The Kosovo Assembly session was interrupted today by the opposition MPs who released teargas as a sign of protest against recent agreements with Serbia and Montenegro. The Vetevendosje movement MP, Rexhep Selimi, said the teargas in the Assembly today showed that the opposition is still united. He said the opposition will not stop until achieving its goals. “The opposition is continuing its protest within the Assembly. We will not stop. We will continue further in the same way with the same methods and above all, with the same goal,” Selimi said.

Vetevendosje MP Aida Derguti told a press conference in Pristina today that everyone is witnessing violations by police officers in the Kosovo Assembly and especially the attack on Vetevendosje MP Albulena Haxhiu. “Violence against members of parliament constitutes an unprecedented violation of competencies. The presence of police officers and the expulsion of MPs are illegitimate and no measure was taken against such actions. Neither the Speaker of Parliament nor the presidency is authorized to order such actions against the MPs,” Derguti said.

During the sharp conflict with the opposition, Pristina authorities are trying in all possible ways to replace political misunderstandings with the announcement that at the end of the EU road, Belgrade will have to recognize independence of its province. That’s how Kosovo deputy FM Petrit Selimi tried to make political manoeuvre and stated for RTK2 that process of Kosovo recognition is one-way street, claiming that Serbia will be conditioned to recognize Kosovo independence.

Elections for the President of the Republic of Kosovo will take place within the constitutional deadline. The elections will be probably held in late February and the ruling coalition has no fear about the outcome because over two-thirds of the parliament support the government, said Petrit Selimi, Kosovo deputy FM, referring to the presidential campaign of the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

Kosovo Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi, in an opinion piece today writes that from the moment that Kosovo applied to join UNESCO, Kosovo government agreed with its allies that Kosovo’s message should be positive, focusing on concrete benefits for Kosovo people who would have better access to development programs for education, science and culture. According to Selimi, promotion campaign based on the burned mosques or old conflicts would not bring long-term benefits for Kosovo, normalization of relations and peace in the Balkans.

Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi, said today that Arab countries voted in favor of Kosovo’s membership of the UNESCO. Selimi said he needs to make it clear to the public that the Arab word “nam” means “yes” and that someone could have misinterpreted as “no”. “Saudi Arabia and countries of the Arabian Peninsula have supported Kosovo during the vote,” he added.

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.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi said that Kosovo officials have given UNESCO written guarantees that they will not change the name of the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), which is a constitutional category in Kosovo Constitution. “Naming of the monuments on the UNESCO list will change only in consultation with officials of the Serbian Orthodox Church,” said Selimi in an interview given to the daily Danas.

Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi, said today that he expects that many countries that have not recognized Kosovo to vote in favor of Kosovo's membership in UNESCO. According to him, there is no reason for the Executive Committee to keep Kosovo isolated. "Serbia is conducting a vicious campaign against Kosovo. We hope that tomorrow UNESCO's Executive Committee will respect the need for Kosovo to not remain isolated. I believe that no more than 20 countries will support Serbia. Then we will focus on the General Assembly of UNESCO which will be held on 9 November,” Selimi said.

The Vetevendosje Movement MP, Rexhep Selimi, said yesterday that the right to referendum is being denied to the Kosovo people by not drafting the law on referendum. According to him, the current crisis would be resolved by a referendum, because people would have their say on what they want. He said he doesn’t expect any initiative by the government to draft the law on referendum, because according to him, “the government fears the voice of the citizens.”