• COVID-19: 2,110 new cases, 4 deaths (media)
• Kurti appeals to people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (media)
• Kurti government doesn’t feel responsible for alarming number of cases (Koha)
• Ministry of Education plans for new academic year to start in schools (RFE)
• Kurti meets German Ambassador Rohde (media)
• Bahtiri: Vetevendosje will win 15 municipalities in local elections (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo ready without hesitation to shelter Afghan refugees (BBC)
• Montenegro dismisses media reports about hosting Afghan refugees (BIRN)
• Think tank defends Serbia hosting secret Afghan Govt-Taliban talks (BIRN)

COVID-19: 2,110 new cases, 4 deaths (media)

2,110 new cases with COVID-19 and four deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 130 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 12,209 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo. 20,358 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. To date, 622,068 vaccines have been administered in Kosovo.

The number of registered COVID-19 cases per day continues to reach record-high values. At the same time, the number of conducted tests has exceeded 10,000 per day for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Kurti appeals to people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that physical distance, masks and personal hygiene are necessary in the fight against COVID-19 “but it is the highest duty for all of us as responsible citizens of the Republic of Kosovo to get vaccinated”. “The Delta variant of the virus is now the dominating variant in Kosovo. As was seen in other countries, this is the most dramatic wave to date because of the very fast spread of the virus. Vaccination is the only means of prevention. According to our reports, no vaccinated person has died,” Kurti wrote in a Facebook post.

Kurti also said that despite the good pace of vaccination, “we are forced to undertake new measures that will slow down the infection rate and in doing so we will protect the public health”.

Kurti government doesn’t feel responsible for alarming number of cases (Koha)

The daily reports on its front page this morning that the Kosovo Government adopted new measures in the fight against COVID-19 on Wednesday. Weddings and engagement parties will be banned from August 20 and night clubs will not be allowed to work. Bars, eateries and cafes will work until 22:30. The government however did not say how it will monitor the implementation of the new measures. Kurti, who several weeks ago had praised his government for the management of the pandemic, now says that the Delta variant cannot be compared to the previous waves of the virus.

Ministry of Education plans for new academic year to start in schools (RFE)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is planning for the new academic year to begin in schools and with regular classes. Currently all preparations are being made for the start of the new school year on September 1, the Ministry told the news website on Wednesday.

Representatives of the United Union of Education, Science and Culture said teachers are ready to start classes in schools. The union leader however says that this also depends from the epidemiological situation with COVID-19.

To ensure a safe return to schools, the Ministry of Education, the Union and the Parents Council have appealed on teaching staff and parents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Kurti meets German Ambassador Rohde (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Wednesday with the German Ambassador to Kosovo, Joern Rohde and the Deputy Ambassador Jan-Axel Voss, and discussed issues of interest and importance for both countries, bilateral economic cooperation and joint projects, especially in the field of economic development and employment.

A press release issued by Kurti’s office noted that the importance of regional cooperation was discussed, with emphasis on the Common Regional Market. Kurti said he hopes to reach agreements within the Common Regional Market that treat all participating countries equally and that promote the development and democratisation of the region of which the citizens are the final beneficiaries. The meeting also discussed the new situation with the COVID-19 pandemic after the spread of the delta variant in the country and the measures that the government is taking to deal with the situation.

Kurti and Rohde also discussed the upcoming summit between the countries of the Western Balkans and the European Union and their expectations from this summit to be held in October this year in Slovenia.

Bahtiri: Vetevendosje will win 15 municipalities in local elections (media)

Mitrovica Mayor Agim Bahtiri, who will run again for the post in the October local elections, said in a debate on Dukagjini TV on Wednesday that the Vetevendosje Movement (VV) will win 15 municipalities in the upcoming elections. According to Bahtiri, he will win in Mitrovica without having to go to run-off elections. “I will win Mitrovica with 65 percent,” he said.

Bahtiri said VV will win the municipalities of Mitrovica, Prishtina, Podujeva, Ferizaj, Istog, Gjakova, Gjilan, Kamenica, Vushtrri, Lipjan, Fushe Kosove, Kacanik, Viti, Prizren and Suhareka.

Osmani: Kosovo ready without hesitation to shelter Afghan refugees (BBC)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday commenting on the situation in Afghanistan, said “these are really heartbreaking scenes and as a former refugee myself we are really feeling this every single day. This really amounts to a human tragedy. And again I can absolutely say that no one really wants to leave their homes unless there is horrific violence and terror as we can see now in the case of Afghanistan”.

Osmani said Kosovo showed readiness without hesitation to provide shelter to Afghan refugees. “The exact number [of refugees] is still being discussed but we are not going to be the country that says no to these refugees, to these people in need. As much space we have, we are going to use it to shelter them,” she said.

Asked when Kosovo expects the first Afghan refugees, Osmani said: “probably we will have some arriving sooner than we expected. At the beginning, we thought that it would be in a couple of weeks and that we will have more time to prepare, but it looks that for some there is a much greater urgency compared to some others. We are in touch with our US partners who are compiling the list but at the same time also doing the security vetting. Since there will be meetings in the next 2-3 days, the exact dates will be known only then.”

Asked if she views Kosovo as a permanent corridor for Afghan refugees to be processed to the US, Osmani said “this is not an issue that we have discussed with the US, but if that is needed we are ready to discuss it and we are ready to offer that shelter. It is extremely important that first of all as human beings but secondly as political leaders to show leadership in these very tough situations for humanity. We need to understand that if we don’t work together we won’t be able to be successful and the case of Kosovo shows that only when the US, the UK and other members of NATO worked together they managed to beat the genocidal regime of Milosevic and bring peace to the entire Western Balkans not just our country.”

“No one leaves because they want to, they leave out of utter desperation. And for that reason I call on all the democratic governments out there to give their hand of help the same way they did to all of us here in Kosovo and bring at least some safe haven to these people that have been forced because of the terror that they have been going through. If Kosovo as a very small Balkan country can do it, every other country can do it. We just need to show our big heart.”

Montenegro dismisses media reports about hosting Afghan refugees (BIRN)

Unlike Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, Montenegro has said it does not feel obliged to take in any refugees fleeing Afghanistan, calling speculation about this matter in the media 'arbitrary'.

Montenegro will not host any Afghan refugees fleeing the country after the Taliban took control of Kabul, Montenegro’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a press release, it confirmed that Montenegro supported a statement in which some 60 countries called on the new authorities “to respect and facilitate the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country”.

But it added that Montenegro was “not obliged to temporarily accept the residents of Afghanistan who helped allied forces, as no such obligation is foreseen by this statement”.

“Montenegro has supported the initiative, which calls for all those who want to leave the country to be allowed to do so, including the need for roads, airports and border crossings to remain open,” the press release confirmed.

However, Montenegro, “at this stage, will not receive refugees as is being arbitrarily stated in some media, so we emphasize that this topic should be reported with special sensitivity for the sake of precision in informing the public”.

A number of Western countries have promised to take in significant numbers of Afghans fleeing Kabul, with the UK offering to host some 20,000, for example.

In the Balkan region, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo have also agreed to give refuge to an unspecified number of Afghan civilians.

Montenegro participated in the allied peacekeeping force Afghanistan from 2010, and deployed a total of 557 army personnel there in 21 contingent rotations.

According to the Defence Ministry, since 2010 almost every fifth member of the 2,000-strong Montenegrin army participated in the NATO-led ISAF or Resolute Support missions. Montenegro spent some 2 million euros annually, or some 20 million euros in total, on these Afghan missions.

Think tank defends Serbia hosting secret Afghan Govt-Taliban talks (BIRN)

Serbia hosted several behind-closed-doors talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, all with the approval of the US, EU and UN, said Jovan Kovacic, director of the think tank that organised the negotiations.

After Serbia’s former foreign minister Ivica Dacic on Tuesday claimed that Serbia had hosted talks between the now former Afghan government and the Taliban three times in recent years, the director of East-West Bridge think tank – which reportedly organised the negotiations – told BIRN that Dacic’s information was accurate, backing it up with photos from the meetings.

Jovan Kovacic told BIRN that the former Afghan government and the Taliban held three meetings between 2018 and 2019 in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade.

Asked how his organisation got involved, Kovacic said he got a call from a well-known international figure about his idea that Serbia could act as neutral terrain for a meeting of the two sides.

“It was a bit surprising, but our organisation is known for building cooperation and confidence after the conflicts. Also, Serbia has a good position since it is neutral and we all know that the Muslim world is far from unified. In any other country, there would be allegations of different influences,” the director of East-West Bridge told BIRN.

He did not disclose the name of the “well-known international figure” who made the call, only that he is from an EU country.

Kovacic said he was told to contact Michael Semple, an Irish expert who the BBC has named as “one of the West’s most respected experts on Afghanistan”. Semple was a deputy European Union special representative for Afghanistan until the then Afghan government expellled him in 2007 over his “unauthorized activities”.

“I contacted him and then we contacted the Serbian government, which loved the idea. It was a serious task since many negotiatiors had obstacles to surmount, including travel bans. But Serbia did it really professionally,” he said, adding that secrecy is normal in such negotiations, in this case because “it was their first-ever meeting”.

Kovacic denied that the talks were conducted behind the backs of US, the EU or other involved actors, claiming they all gave permission and were involved in the process.

“We did not do anything behind anyone’s back. Everyone who needed to be invited was invited, including the US, EU countries such as Britain, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and also representatives of UN,” he emphasized.

Asked about the financing of the whole process, he said that everybody shared the costs of travel and stay, and that the Serbian state only provided locations and technical and communications assets.

East West Bridge is a Serbian-based think tank whose members are usually people from the world of business, high politics and media in Serbia and the region.

Its website names Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic as one member. It emphasizes its partnership, among others, with the Trilateral Commission, World Economic Forum – Davos, European Business Summit, The National Alliance for Local Economy Development, NALED, and many other organisations.

Its director, Jovan Kovacic, is also the member of the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission and president of the Serbian National Group of the Trilateral Commission, a non-governmental organisation founded by David Rockefeller in 1973.