• EULEX to deploy additional police officers to Kosovo (media)
• Kurti meets Norway's special envoy to Western Balkans (media)
• Djukanovic: Situation in Ukraine risks destabilising Western Balkans (Koha)
• General Buhler: Kosovo is safe, it has NATO (RTK)
• Kosovo arrests 50 police, customs officers in bribe probe (Reuters)
• German MFA says Kosovo has done its part on visa liberalisation (schengenvisainfo)
• Kosovo War Veterans’ Leaders ‘Tried to Derail Hague Court’ (BIRN)
• Anti-Corruption Agency files lawsuit against Minister Hajdari over asset declaration (media)
• Kosovo ministry cuts payment for staff that don't report to work (RFE)
• Kosovo's annual inflation accelerates to 7.5% in Feb (SeeNews)
• COVID-19: 18 new cases, no deaths (media)

 

EULEX to deploy additional police officers to Kosovo (media)

A Reserve Formed Police Unit made up of 92 members of the European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) from Portugal, France and Italy will temporarily deploy to Kosovo in the coming weeks to reinforce the capacity of the existing EULEX Formed Police Unit (FPU), the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, said in a statement.

The mission added that additional police officers will support EULEX in meeting its tasks, including as Kosovo's second security responder if necessary, taking into consideration the security environment. Currently, EULEX has 105 Polish officers as part of its police unit.

Media also report that the deployment of more police officers was the focus of the meeting between EULEX chief, Lars Gunnar Wigemark and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti. In the meeting, Kurti reconfirmed the commitment of the Kosovo institutions to strengthen and advance justice system and fight against crime and corruption.

Kurti meets Norway's special envoy to Western Balkans (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met yesterday Norway’s Special Representative to Western Balkans Arne S. Bjornstad and Norwegian Ambassador to Kosovo, Jens Erik Grøndahl.

According to a press release issued by the Government of Kosovo, the central topic of the meeting was Russian aggression in Ukraine and its consequences in economy and security, particularly in the Western Balkans region. "In the bilateral plan, the Prime Minister expressed the appreciation of the Government of Kosovo for the continuous support the state of Norway has provided to Kosovo by vowing to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries."

Djukanovic: Situation in Ukraine risks destabilising Western Balkans (Koha)

President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, warned that fighting in Ukraine could lead to the destabilisation of the Western Balkans where, he said, Russia's influence against European values is strong. "There is fertile ground in the Western Balkans for this type of destruction." He also said that Serbia, to a considerable degree, helped Russia implement its interests in the region.

In an interview with KTV, Djukanovic announced he would be visiting Kosovo in the coming months and that he was looking forward to it: "I want to contribute in this way to our better interstate understanding, so that through this understanding we jointly contribute to a more qualitative stability and clearer European perspective of the region," he said.

On the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Djukanovic said it is important for the two sides to demonstrate responsibility and move towards a final solution. He said Montenegro recognised independence of Kosovo because it believes this was the way to look to the future. "For me it is an entirely legitimate interest of Kosovo to be part of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations."

Commenting on the "Open Balkan" initiative, Montenegrin president said the reason his country is not participating in it is that there are already more than 30 regional initiatives in place and instead of using the existing ones, new initiatives are continuously sprouting. "There are efforts now to achieve something that is very clearly defined through initiatives such as the Berlin Process and the CEFTA initiative. These initiatives are under the umbrella of powerful international centres. So the Berlin Process is launched in Berlin, as its name implies, and is under strong EU oversight. If you ask me, if I will cooperate, if I will decide whether I should trust more the initiative launched by Berlin and Brussels or a similar one launched by our region… there is no doubt that I will always be on the side of the initiative that is under EU supervision."

General Buhler: Kosovo is safe, it has NATO (RTK)

Former KFOR commander Erhard Buhler told RTK that Kosovo is not in NATO, but has the full support of the United States, Germany and the entire North Atlantic Alliance, so Kosovars should not worry too much about this issue, now after Russia's aggression against Ukraine. However, he said everyone should be concerned because Europe has entered a phase of instability. Buhler said that after thirty years, this is one of the continent's biggest challenges when no one knows the outcome.

General Buhler said that NATO is doing a lot regarding the war in Ukraine both politically and militarily.

Politically, General Buhler said that all countries are united in providing assistance to Ukraine, and in the military, the Alliance has continued to support the country's military since 2014.

As for Kosovo's membership in NATO, General Buhler stated that it is in the interest of the EU and NATO itself for these countries to integrate because the Western Balkans are located in the heart of Europe.

Kosovo arrests 50 police, customs officers in bribe probe (Reuters)

Kosovo's state prosecutor on Monday said it has arrested 48 policemen and two customs officers believed to have taken bribes for allowing illegal goods to enter the country. The arrested officers were working at border crossings with Albania in the southwest part of the country.

“Those arrested are suspected to be involved in more than 400 cases in criminal actions of taking bribes and abuse of official duty,” Kushtrim Hodaj from the Police Inspectorate said during a press conference with the state prosecutor.

Hodaj said that another 18 people remain at large and they are accused of offering bribes. He said they are mainly citizens from Albania and now Kosovo is seeking information from authorities in Tirana.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/37vg7lG

German MFA says Kosovo has done its part on visa liberalisation (schengenvisainfo)

Kosovo has “done its part” regarding the visa liberalisation process and now is up to the European Union to do its part, the Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock has said.

Baerbock’s comments came during the meeting held with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, during her visit to Kosovo, as part of her visit to the region, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Baerbock and Kurti discussed the visa liberalisation process as well as Kosovo’s integration process in the European Union, while Baerbock stressed that there is no “fast road” to Europe.

“The EU is a project of peace and, above all, it is a community of values, for the good of the people. That means it applies to all people. A country that wants to belong to the EU must meet not only economic criteria but also issues of democracy, the rule of law, respect for international law; these are the fundamental criteria… There are no fast tracks or fast mechanisms here,” Baerbock pointed out.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3KDnLIS

Kosovo War Veterans’ Leaders ‘Tried to Derail Hague Court’ (BIRN)

On the first day of closing statements at the trial of Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Monday, prosecutor Valeria Bolici claimed that the defendants wanted to undermine the so-called ‘special court’, which they believe is unjustly trying to prosecute Kosovo Liberation Army ex-guerrillas for war crimes.

“In 15 public appearances and statements, the accused have declared they were carrying out these actions in order to disperse this court, so this court would be dissolved,” Bolici said.

Gucati and Haradinaj, the leader and deputy leader of the KLA War Veterans’ Organisation, are accused of obstruction of justice and witness intimidation.

The two men were charged after they received batches of legal documents leaked from the Specialist Chambers, which contained confidential information about protected witnesses in cases against KLA ex-guerrillas, and urged media in Kosovo to publish extracts from them. They have both pleaded not guilty.

As evidence for their alleged motive, the prosecution showed video recordings of the accused appearing on Kosovo TV shows and saying that they wanted the Specialist Chambers to be dissolved.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/37jInaI

Anti-Corruption Agency files lawsuit against Minister Hajdari over asset declaration (media)

Kosovo's Anti-Corruption Agency has submitted a lawsuit against Minister of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship, Rozeta Hajdari for not accurately declaring her assets, as required by the law. Hajdari rejected charges, saying that throughout the term as a public servant, she has regularly reported her assets.

Kosovo ministry cuts payment for staff that don't report to work (RFE)

Kosovo's Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation has not executed salaries for 31 Serb staff who for six years did not report to their workplaces, which were provided through a Brussels agreement for integration of the civil protection members.

One of the staff affected told Radio Free Europe that they complained to the Ministry and accused it of not providing working conditions since the agreement stipulated they were supposed to work in the northern part of Kosovo.

Kosovo's annual inflation accelerates to 7.5% in Feb (SeeNews)

Kosovo’s harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) increased by 7.5% year-on-year in February, after adding in 7.1% in January, the national statistical office said. On a monthly comparison basis, the HICP inched up 1.1% in February, after edging up 0.9% the previous month, the Kosovo Agency of Statistics said in a monthly inflation report on Friday.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3tZvNVM

COVID-19: 18 new cases, no deaths (media)

18 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said in its daily report. 54 persons recovered during this time. There are 637 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.