President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, said told German papers, Frankfurter Rundschau and Badische Zeitung, said that the decision on visa liberalisation is in the hands of Kosovo Assembly MPs and that to achieve this, they need to ratify the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. “This is the only condition that has not yet been met,” Thaci said.
Albanians who live in the three northern municipalities, Mitrovica North, Leposaviq, and Zubin Potok, feel endangered by Serbs after the tensioning of the security situation in the country. This insecurity is especially felt after the building of the wall in Mitrovica and the provocative train of Serbia, which was not allowed to enter Kosovo.
Fatmir Limaj, leader of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), said today that the wall in northern Mitrovica derives from the agreement signed between Kosovo and Serbia on April 2011. He said that discussions in Brussels caused not only the wall but many other problems. “Not only the wall, but everything that derived, including the association, derive from the April agreement.” Limaj said.
The news website quotes Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, as saying today that the recent construction of a wall in Mitrovica North is illegal and that such constructions are in opposition to all the agreements reached between Pristina and Belgrade in Brussels. “The construction in the north is illegal. It goes against all the Brussels agreements. Such matters will not be negotiated with Serbia or the European Union. This wall will receive a response based on the law,” Thaci said.
The EU Office in Kosovo /EUSR, German Development Cooperation, Austrian Development Agency, The Embassy of Switzerland in Kosovo and World Learning issue the following statement: “The results published yesterday of the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that out of 72 participating countries Kosovo ranks in the group of the three least performing ones. While we welcome participation of Kosovo in PISA and other international assessments, the results of this first effort are concerning and need to be taken seriously.
Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, said today that the talks in Brussels on justice have been productive. “We are very close to determining the final date for the establishment of a unitary system of justice in the northern part of our state as a result of the Brussels agreement. Implementation of the agreement for justice enables the establishment of unique system of justice in the northern part of Kosovo, where a trial court and prosecution office will soon start functioning in the Mitrovica region,” Tahiri said through a press statement.
The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, announced today he will sue Serbian newspaper Blic for defamation and that he expects compensation as well. Haradinaj’s lawyer, Arianit Koci, said he will stay in Belgrade for a few days to gather facts regarding the case. “From what I’ve read, I am really surprised with Blic’s lack of professionalism,” Koci said. “This goes in the category of defamation and we will treat it as such. This can be a long process because it is a sensitive situation.
Civil society representatives today submitted a petition to the Kosovo Assembly, calling for an extraordinary session of Assembly to discuss the death of Vetevendosje activist Astrit Dehari in Prizren’s detention center. The petition which includes around 25 thousand signatures of Kosovo citizens, urges to shed light on Dehari’s death, and calls for the resignation of the Justice Minister, Dhurata Hoxha.
Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Turkey’s General Consulate building in Prizren this morning, considering it "a vandal act of irresponsible people who are against a democratic and multi-ethnic state like Kosovo." “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulates the Kosovo Police for arresting the irresponsible persons who have committed this hideous act. The Ministry requires that the perpetrators be brought to justice.