• Haradinaj: Opening the issue of borders would destabilize whole region! (media)
• Veseli and Haradinaj don’t meet (Koha)
• EU doesn’t know how to bring back Kosovo and Serbia to dialogue (Zeri)
• Kocijancic: Kosovo must lift the import tariff (media)
• Kosovo’s isolation increases radicalization (Kosova Sot)
• Thaci: We must show no compromise in the fight against corruption (media)
• OSCE requests from Kosovo to fight corruption (Epoka)
• Tahiri: Mogherini has betrayed European principles (Epoka)
• Rrahim Hashimi summoned by Specialist Chambers (media)
• Kosovo prepares for new census in 2021 (media)

Haradinaj: Opening the issue of borders would destabilize whole region! (media)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said in an interview to German media that opening the issue of borders in the Balkans would destabilize not only Kosovo but the whole region. He said Kosovo will not discuss about borders or territories and that the EU-brokered dialogue should have resulted in an agreement with Serbia that would include mutual recognition, but that this result was not achieved.

Haradinaj also said Kosovo has met all the requirements for visa liberalization but that the EU did not deliver on its part. Haradinaj said Kosovo has hailed the agreement between Northern Macedonia and Greece, “but that this energy is lacking when it comes to other open issues in the region.”

Veseli and Haradinaj don’t meet (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the import tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods has furthered the division between the leaders of the ruling coalition. Even though Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has denied that there is a split between him and the partner of the coalition, Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Kadri Veseli, they have been seen together only in meetings with international diplomats, where the central topic of discussion has been the request to lift the import tariff on Serbian goods.

Unnamed sources close to the ruling coalition told the paper on Wednesday that Veseli hasn’t been willing to meet Haradinaj because of his refusal to suspend the tariff for 120 days. “Veseli meanwhile has stepped up his activity on the field with PDK ministers, making promises that go beyond his mandate as President of the Assembly,” the paper notes.

EU doesn’t know how to bring back Kosovo and Serbia to dialogue (Zeri)

The paper reports on its front page that Serbia’s main condition to return to the final phase of dialogue is the lifting of the 100 percent import tariff. While Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj is adamant that Pristina will not lift the tariff on Serbian goods, the European Union says that there is no alternative for the parties to return to the table of talks.

Political commentators in Pristina meanwhile argue that under the current circumstances an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo this year is out of the question.

Kocijancic: Kosovo must lift the import tariff (media)

Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for the European Commission, said on Wednesday that the European Union along with United States of America and other countries have once again called on the Kosovo Government to lift the tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods, adding that this measure distracts the process of dialogue and Kosovo’s path toward the EU.

Kocijancic told Shekulli newspaper that “the status-quo is not an alternative and there is no alternative the resumption of the dialogue between the parties. Tariffs not only stand in the way to the dialogue but also in the way of Kosovo’s European integration”.

Kosovo’s isolation increases radicalization (Kosova Sot)

The European Parliament discussed on Wednesday liberalization of visas for Kosovo citizens. The paper reports that there were clear distinctions in the positions with regards to this issue. However, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Kosovo Tanja Fajon said the EU has failed to fulfill promises made to Kosovo.

“The increase of radicalism is not related to travel restriction, especially for youth and for visiting purposes. But yes, the increase of radicalism may be a result of Kosovo’s isolation and frustration, since the EU failed to fulfil its promise. If today you say that Kosovo has not met the requirements, you are simply lying, you are being irresponsible,” she said.

Fajon also took to Twitter to write that Europe is losing credibility, and citizens of Kosovo are losing hope.

Thaci: We must show no compromise in the fight against corruption (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said in Pristina on Wednesday that Kosovo has achieved progress in fighting high-level corruption and that the phenomenon is a serious threat for all developing countries. “Corruption is a serious threat not only to our country but to all developing countries, because it creates major problems in the economy and also in security,” Thaci said during an OSCE-organized conference on preventing and combating high-level corruption. He said Kosovo must show no compromise in preventing and fighting corruption. “The rule of law and good governance must combat this negative phenomenon. Kosovo has undertaken a series of actions in the rule of law area. We have set up mechanisms to combat this phenomenon,” he added.

OSCE requests from Kosovo to fight corruption (Epoka)

The OSCE Head of Mission in Kosovo, Jan Braathu, said today in Pristina that his mission is committed to assist the Kosovo Government in the fight against corruption. During a conference on high-level corruption, Braathu called on heads of Kosovo institutions to put in more work in the fight against corruption because only in this way can they help restore the people’s trust in the institutions.

Braathu also said that last year they monitored 169 cases of corruption involving senior officials from both the local and central government, mainly for the misuse of official duty.

Tahiri: Mogherini has betrayed European principles (Epoka)

Edita Tahiri, former Minister for Dialogue, believes that now is not the right time to resume with the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. She told the paper that the new EU leadership should be waited for the final agreement between the two countries. According to her, chief of EU diplomacy, Frederica Mogherini, has betrayed European principals.

According to her, the 100-percent tariff on Serbian products, is currently the only mechanism that kills the idea of change of the borders. She called on political parties to unite for the interest of Kosovo, in this case, defense of its borders.

Rrahim Hashimi summoned by Specialist Chambers (media)

Former fighter of KLA Delta Commando Forces, Brigade 138-Drenica Operative Zone Rrahim Hashimi, has been summoned by the Specialist Chambers.

He said that he has been summoned as a suspect. “I will show up in front of that body on 9th April 2019 in The Hague,” he said at a press conference organised by the KLA war veterans’ organisations.

Kosovo prepares for new census in 2021 (media)

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, received on today European Statistics (EUROSTAT) Director Eduardo Barredo Capelo to discuss second census in Kosovo set to be held in 2021.

Hoxhaj expressed to Capelo appreciation for support and cooperation, noting that the drafting of the Law on Kosovo Population and Housing Census is ongoing. “I met this morning with the Director General for Cooperation and Statistical Coordination, Eduardo Barredo Capelot, to discuss preparations for the second census in 2021. I informed him on the work done so far to prepare for the process as good as possible and expressed gratitude for continuous support and cooperation through the Agency of Statistics,” Hoxhaj said.