of the Judiciary and independent institutions”.

The law has been repealed and has since remained pending, mainly due to political developments involving several parties in the country.

Hovenier: Kosovo’s multiethnic diversity, among its greatest strengths (media)

United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said on Wednesday that Kosovo’s multiethnic diversity is among its greatest strengths. After meeting Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Emilija Redzepi, Hovenier tweeted: “Kosovo's multi-ethnic diversity is among its greatest strengths. Pleasure to meet with Minister Redzepi to discuss ways the Government of Kosovo can take advantage of this potential by further supporting, engaging, and including members of underrepresented minority communities.”

5 to 7 percent increase in prices by end of year, financial expert says (Koha)

According to Emanuel Bajra, a financial expert, by the end of the year, Kosovo will see another 5 to 7 percent increase in the prices of food products, clothing, and fuel. In an interview with KTV, he said that the Kosovo Government is in a difficult economic position because of global developments and that the institutions must review their investment decisions.

“The government needs to intervene. If we come to a bad situation with increased prices, the government needs to review its decisions and the economy must be helped. Unfortunately, before the geo-economic balance is regulated, the situation is going to get worse. There is a ceasefire in Ukraine today, but tomorrow there will be fighting again. This directly affects the inflation level. The inflation will get worse and there is no permanent solution right now. The government is in a difficult position,” he said.

COVID-19: 30 new cases, no deaths (media)

30 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 31 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 592 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbia sues person who “discovered” killer of Oliver Ivanovic (Koha)

Serbia’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Aleksandar Vulin, told a press conference on Wednesday that they have filed a lawsuit against Boban Bogdanovic who in an interview with Krik on Tuesday said he knows who killed Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic and who gave the order for his assassination. According to Bogdanovic, his late friend, Aleksandar Gligorijevic, told him that Lubomir Lainovic from Novi Sad killed Ivanovic and that the order was given by Zvonko Veselinovic, a controversial businessman who is wanted by the judiciary in Kosovo.