• COVID-19: 153 new cases, 4 deaths (media)
• Kurti: Dialogue must be well-prepared and with principles (media)
• Varhelyi says EU is against redrawing of borders (Koha Ditore)
• Resumption of dialogue won’t focus on technical issues (Exit News)
• Mandl: I am pleased that Kurti will resume the dialogue (Kanal 10)
• Hasani: Kosovo has status of third state in relation with SPC (media)
• Croatian Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Opposition wants Kurti to defend KLA and dismiss his minister (Epoka e Re)
• “If Gervalla doesn’t distance from statement, she must be dismissed” (media)
• Rohde welcomes initiative to confiscate illegally obtained wealth (media)

COVID-19: 153 new cases, 4 deaths (media)

Kosovo recorded 153 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 310 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 7,347 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kurti: Dialogue must be well-prepared and with principles (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday, during a virtual meeting with Wendy Morton, the Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, that among the priorities of the Kosovo government is to create more jobs and that Kosovo is ready to further bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in economy and trade.

Kurti also said that the dialogue with Serbia must be well-prepared and with principles and that it must serve the interests of the people.

Varhelyi says EU is against redrawing of borders (Koha Ditore)

The European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said on Wednesday that the EU is against the redrawing of borders between Kosovo and Serbia. During a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana, Varhelyi said that no serious person could table such a topic for discussion “because we all know where the redrawing of borders leads”.

Resumption of dialogue won’t focus on technical issues (Exit News)

The resumed dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will not be focused on unresolved technical issues, according to Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi.

“We won’t start with a technical dialogue,” Bislimi told the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs during his report on Wednesday, following a visit to Brussels by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Kosovo and Serbia have already had several rounds of talks on technical issues in the dialogue facilitated by Brussels.

The resumption of dialogue is scheduled for June, following a long hiatus, with a first meeting between Kurti and President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia in Brussels.

Bislimi told MPs that there are some principles that the government has on the issue of the dialogue.

“We will not re-negotiate agreements. We wouldn’t negotiate internal affairs. The territorial sovereignty cannot be discussed. There won’t be an agreement with Serbia that doesn’t include recognition, and recognition by the five EU countries, as well as a guarantee for membership in the United Nations,” he explained.

Mandl: I am pleased that Kurti will resume the dialogue (Kanal 10)

European MP Lukas Mandl said in an interview with Kanal 10 on Wednesday that many of his colleagues welcomed Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s speech at the European Parliament and that he was pleased to hear Kurti say that the dialogue with Serbia will resume in June.

When asked to comment on recent non-papers, Mandl said there are forces that want to divide Europe. “I urge all officials to be based on papers and not on non-papers. You have to understand that there are forces that want to divide Europe. They want to divide us. These non-papers contribute to this,” he added.

Hasani: Kosovo has status of third state in relation with SPC (media)

Enver Hasani, former president of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, said on Wednesday that the moment when Kosovo voted to transfer the sovereignty of the Specialist Chambers, it moved to the status of a third state. He argued that the fact that the Kosovo Assembly voted in favor of establishing the court does not make Kosovo a founding country. “We have transferred sovereignty to an entity that is completely international, and the European structures are responsible for it,” Hasani added.

The Office of the President of Kosovo and the Kosovo government said recently that Kosovo does not have the status of a third state in relation with the specialist chambers and that therefore cannot offer guarantees for the interim release of Hashim Thaci and other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are awaiting trial at the Hague.

Croatian Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman will visit Kosovo today and meet with President Vjosa Osmani, Assembly President Glauk Konjufca, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Principal Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla.

Opposition wants Kurti to defend KLA and dismiss his minister (Epoka e Re)

The daily reports in its leading story that opposition parties are calling on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to defend the Kosovo Liberation Army and dismiss Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla for a statement she made in 2015 saying she would cooperate with the specialist chambers. Some opposition representatives even criticised Kurti of starting a special propaganda war against the KLA.

“If Gervalla doesn’t distance from statement, she must be dismissed” (media)

NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj said on Wednesday that Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla should be dismissed if she doesn’t distance from a statement made in 2015 saying that she would help with material the specialist chambers whenever they are formed.

“If you defend what you said in 2015, you must be dismissed. You must resign because this is a conflict of interest and because you lead Kosovo’s diplomacy now,” Limaj said in an interview with RTK.

Rohde welcomes initiative to confiscate illegally obtained wealth (media)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said in a meeting with Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu that he is ready to assist the Ministry of Justice in the vetting process and in the fight against organised crime and corruption. Rohde also welcomed the Ministry’s initiative to strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption, with special emphasis on the confiscation of illegally obtained wealth.