• Kurti reaches out to Mustafa in an effort to form new government (Telegrafi)
• Thaci accuses EU of double standards (media)
• Kurti reacts to Vucic’s denial of Recak massacre (Koha)
• Kosovo MFA condemns Serbia’s ‘inhumane’ approach to war crimes (media)
• EU: No place for negating events in Recak (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Kurti reaches out to Mustafa in an effort to form new government (Telegrafi)

The news website reports that leader of Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) Albin Kurti has reached out to the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa in an effort to form the new government of Kosovo.

LVV officials confirmed Kurti contacted Mustafa while LDK's Vjosa Osmani said they are waiting for an invitation from LVV for the next meeting. "I believe a meeting will take place as soon as possible but we have no exact date. The Vetevendosje Movement, as a winner, normally initiates meetings so we are waiting for an invitation. It is necessary to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and eliminate any smearing campaign," Osmani said.

Thaci accuses EU of double standards (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci accused the EU of applying double standards to the Western Balkans countries.

“While Kosovo is being blocked in liberalization and [North] Macedonia and Albania are being blocked in negotiations, to Serbia, the opening of new chapters has been promised. We are witnessing that the ones who are being rewarded are the ones who are blackmailing the EU with the relationship with Russia”, Thaci said at a conference in Berlin organised by the East-West Institute.

He said that as NATO summit got underway in London, the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic travelled to Russia and that this is an indicator of Serbia’s orientation. “Also, during the previous day we have heard statements from Serbian leaders denying the crimes and the genocide in Kosovo.”

Thaci also spoke about visa liberalisation saying that a positive decision should be taken as soon as possible. “We do not see this as a gift, but it is something that Kosovo deserves and has met the criteria to receive it. Secondly, the opening of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania should take place in the near future. The blocking of negotiations was a bad message for the entire Western Balkans,” he said.

Thaci further noted that there is no alternative to dialogue with Serbia saying that any process with Serbia should take place at an equal footing and with political consensus in Kosovo. “I am President and will invest in reaching the internal consensus in Kosovo. Polarisations do not stop in a pluralistic system, but the time has come to have a set of priorities between the position and the opposition, in order not to have any differences in these issues”, he said.

Kurti reacts to Vucic’s denial of Recak massacre (Koha)

Leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) Albin Kurti has reacted to the statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that the Recak massacre was a fabrication.

“He refused to call Srebrenica a genocide, now he denies Reçak's massacre. He wants to move into a peaceful future without accepting crimes of the past. But genocide, mass-graves and massacres are Serbia's truth. It's time for Vucic to start dealing with it,” Kurti wrote on Twitter.

Kosovo MFA condemns Serbia’s ‘inhumane’ approach to war crimes (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing deep concern over the ‘inhumane’ approach of Serb officials towards atrocities their forces committed in the former Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.

The Ministry said that Serbian military and police forces killed over 13,000 Albanian civilians in Kosovo and raped 20,000 women, looted and burnt 120,000 houses; and that international courts have convicted tens of Serbian leaders for crimes against humanity.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo calls on relevant institutions of international community, especially the democratic world - the European Union and the United States of America to put pressure on Serbia’s institutional leaders to stop language of racial hatred and denial of crimes documented by the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal because their current discourse prevents building of good neighbourly relations and as a result threatens peace and security of this part of Europe,” the statement reads.

EU: No place for negating events in Recak (Balkan Insight)

A spokesperson for the European Union’s mission in Kosovo told BIRN on Friday it was up to the courts to determine whether or not any statement constitutes a criminal offence.

“One thing is clear, there is no place for negating or relativising the events which took place in Racak in Kosovo in January 1999. Denial and revisionism are contrary to the values of the European Union and are contrary to the project of integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union,” an EU spokesperson said.

The statement comes after the several Serbian officials, including President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the Recak massacre was fabricated.