Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Tax to be replaced with reciprocity measures (Indeksonline)
• State Department: Looking forward to building on our strong partnership (Express)
• Speaker Osmani meets Albanian Ambassador Minxhozi (media)
• Braathu: Kurti's ambition for work could bring about change (RTK)
• New defence minister Quni offers his predecessor cabinet post (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Putin: Russia helps in maintaining stability in Balkans (RTS)
• Djuric: Kurti does not want agreement, but capitulation of Serbia (RTS)
• Rakic: Kurti started mandate with anti-Serbian statements (RTS)
• Varhelyi: To continue dialogue as soon as possible, tariffs must be lifted (RTS)
• Godfrey: Serbia crucial for maintaining stability in the Balkans (BETA, B92)
• Joseph: Election of Kurti should not necessarily move dialogue backward (Radio KIM, VoA)
• European Commission adopts new accession methodology for Western Balkans (N1)

International:

• Advertising the government’s work online (Prishtina Insight)
• EU Proposes Greater Role For Member States In Enlargement Process (RFE)
• Ready Or Not, Albin Kurti Is Kosovo's Man Of The Moment (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

• First civil society organisations forum in Pristina (Radio kontakt plus)

   

Albanian Language Media

  Osmani: Tax to be replaced with reciprocity measures (Indeksonline)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani spoke today about the import tariff on Serbia. 

“As you know the coalition programme has been presented by Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Assembly on 3 February and it clearly states that the tariff will be replaced by reciprocity measures. 

“Relations between Kosovo and Serbia should be based on this principle, applied by every democratic country.

“To leave from this tariff, as U.S. Ambassador Grenell pointed out, Serbia needs to stop derecognition campaign which it is conducting through unlawful means and which has undermined the importance of dialogue.

“We have not been an obstacle to dialogue, we will work with opposition MPs to ensure full transparency in this process, and only then can we expect success."

Osmani made the remarks today after meeting German Ambassador Christian Heldt.  

State Department: Looking forward to building on our strong partnership (Express)

The U.S. State Department has welcomed the formation of the new government in Kosovo.

"Congratulations to the people of #Kosovo on the formation of a new government. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and working together to foster economic growth, strengthen the rule of law, and support greater prosperity for the people of the region," a spokeswoman for the State Department tweeted today.

Speaker Osmani meets Albanian Ambassador Minxhozi (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani met today Albanian Ambassador to Kosovo Qemal Minxhozi and discussed ways to increase cooperation. 

Osmani said after the meeting that her first official visit will be to Albania and thanked Minxhozi for his support. 

"After a long cooperation we had the opportunity to discuss economic cooperation and advancing international diplomacies," Osmani said.

Today, Osmani is also expected to have meetings with German Ambassador Christian Heldt, Italy’s Nicola Orlando, UK's Nicholas Abbott, and the head of the EU Office in Kosovo Nataliya Apostolova. 

Braathu: Kurti's ambition for work could bring about change (RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met today the head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu who congratulated Kurti on his election. 

"It is good to see you in this office. I like your ambition for work. Your ambition can make some changes. We will support you in your work," Braathu said. 

New defence minister Quni offers his predecessor cabinet post (media)

The new Minister of Defence, Anton Quni, upon taking on the new post offered his predecessor, Rrustem Berisha, a job as senior political advisor, media report. 

Berisha said he was happy he is leaving the Ministry of Defence in the hands of former fellow-combatant. He said he would accept any task asked from him in order to move forward the Ministry of Defence and the Kosovo Security Force.

"I was fortunate to know Anton Quni from the Koshare Battle, he was battalion commander and chief of staff after the fall of the hero Agim Ramadani. I have full faith that he will continue the successes we started. I am very happy to be leaving the Kosovo Security Force, the Ministry of Defence, with a new military mandate," Berisha is quoted in RTK.

   

Serbian Language Media

  Putin: Russia helps in maintaining stability in Balkans (RTS)

Russia is doing a lot in order for the situation in the Balkans to be stable, and Moscow advocates for mutually acceptable solution between Belgrade and Pristina, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, RTS reports.

“Russia is doing a lot so the situation in the Balkans remains stable and secure. We advocate that Belgrade and Pristina reach a sustainable and mutually acceptable solution to the Kosovo issue, based on UN SC Resolution 1244,” President Putin said in Kremlin during foreign ambassadors’ accreditation ceremony. Serbian Ambassador to Russia, Miroslav Lazanski was also present.

Djuric: Kurti does not want agreement, but capitulation of Serbia (RTS)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Marko Djuric told RTS that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti desires only “capitulation of Serbia”, adding that something like that will never happen.  

Djuric said that Kurti by his own statements “proved he wants no agreement at all with Serbia,” that he does not want true talks and the only thing he wants is “a humiliating capitulation of Serbia.”

Djuric made these remarks responding to Kurti’s earlier statement that there can be no agreement with Serbia, if Belgrade’s approach is that “Serbia must get something” (in order to reach agreement with Pristina).

“Serbia will never accept the imposing of humiliating capitulation and the frivolous talks which Albin Kurti wants. Unfortunately, and this should not be hidden, the foreign mentors who supported him to get to the position he has now also want the same,” Djuric reiterated.

Rakic: Kurti started mandate with anti-Serbian statements (RTS)

Serbian List President Goran Rakic said that the beginning of Albin Kurti’s mandate has already been marked with anti-Serbian statements and threats directed against Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, RTS reports.

“Kurti who has promised to respect all the citizens, regardless of their nationality continues to ignore the sufferings of the Serbian people, expulsion of more than 200.000 Serbs and several hundreds who went missing. Moreover, he continues the policy of his predecessors to offer to the citizens a hatred against the Serbs instead of a programme of economic rehabilitation and installing the rule of law,” Rakic said.

Rakic pointed out that Agim Bahtiri, a high official of the Self-determination Movement in a desire to prove he is “a greater extremist than those who joined the Self-determination Movement before him, announced a plan of aggressive construction and settlement of Albanians in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica aiming to change the ethnic structure in this city.”

“If he wanted to speak about expelled citizens, Agim Bahtiri should have presented a plan to return expelled Serbs from the southern part of Mitrovica in which out of several thousands of Serbs who lived there, there is only a priest staying there today under permanent observation by the police,” Rakic said.

He also urged representatives of the international community to react to such statements, because their tolerance and silence to this sort of announcements are impermissible because they cause unnecessary but dangerous tensions among the citizens.

Varhelyi: To continue dialogue as soon as possible, tariffs must be lifted (RTS)

EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi called on the new government in Pristina to revoke the tariffs and continue the dialogue with Belgrade as soon as possible, RTS reports.

“Tariffs must be revoked. Swift continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is of crucial importance,” Varhelyi wrote on Twitter.

He also added that he looks forward to working with new Kosovo government of @albinkurti. A lot of work lies ahead: @EU_Commission is ready to assist Kosovo w its European Reform Agenda, focusing on strengthening rule of law, public administration, economy.

The EU official also called on Pristina to restore its engagement in the regional initiative. He opined such a step would bring benefits to the citizens in Kosovo, and in an entire Western Balkans.

Godfrey: Serbia crucial for maintaining stability in the Balkans (BETA, B92)

US Ambassador in Belgrade Anthony Godfrey said Serbia is important for stability in the Balkans and welcomed Belgrade and Pristina's decision to establish transport links, BETA news agency reports.

He said this in a discussion with the Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic, this ministry said in a statement.

"We are happy that things are going in a positive direction and we will continue to support the process. Serbia has a leading position in the region and is important for maintaining stability," Godfrey was quoted  as saying.

Mihajlovic informed Godfrey about the construction of the Moravian Corridor, which is being implemented by the US engineering company Bechtel.

"It is in Serbia's interest that one of the world's most successful construction companies realize this important project," Mihajlovic said.

She also said that Serbia was moving towards the construction of the "Highway of Peace" Nis-Merdare, and assessed that it would "contribute to regional stability", as well as the announced establishment of railway and air transport.

See at: https://bit.ly/2vT0Loj Joseph: Election of Kurti should not necessarily move dialogue backward (Radio KIM, VoA)

Election of Albin Kurti as Kosovo prime minister should not necessarily move the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue backward, John Hopkins University Professor Joseph Edward told Voice of America.

“Relations between the two sides have already been impaired – which is obvious by the rhetoric Belgrade and Pristina use. The question that imposes itself now is to what pressure of the international community, Washington and Brussels the new Kosovo prime minister would be to revoke 100 percent tariffs on goods from Serbia and return to the negotiation table,” Joseph said.

He assessed the election of Kurti will bring changes, both in the Balkans and in Kosovo, adding that based on the statements so far, Kurti’s focus would be on the rule of law and fight against corruption.

“Of course, he is an Albanian nationalist, but other Kosovo prime ministers were alike. It seems he is very much decisive in the intention to uproot corruption and implement the rule of law principle. These are serious challenges ahead of him,” Joseph noted.   

When it comes to Serbia, Joseph assessed that Kurti “has a personal history of relations,” adding that he has always defied the dialogue with Belgrade, even when it came to set the frame of the talks between two sides.

“Even then he demanded it is necessary to be organized based on reciprocity. Because of the nature of his personality it is not simple to predict his next moves,” Joseph said, adding the most probably there would be no progress until the end of the electoral process in Serbia.

Asked what consequences on the dialogue relations between Albin Kurti and Hashim Thaci could have, Joseph responded it is intriguing if there would be a change on the position of Pristina’s chief negotiator or the two of them would agree that Thaci keeps that role in the future as well.

“At the same time, Kosovo and Serbian presidents during the dialogue have built some sort of mutual respect, partly based on the concept of change of borders. I see this as particularly dangerous, not for one side only, but for the entire region. The biggest losers in this case would be the Serbs living south of the Ibar River and the Serbian Orthodox Church,” Joseph said.

Commenting on possible appointment of EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Joseph said this could be significant due to two reasons – it indicates that Brussels sends a message it takes the Western Balkans seriously, because the special envoy is enabled to focus on this issue exclusively, while EU High Representative Josep Borrell could deal with other topics that the region needs to harmonize with the European Union.

European Commission adopts new accession methodology for Western Balkans (N1)

The European Commission on Wednesday adopted a new accession methodology for the countries of the Western Balkans, Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said.

“Our proposal for a revised methodology was adopted by the European Commission today. It aims to make accession negotiations more credible, dynamic, predictable and with stronger political steer,” the commissioner wrote on his Twitter account.  

 “The European Union accession process needs to rest on solid trust and mutual confidence. Focus on fundamental reforms will be strengthened, while the EU needs to deliver on its commitment when candidates meet conditions,” he added.  

According to the commissioner, the EU needs to have a greater engagement in the Western Balkans on all levels, including through regular summits. “We want to involve member states more strongly in the monitoring and reviews of progress,” he said and added that “stronger political steer” is needed on both sides because of the political nature of the accession process.   

See at: https://bit.ly/2vSaCL2    

International

  Advertising the government’s work online (Prishtina Insight)

Ministries’ spending on marketing through online media skyrocketed under the Haradinaj government. Many contracts were signed in violation of the Law on Public Procurement, with obscure and now defunct media often benefitting from large sums.

Research conducted by BIRN reveals that 16 of the 21 Kosovo Government ministries that made up the previous government led by outgoing Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj spent at least half a million euros on marketing its activities through online media. Based on the contracts made available by individual ministries, this represents a huge increase in the amount spent by the preceding coalition government led by Isa Mustafa.

See at: https://bit.ly/380vP3D EU Proposes Greater Role For Member States In Enlargement Process (RFE)

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission has drafted a new methodology to handle the bloc's enlargement process that would give member states a stronger role in accession talks with EU hopefuls, according to a document seen by RFE/RL.

The proposed plan is to be made public on February 5, more than three months after the EU again halted the opening of membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

It comes as a direct response to France -- the main driving force behind the October decision that has sparked disappointment and concern among the six Western Balkan states aspiring to join the EU.

Paris has argued Skopje and Tirana had not made sufficient progress with reforms to cut corruption and strengthen the rule of law, and demanded changes to the EU enlargement process.

See at: https://bit.ly/2vN2vPK Ready Or Not, Albin Kurti Is Kosovo's Man Of The Moment (RFE)

Kosovo's prime minister, 44-year-old Albin Kurti, is a former student leader who made his name taking the political battle to those in power.

His rise marks a rare transition of power that could dramatically alter the path of Europe's newest -- and still not fully recognized -- democracy, whose government has been dominated by ex-guerrilla fighters since before independence was declared from Serbia in 2008.

But a four-month coalition stalemate that risked squandering some of Kurti's political momentum before this week's successful parliament vote highlighted the hard-driving politician's lack of fear at challenging potential allies, too.

Kurti's perceived intransigence brought pressure from the ex-guerrilla faction represented by President Hashim Thaci, who warned that the coalition impasse would spark a "constitutional crisis." Meanwhile, Kurti's Self-Determination (Vetevendosje, or VV) party's preferred coalition partner, the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), threatened repeatedly to walk away from talks on forming a government.

See at: https://bit.ly/384We08    

Humanitarian/Development 

  First civil society organisations forum in Pristina (Radio kontakt plus)

The first civil society organizations forum “Direct Dialogue as Tool for Regional Stability” began on Tuesday in Pristina, Radio kontakt plus reports.

The forum will last for two days and will consist of six panel discussions: EU-mediated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue; Economic cooperation as an impetus for dialogue; Cultural diplomacy as an unused channel for the dialogue; Roads to reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians; The role of the media in the dialogue process and Youth as an actor in emerging dialogue.

Program Director of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE) Marko Savkovic addressed spoke about the topic of the “economic cooperation as an incentive for the dialogue”. According to him, the tariffs had an impact on the Serbian economy, and the most affected were the small and medium enterprises, which lost an important market, while it was easier for the large players to adjust.

Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu pointed out that this was the first time that such an initiative has been taken and in his view it was worth supporting. He pointed out, inter alia, that “there will be no reconciliation and prevention of stereotypes unless there is a will to put something aside”.

“I think there’s truth in that saying - I can’t be happy until my neighbour is happy too, I can’t feel safe, if my neighbour is feeling unsafe and I can’t have a good life, if my neighbour is suffering and has no money for basic life needs. It is about shared responsibility. We have to try”, he said.

“Normalization requires trust, responsibility and ownership” and “ownership of the process by the people directly concerned is key to its success” Chargé d'Affaires at the Swiss Embassy in Pristina, Pauline Menthonnex-Gacaferri said. 

Radio Kontakt reported that the first panel, entitled “Prospects for normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations with EU-Mediation” discussed the current state of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and their motivation to renew it, as well as the main obstacles to starting the dialogue.

The organizer of the forum is non-governmental organization Aktiv from Mitrovica North, and its Executive Director Miodrag Milicevic recalled that it was an initiative launched by the organization last year by organizing a mini conference in Pristina.

He explained that since NGO Aktiv works regionally and not just locally, they considered it appropriate to provide slightly more positive angle and impetus to the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Milicevic opined that “civil society should play a significant role” and that it might even position itself as a partner in the process, which, he pointed out, would somehow cover exactly the part that everyone has forgotten-ordinary citizens.

He added that during the conference, he would insist on conclusions and recommendations that would be directly incorporated into a single report, which would be offered to civil society in both Kosovo and Serbia in terms of its support, which would then be forwarded to both the governments in Pristina and Belgrade and the international community, which played a significant role in the entire process.

The panel would be attended by over 20 prominent civil society activists, journalists, cultural workers and other professionals from Kosovo and Serbia. The forum is financially supported by the Swiss Embassy in Kosovo, European Union, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the Kosovo Open Society Foundation and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.