• COVID-19: 55 new cases, four deaths (media)
• Hoti to report to MPs on dialogue with Serbia (media)
• “Agreement with Serbia, in complete coordination with the U.S.” (media)
• Kurti: Serbia's projects are old, Kosovo's concessions new (media)
• Bajrami: Only Israel’s recognition is historic in Washington agreement (Koha)
• Coalition partners gathered again on Monday (media)
• Haradinaj: We won’t vote any other candidate except Ramush (media)
• Gjini: Vetevendosje initiated no-confidence motion to trap the PDK (KTV)
• Beqiri: No one in the LDK is celebrating Osmani’s departure (media)
• Djuric: Serbia will insist on speedy creation of the Association (media)

Kosovo Media Highlights

COVID-19: 55 new cases, four deaths (media)

Kosovo's National Institute for Public Health announced that 574 samples were tested for coronavirus during a 24-hour period of which 55 resulted positive.

Meanwhile, 150 recoveries and four deaths were recorded over the same timeframe.

Health Minister Armend Zemaj said at a press conference that Kosovo is experiencing a decline in the number of new infections in the recent period.

Hoti to report to MPs on dialogue with Serbia (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti is expected to address MPs on Thursday and talk about the recent agreement signed in Washington for normalisation of economic relations with Serbia.

Hoti will also report on the ongoing dialogue in Brussels and his visit there last week.

In the same session of the Assembly, Education Minister Rame Likaj will speak about the start of the new school year while Interior Minister Agim Veliu on Serbian gendarmerie patrolling the Kamenica village, Karaceva.

“Agreement with Serbia, in complete coordination with the U.S.” (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla, hosted on Monday an introducing meeting with the chief of the Office of the European Union and Special EU Representative in Kosovo, Tomsh Szunyog.

"I expressed Kosovo’s determination for a comprehensive, legally binding agreement with Serbia, which brings mutual recognition between the two countries, in full coordination with the U.S. and with the help of the EU,” Haradinaj-Stublla said.

“Now, after the Washington agreement for economic normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as recognition by Israel, we expect from the European Union to also facilitate approximation of the recognition by the five EU member countries that have not yet done so. Also, we expect a strategic move for the remaining contractual obligations on the gained right of Kosovo for free movement, without visas,” she said.

Kurti: Serbia's projects are old, Kosovo's concessions new (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti highlighted on social media an excerpt from the book titled "Standards and Status' authored by Joachim Ruecker, former head of UNMIK.

"When a situation seems to be unchanging for a long time, it is possible that there is a setback which has already occurred."

Kurti said that as he was reading the book, he recalled how "once ethnic decentralisation, now 'Zajednica' and 'territorial exchange' are different names to Belgrade's same attempt to partition Kosovo."

A paragraph from the book quoted by Kurti focuses on decentralisation issues saying that it sought to appease opposing positions as initially Serbia requested full partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines and after this was rejected during negotiations, "Belgrade proposed the creation of 12 municipalities with Serb majority in Kosovo, partially geographically linked, with a high degree of autonomy, strong inter-municipal ties and direct institutional links to Belgrade."

"Serbia's projects are old. With new concessions, Kosovo is going backwards," Kurti wrote.

Bajrami: Only Israel’s recognition is historic in Washington agreement (Koha)

Koha Ditore's editor-in-chief Agron Bajrami told Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija that as so far as the recent agreement signed in Washington by Kosovo and Serbia goes, perhaps the only historic progress there is recognition from Israel.

"The agreement is being presented as historic maybe because it happened at the White House and maybe because it suits the current U.S. administration considering they will soon head to elections," Bajrami said adding however that if the actual letters that were signed are looked at, "they mostly deal with benign issues such as construction of highways and participation in the mini-Schengen zone."

"What is more interesting in these letters is that they do not deal with relations between Kosovo and Serbia but with Israel, 5G network, declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organisation and relocation, namely opening of embassy in Jerusalem. This opens some other issues which I would not call historic but could have a geopolitical impact on the whole region."

Bajrami noted also that the agreement reached in Washington is a result of the European Union's inability to conclude the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia during all the years.

Coalition partners gathered again on Monday (media)

Fatmir Limaj, leader of the Social-Democratic Initiative (NISMA) was the only one to address the media after the meeting of the coalition partners on Monday. He said the meeting is regular, and that they discussed different matters.

“We discussed the beginning of the new school year. Economic recovery, start of the work at the parliament, close agenda of the government and the Parliament,” Limaj said.

Haradinaj: We won’t vote any other candidate except Ramush (media)

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group chief Daut Haradinaj said on Monday that the AAK will not vote for any other candidate for the post of Kosovo President, except their leader Ramush Haradinaj.

Haradinaj also commented on the Washington agreement, saying that the AAK has remarks about the negotiations and for one point of the agreement.

“The agreement was not a surprise. Grenell’s statement that certain people in Kosovo are not giving ideas but only criticising shows that this agreement was discussed even earlier. Our delegation agreed to the removal of point 10 on mutual recognition,” Haradinaj said.

Gjini: Vetevendosje initiated no-confidence motion to trap the PDK (KTV)

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) deputy leader Ardian Gjini argued in an interview with KTV on Monday that the Vetevendosje Movement initiated the no-confidence motion against the Hoti government in order to trap the Democratic Party of Kosovo. “If they think that the ruling coalition will fall over the reasons they believe, they are wrong,” he said. “They know that they don’t have the votes to bring down the government”.

Gjini also said there were no concrete talks to include the PDK in the ruling coalition. “Whether or not there will be such negotiations, I cannot say. The AAK will announce its position whenever we decide on this matter,” he added.

Beqiri: No one in the LDK is celebrating Osmani’s departure (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader Ismet Beqiri said on Monday that no one in the LDK is celebrating the departure of Vjosa Osmani from this party. “I respect Vjosa, but it is not true that people in the LDK are rejoicing or celebrating her departure from the party. This doesn’t help her or anyone else for that matter,” he said.

Beqiri argued that Osmani should have reformed the party from within and not make statements after her departure. He also said that Osmani contributed to the party’s score in the last general elections.

Djuric: Serbia will insist on speedy creation of the Association (media)

Marko Djuric, Director of the Office for Kosovo at the Serbian government, informed on Monday the German Ambassador in Belgrade Thomas Schieb that during the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, his country will insist on creation of the Association of the Serb-majority Municipalities as soon as possible.

He was also optimistic that normalization and acceleration of the economic development between Kosovo and Serbia, in the framework of Washington agreement, “will create space for cooperation and reconciliation, by contributing to the wellbeing of the entire region,” media reported.

“Belgrade will not give up insisting for creation of the Association of the Serb-majority Municipalities as soon as possible, which represents an obligation that Pristina has not fulfilled for seven and a half years,” Djuric was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the Serbian government.