The European Parliament Vice President and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Ulrike Lunacek, told the news site the opposition’s violent acts hinder the political dialogue between the opposition and the government. However, she said a solution can be found without outside interference. Lunacek also said in addition to opposition’s act, also the government is not much interested to calm the situation.
The Tirana-based TV station Top Channel reports that the Italian Police, in cooperation with the Kosovo Police, launched an anti-terror operation in the city of Brescia. Italian authorities said the operation code-named “Van Damme” resulted in the breakup of a terror group that was using social networks to spread the Jihadi ideology. The mastermind of the group, a Kosovo national, was arrested in Kosovo by local police near Hani i Elezit, while the three other suspects were arrested in Italy.
Kosovo Assembly has completed the entire legislative program submitted by the government. A press release issued by the Assembly of Kosovo, informs that during Monday’s session, MPs discussed 16 draft-laws, ratified two international economic agreements and discussed a number of reports on the work of different state agencies. With these 35 points of the agenda, the Assembly of Kosovo fulfilled its legislative program proceeded so far by the government of Kosovo.
Vetevendosje deputy and Vice-President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Aida Derguti, stated that exclusion of the opposition deputies from today’s session of the Assembly, is in contradiction with the working regulation of the Assembly of Kosovo and the Constitution of Kosovo. She also announced organizing of the protests. “In a country where opposition is not within the parliament, then it cannot be called a parliament,” Deguti said.
Security has blocked the deputies from the Kosovo Assembly opposition parties and it does not allow them to climb to the alternative hall of the Assembly.
Kosovo Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, informed after the meeting of Assembly Chairmanship that the meeting would resume in thirty minutes, however, leaders and deputies of the Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), and the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), were not allowed to enter the Assembly hall.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, spoke during an extraordinary press conference about the visit of the Serbian General accused for war crimes in Kosovo, Ljubisa Dikovic. He said that the government of Kosovo did not have any information with regards to his visit to Kosovo.
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Donika-Kadaj Bujupi said after today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly that opposition parties will continue their actions “until the withdrawal of signatures from the agreements that are damaging for Kosovo”. “We will use all means to object these agreements,” she said.
In an interview for TV Dukagjini, Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi said Kosovo’s biggest battle at this point is membership of the UNESCO. Selimi said Kosovo will need 2/3 of votes at the UNESCO General Assembly, which means that even countries that have not recognized Kosovo’s independence would have to vote in favor. He added that Serbia was waging an aggressive and negative against Kosovo and that it is comparing the 2004 riots in Kosovo with ISIS. Selimi said that the eventual non-admission in the UNESCO would be disappointing for Kosovo, but not a failure.
The Vetevendosje Movement issued a press release denying media reports that some of its activists pelted eggs at Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana today. “Reports claiming that Vetevendosje activists pelted eggs at Edi Rama are entirely false. No Vetevendosje activist took part in this action. None of the persons that carried this out are activists of the Vetevendosje Movement. We will follow every legal procedure to sue the news site Gazeta Express for slander.
Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hashim Thaci, today expressed regret over the opposition boycotting the vote on the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) in the Assembly. According to him, this action cannot diminish at all the importance of this agreement. "Congratulations to all for the ratification of the SAA, the first contractual agreement between the Kosovo and the EU. This happy event marks a long-awaited success for Kosovo in meeting the aspirations of our people for European integration.