• Kurti rejects allegations of 'cooling' of relations with U.S. (media)
• Kurti and U.S. charge d'affaires discuss prospects of agreement with Serbia (media)
• U.S. Senate confirms Jeffrey Hovenier as ambassador to Kosovo (Telegrafi/RFE)
• U.S. sends diplomatic note to Kosovo Government on weapons supply (Koha)
• EU says there were no conditions for tripartite meeting (Koha)
• Lajcak on second meeting of working group on license plates (media)
• German Ambassador comments on Open Balkan initiative (Kanal 10)
• In Rome, Lajcak discusses Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
• Assembly fails to endorse AAK-sponsored resolution on gas pipeline (Telegrafi)
• COVID-19: 11 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Exhibition in honor of 1.623 missing persons launches in Prishtina (euronews.al)

Kurti rejects allegations of 'cooling' of relations with U.S. (media)

At the Assembly of Kosovo yesterday, Prime Minister Albin Kurti dismissed claims of cooling relations between Kosovo and United States. He said the funds from Millennium Challenge Corporation projects on energy have not been lost and that 'fear' and 'panic' over damaging of relations with the United States are ungrounded.

"I meet the U.S. Ambassador at least once a week. I will meet him today too and if there are 52 weeks in a year, I meet him 52 times. We are in regular touch on all issues," Kurti is quoted by Kosovapress.

Kurti and U.S. charge d'affaires discuss prospects of agreement with Serbia (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and chief of staff Luan Dalipi met Nicholas Giacobbe, Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo and Mia ter Haar, political affairs advisor.

According to a press release issued by the Government of Kosovo, the meeting focused on the recent developments, cooperation and the process of talks between Kosovo and Serbia. "Prime Minister Kurti underlined the readiness of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo for engaging towards a comprehensive agreement centred on mutual recognition and which would be of benefit to the people and citizens of the two countries."

U.S. Senate confirms Jeffrey Hovenier as ambassador to Kosovo (Telegrafi/RFE)

The United States Senate has confirmed Jeffrey Hovenier as ambassador to Kosovo. Hovenier was nominated to the post by U.S. President Joe Biden in July this year. Telegrafi notes that the U.S. Ambassador recently said that without the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and without mutual recognition, the region would remain blocked. Radio Free Europe reports that last month, at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Hovenier said that, if confirmed as ambassador, he would prioritize continued US support for a sovereign and democratic Kosovo. He also said he would encourage Kosovo for constructiveness and flexibility in talks to normalize relations with Serbia.

U.S. sends diplomatic note to Kosovo Government on weapons supply (Koha)

The daily reports on its front page that the United States of America have asked that the military machinery donated to the Kosovo Security Force must not be used by other security forces in Kosovo, without the approval of the Americans. The request was made through a diplomatic note to the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which they want to turn into an agreement.

Koha contacted the U.S. Embassy to see if they identified irregularities in the distribution of the armament, but they were not available for comment. A source close to the embassy told the paper that the diplomatic note could be related to the Leahy law. “If so, this is a standard message that it sent to ministries in countries that have diplomatic relations with the U.S.,” the source said.

EU says there were no conditions for tripartite meeting (Koha)

The European Union said there were no conditions for a tripartite meeting between the Kosovo and Serbia delegations in Brussels. An EU spokesperson commented on the meeting between the chief negotiators on Tuesday and Wednesday and gave no date when the dialogue is expected to continue.

“After bilateral meetings with both parties, the EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajcak, assessed if there was potential for a results-oriented constructive tripartite meeting. As these conditions were not met, he decided to continue with separate meetings with the two chief negotiators. Meetings in the framework of the dialogue between the chief negotiators and at a higher level will be notified in due time,” the EU spokesperson said.

Political commentators in Prishtina meanwhile argue that based on the latest developments in the dialogue, there will hardly be any concrete achievements this year.

Lajcak on second meeting of working group on license plates (media)

The EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, took to Twitter on Thursday to note that expert delegations of Kosovo and Serbia met for the second meeting of the Working Group on License Plates in Brussels. “Delegations engaged constructively and continued their exchange of views. I encourage them to find a permanent solution for the sake of their citizens,” he tweeted.

German Ambassador comments on Open Balkan initiative (Kanal 10)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, in an interview with the TV station on Thursday, was asked to comment on the Open Balkan initiative. He said that the initiative cannot be criticised as long as it does not undermine existing processes.

“We don’t see results from the Open Balkan yet. But as long as these processes don’t undermine existing processes, we cannot criticise them. The key issue is that the six countries of the Western Balkans are geographically linked, and they need to work together because you cannot change your neighbors, you cannot change your family, so you need to take the best you can … It is difficult for me to speak hypothetically. I haven’t seen any concrete results from the Open Balkan yet,” Rohde said.

In Rome, Lajcak discusses Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)

The EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, met the Italian Undersecretary of State Benedetto Della Vedova and discussed the recent developments in the Western Balkans.

"I updated him on the current state of the Dialogue & steps ahead. Thanks to Italy for its strong support to my work & EU integration of the region," Lajcak wrote on Twitter.

Assembly fails to endorse AAK-sponsored resolution on gas pipeline (Telegrafi)

The Assembly of Kosovo did not approve a resolution, sponsored by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), regarding the gas pipeline project.

The text of the draft resolution called on the Government of Kosovo to decide for alternative strategies of energy supply in the shortest time and revise 2017-2026 energy strategy. It also called on the Government to inform the Assembly over alternative energy supply. "Cooperate with MCC as a U.S. Federal Agency to resolve as soon as possible the unnecessary dilemma that it [Government] has raised with recent actions," the text notes further.

The last point in the draft resolution asked the Government of Kosovo to "apologise to the Biden administration, the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo and to the citizens of Kosovo for possible damage to relations with the U.S. and take concrete actions to re-establish sincere relations." The motion received 46 votes against and 21 in favour.

COVID-19: 11 new cases, no deaths (media)

11 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 16 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 400 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Exhibition in honor of 1.623 missing persons launches in Prishtina (euronews.al)

The walls of a long and narrow corridor served as the backdrop for the names, last names and places where 1.600 Kosovar citizens disappeared during the Kosovo War. At the end of the corridor, there’s a larger and darker room, where the days, hours and minutes are placed on a countdown representing the families that are waiting for them.

Tonight, many citizens, organizations, ambassadors, and family members participated in the exhibition launch hosted by the Humanitarian Rights Fund, in remembrance of the 1.623 missing persons.

The exhibition will be held at the hallway of the Youth Palace Ateliers, in Prishtina.

This event comes at a time when there have been numerous denouncements and new discoveries of massive graves in Serbian territory.

The artist behind this exhibition is Driton Selmani accompanied by curator, Blerta Hocia. The project has been a collaboration with Kosovo 2.0 and funded by the Office of the European Union in Kosovo, the Commune of Prishtina and the Swiss Embassy in Kosovo.