“Shame is not on women raped and tortures during the war. Shame lies with those who perpetrated this crime. There is no ‘them and us’, we are one, and we have to put an end to their stigmatization because for these women, the war has not ended yet”, said President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, on the fifteenth anniversary of 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims.
Leader of the 6+ parliamentary group that gathers non-Serb minority communities, Mahir Yagcilar, said that they consider early elections not to be the right solution to the current political stalemate. Yagcilar said that everyone should make compromises so that new institutions of Kosovo can be established without further delay. “It is not an issue of whose side we are on, we simply want institutions to be formed. If the session is called after the Constitutional Court’s decision, we will take part in it, regardless of who calls it”, he said after the meeting of his group.
The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Tracey Ann Jacobson, said today that the US Embassy will not interfere in the political crisis. “The solution lies with the representatives of the people. I hope they will find a solution very soon. I fully support the process of consultations led by the President,” Jacobson said during a visit to the Kosovo Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Following a meeting between Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) representatives with Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga, PDK leader Hashim Thaci told reporters that this was another meeting in a series of consultations aimed at forming the new institutions.
According to reports from Klan Kosova, President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, has been invited by the European Commission to take part in an event organized in Belgrade.
President Jahjaga’s spokesperson, Arber Vllahiu, confirmed the news saying that the possibility of Jahjaga travelling to Serbia is being considered but he added that there is yet no official decision. Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, and Albania’s Edi Rama have also been invited to take part in the forum.
President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, met in New York with the Foreign Minister of the Bahamas, Frederick Mitchell, with whom she discussed processes important for Kosovo’s international consolidation and membership in international organisations. Jahjaga said that since declaration of independence in 2008, Kosovo has made a great deal of progress and has turned into a factor of stability in the region and strong promoter of good neighbourly relations.
President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, met in New York with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Madani, with whom she discussed current developments in Kosovo, international consolidation and the European perspective of the western Balkans.
President Jahjaga emphasized that Kosovo is a country that promotes peace and good neighbourly relations in the region and strives to gain membership in all relevant international organisations, states a press release issued by the President’s Office.
President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, was awarded with the prize for leadership in public service by the by the Clinton Global Initiative. On the occasion, Jahjaga said that building peace was not easy. “Fifteen years ago, Kosovo was a land covered in rubble. Lives were broken into thousands of pieces. Families were divided. Many forever. The fabric between ethnic communities torn. But out of those ashes, and out of those moments of pain, a determination, a strong will - not despair - emerged.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj, said that independence of Kosovo will soon be recognized by two more countries. Hoxhaj told Epoka e Re that Kosovo has gained a number of recognitions this year that proved the process is unstoppable.
“I expect certain countries to decide to recognize Kosovo by the end of the year”, said Hoxhaj adding that 2014 was more a year of multilateral diplomacy and that a priority was to gain membership in different international organisations.
Leader of Democratic Kosovo Turk Party (KDTP), Mahir Jagcilar, said the 6+ parliamentary groups will vote tomorrow for the candidate of the Kosovo Democratic Party (PDK), Arsim Bajrami.
“We will support PDK’s candidate for Assembly Speaker. Afterwards, we will see how things develop”, said Jagcilar.
Jagcilar also said that the Serb List has requested postponement of tomorrow’s session. “They are expected to make a written request. It will then be decided whether their justification is reasonable”, he added.