King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan at a press conference during his visit to Kosovo today said that he is happy with the progress made by Kosovo since 1999. "It is a pleasure to be back here and see the changes that have been made in Kosovo,” King Abdullah said. He stressed that Kosovo is an example of religious tolerance. "Kosovo reflects the best values, values which everyone should reflect.
Political analyst Shkelzen Maliqi writes in an opinion piece for Klan Kosova that the voting result on Kosovo's bid to join UNESCO was disappointing, but, according to him, "when it comes to the number of votes, one might say that it was an encouraging achievement." Maliqi argues that Serbia achieved a Pyrrhic victory.
Head of the European Office in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, considers that the decision of the UNESCO member states not to vote in favor of Kosovo’s membership at this organization should not stop the determination of Kosovo’s institutions toward progress. “There was a major support for Kosovo in UNESCO. Many countries supported Kosovo’ membership at this organization. Majority of the required numbers was not reached however Kosovo should continue to be determined on its way,” Zbogar said.
The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said today that his country supports Kosovo's membership in UNESCO. "We will work closely with the government of Kosovo for a positive result at the General Assembly of UNESCO,” Delawie said. He also stressed that the US is interested in the protection of all religious and cultural monuments of all nationalities in Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hashim Thaci, said today that Serbia is doing everything possible to prevent Kosovo to join UNESCO. According to him, the Serbian Government tried to cancel the discussion on Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO. "These days Serbia is trying with every procedural trap to annul Kosovo's membership in UNESCO. I was just informed that the General Assembly approved the agenda in general, including the discussion on Kosovo’s bid to join this organization,” Thaci said.
The EU Special Representative in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, speaking at the parliamentary committee for European integration today said that it was not necessary to address the Venice Commission in regards to the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities. According to him, the opinion of the Constitutional Court should be respected. He stressed that there is always room and need for dialogue and that he agrees that there is a possibility for a better communication by the government in the Assembly and with the opposition parties.
President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga has delivered today to the Constitutional Court the request to interpret the compatibility of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities with the Constitution of Kosovo. “President Jahjaga has referred this request to the Constitutional Court based on her constitutional competencies,” said president’s advisor Selim Selimi.
The U.S. State Department has issued a press release which notes that signing of the Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA), between the European Union and Kosovo marked a major milestone on Kosovo’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration. “We welcome this strong sign of Europe’s continued commitment to Kosovo and congratulate the leadership and people of Kosovo for their hard work in achieving this goal. The SAA will bring tangible benefits to all in Kosovo, and we look forward to its rapid approval by the Kosovo Assembly,” notes the press release.
The leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri, said today that after the solemn session held in honor of the Austrian President Heinz Fischer, the opposition will continue to block the work of the Assembly on Monday. He said that the Assembly sessions will not return to normality as long as the government doesn’t withdraw the agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro.
A peaceful march with the slogan ‘Stop violence against women’ was organized today in Suhareka in memory of Zejnepe Bytyci who was stabbed to death by her husband a few days ago. This march was organized as a sign of solidarity with the victims of domestic violence and as a reaction to the inefficiency of the Kosovo institutions to prevent this phenomenon. Suhareka Municipality officials called on the relevant institutions to work more in preventing domestic violence throughout Kosovo.