• Albin Kurti expects to take over PMs post in November (Alsat)
• Vucic: Let us make efforts for compromise, frozen conflict is not a solution (RTK)
• Serbian proposal for land swap falls on deaf ears in Kosovo (Koha)
• LVV and LDK working groups to meet again today (Koha/Zeri)
• KLA war veterans don’t rule out protests (Epoka)
• Ibrahim Gashi summoned by specialist chambers (media)
• “Special court doing its job, arrests will be made soon” (Indeksonline)
• Serbian List accuses EU of supporting government without their participation (Zeri)
• Bilcik: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, essential for Serbia’s road towards EU (RTK)
• Kosovo, North Macedonia with joint task force against security threats (RTK)

Albin Kurti expects to take over PMs post in November (Alsat)

Albin Kurti, leader of the Vetevendosje Movement and candidate for the Prime Minister of Kosovo, said he expects to officially take over the position of Prime Minister in November. He said they agreed with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) that the new government would have twelve ministries. Kurti said countries of the region should cooperate for EU membership.

“Regional initiatives are certainly required, but they absolutely cannot replace European integration. We cannot say we will not integrate in EU and we will do something else here amongst ourselves,” Kurti said.

Kurti expects to visit North Macedonia soon, and to have close relations with Albania, however, in order for the region to become stable, he says Serbia should accept the reality that Kosovo is independent. “Normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia goes through normalisation of Serbia itself. There were attempts to carry out genocide in Kosovo. 860 thousand Albanians were deported outside Kosovo in spring 1999. Over one million expelled from their homes, we have 20 thousand raped women, they are all alive,” Kurti said.

Vucic: Let us make efforts for compromise, frozen conflict is not a solution (RTK)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke on Tuesday about an eventual compromise with Kosovo and possible consequences if this fails. He said compromise with Pristina is EU’s condition for Serbia’s path towards the big European family.

“If we do not reach a compromise with Pristina, which is a condition for progress towards EU, then “it remains locked with its own key,” Vucic said while responding to the media regarding the EU’s decision not to give the green light to North Macedonia and Albania. “It does not depend on us or Pristina,” he added.

“I think that we should talk and try to reach a compromise, as we cannot pretend that frozen conflict is a good solution,” Vucic said.

Serbian proposal for land swap falls on deaf ears in Kosovo (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s remarks that Belgrade would not recognise Kosovo in its current borders, have fallen on deaf ears in Pristina. Vucic said in an interview to Der Standard: “we certainly want to hear what the European Union has to say. So far, the EU has set no conditions for Serbia. But we have heard from the Americans that this might have changed. If before a possible dialogue it is said ‘we will not talk about territories, we will not talk about autonomy for the north’, then what should we talk about? There are no conditions in these negotiations”. Kosovo’s outgoing Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, did not reply to a question from the paper about Vucic’s public remarks. Albulena Haxhiu, a senior member of the Vetevendosje Movement, which won the highest number of votes in the recent parliamentary elections, also refused to comment on Vucic’s remarks. Meanwhile, political commentators in Pristina warn that Kosovo’s authorities should not agree to any deals with territories during negotiations for a final settlement with Serbia.

LVV and LDK working groups to meet again today (Koha/Zeri)

Working groups of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) will meet again today to harmonise programs for a coalition government, Koha Ditore reports on page three. LDK senior member Lumir Abdixhiku told the paper that the meeting will start at 15:00. “The composition of the working groups will be the same as in the previous meeting. The meeting will be held at Vetevendosje headquarters. We will comment on specific topics after the meeting,” he said. A Vetevendosje spokesman too confirmed the meeting without disclosing further details. Zeri meanwhile reports on its front page that the working groups will discuss the dialogue with Serbia too. The paper recalls that LVV representatives said on several occasions that they want to have the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Justice in the new government.

KLA war veterans don’t rule out protests (Epoka)

In a front-page interview to the paper, Hysni Gucati, chairman of the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans, did not rule out eventual protests over the large number of summons from the specialist chambers to former soldiers and officers of the KLA. Gucati said the steering council of the war veterans would meet soon to discuss the issue. He also said that over 40 ex-KLA members received summons for interviews from the specialist chambers last week. He added that there could be arrests in the next couple of days.

Ibrahim Gashi summoned by specialist chambers (media)

Most media report that Ibrahim Gashi, former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and former Rector of Pristina University, has been summoned by the specialist chambers for an interview in the capacity of a witness. Gashi wrote on a Facebook post on Tuesday that he will be interviewed by the specialist chambers in Pristina this week.

“Special court doing its job, arrests will be made soon” (Indeksonline)

The news website quotes political commentator Ramush Tahiri as saying that the specialist chambers are expected to summon around 300 persons, including the most senior members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army. Tahiri also said arrests could be made in the next couple of days. Asked if President Thaci could receive a summon from the specialist chambers, Tahiri said he does not know if that will happen but said that if Thaci should resign his post if he receives an invitation.

Serbian List accuses EU of supporting government without their participation (Zeri)

The paper reports on page two that the Serbian List issued a press release on Tuesday claiming that with the silent approval of European institutions in Brussels, Pristina is violating agreements guaranteed by the European Union. “This shows the hypocrisy of all those that talked about the rule of law and for respecting the signed agreements,” the press release notes. It further said that “the post-election syndrome of Albin Kurti and his supporters is very dangerous for future political developments in Kosovo and the silence of the international community indirectly approves this”.

Bilcik: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, essential for Serbia’s road towards EU (RTK)

European Parliament’s recently nominated Rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik said the decision of the European Council not to open negotiation with Albania and North Macedonia was a historic mistake, but that it does not affect directly Serbia’s path towards EU. He said that when it comes to Serbia, the main aspects are dialogue with Kosovo, internal reforms, Chapters 23 and 24 and other criteria that have to be fulfilled.

Kosovo, North Macedonia with joint task force against security threats (RTK)

Kosovo’s Interior Ministry and that of North Macedonia signed a Protocol on establishment of a Joint Task Force with the intention of eliminating security threats. The Protocol was signed by Kosovo Police General Director Rashit Qelaj and Director of North Macedonian Police Saso Tasevki.

A press communique informed that the Joint Taskforce aims increase of direct cooperation between the two countries in order to eliminate various dangers of order and public security, combat organized crime terrorism and other crimes.