• Thaci, Vucic meet behind closed doors in Washington (media)
• Thaci: Meeting with Vucic focused on need for achieving final settlement (RFE/Klan)
• Kurti: Thaci has no authority to sign agreement with Serbia (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo PM Kurti writes to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo (media)
• Kurti: We seek a mature and not a hastened dialogue (RTK)
• Abazi: A document drafted by Thaci cripples Kosovo’s statehood (Bota Sot)
• Kosovo Assembly fails to take decision on tax (media)
• Haxhiu: Our agreement with LDK is to replace tariff with reciprocity (Express)
• Haziri: Eastern Kosovo Albanians should unite with their homeland (RTK)
• Vucic: New withdrawals of recognition of Kosovo expected (RTK)
• Dacic: Sierra Leone has derecognised Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

 Kosovo Media Highlights

Thaci, Vucic meet behind closed doors in Washington (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci met President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic at the White House in a meeting that took place behind closed doors and was also attended by the U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.

Thaci confirmed the meeting on a Facebook post saying that he was returning to Kosovo right away and asked to address the Assembly of Kosovo on Wednesday or Thursday and brief MPs on his meeting.

“Standing united, institutions, political parties and citizens, Kosovo will be even stronger. The U.S. is our hope and faith. Forever grateful,” Thaci wrote.

Koha Ditore quotes Belgrade media outlet Blic saying that the officials in the meeting underlined the importance of the tax being lifted and for negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina to start as soon as the tax is revoked.

Thaci: Meeting with Vucic focused on need for achieving final settlement (RFE/Klan)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci spoke to Radio Free Europe about his meeting with Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic and said that they discussed the need for a peaceful solution to Kosovo-Serbia issues and the possibility for reaching a final settlement.

"The meeting was correct, constructive, without anything special. Good will was demonstrated to move things forward in the interest of the two countries," Thaci said.

"The end of dialogue should come as soon as possible with a final agreement that includes mutual recognition, no more no less, under the current territorial integrity. The whole process will help speed up Kosovo's itnegration in NATO and EU, as well as Kosovo's membership in United Nations. We have no time to lose and naturally we need to work closely with our partners. We cannot expect anything from other addresses, such as European Union, with two people whose countries have not recognised independence of Kosovo. We now have an offer from Washington and we need to move forward," he said.

Asked about what this offer includes, Thaci said that the U.S. has recognised Kosovo as an independent country and the offer is "peace, stability, development and integration in NATO and EU."

Thaci also spoke to Klan Kosova following his meeting with Vucic calling it "a turning point."

"The meeting in Washington is a turning point because for the first time we have seen such a meeting in the history of the two countries organised by the United States in Washington. Of course this will bring news and attention from the local and international public opinion."

He again criticised EU for lack of unity and vision. "Now when we have two foreign policy chiefs - Borrell from Spain that has not recognised independence of Kosovo and the other expected to be appointed from Slovakia - what can we expect from European Union apart from being sanctioned by not granting visa liberalisation."

Kurti: Thaci has no authority to sign agreement with Serbia (Telegrafi)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said at the Kosovo Assembly yesterday that President Hashim Thaci cannot sign an agreement with Serbia on behalf of Kosovo.

"The president has no authority to sign agreement with Serbia. I know he had a plan which was more than an idea, to have the tariff removed and the next day not to begin the dialogue but to end it but this will not be the case because a new government is now in place," Kurti said.

Kosovo PM Kurti writes to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has written to the U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanking them about the support to Kosovo and informing them about the decision to lift the tariff on raw material from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"As of 15 March, we will begin to phase out tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, introduced by the previous government. Initially, the tariff of raw material will be dropped. We do this as an expression of good diplomatic gesture and as a sign of our commitment to work closely with the United States on dialogue with Serbia. We hope our actions will be reciprocated by Belgrade which we hope will remove all nontariff barriers on trade with Kosovo, and stop campaign for derecognition of Kosovo. We also call on the United States and the European Union to set up monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms to ensure the two sides abide by the pledges made during the current and future agreements," Kurti said.

Kurti also said that there has been in the past period a lack of coordination between Kosovo representatives on the issue of dialogue with Serbia "and the absence of clarity on who speaks on behalf of Kosovo in the international scene and the negotiating table.”

"The Government and me as prime minister have the constitutional mandate, political will, and legal duty, as well as full and exclusive responsibility to take over leadership of this process and represent Kosovo at the highest diplomatic level.

"We look forward to beginning work with you, your diplomats and envoys, as well as our partners at the European Union, to push this process forward," Kurti said adding that his government sees relations with the U.S. as being of highest strategic importance and welcomes the positive impact Trump's administration has had on the Western Balkans.

Kurti: We seek a mature and not a hastened dialogue (RTK)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti hosted a meeting with the Italian Ambassador to Kosovo Nicola Orlando and his deputy, Matteo Corradini.

The Office of the Prime Minister informed that Orlando congratulated the readiness of PM Kurti for a significant step on resuming the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the European Union.

Kurti on the other hand expressed concern about any ready decision which does not involve participation and avoids representation. “We seek a dialogue on mature and not hastened bases,” he said.

At the end of the meeting Kurti expressed appreciation to Italy for its role in KFOR and reiterated his commitment to act in accordance and in contact with KFOR and its Commander.

Abazi: A document drafted by Thaci cripples Kosovo’s statehood (Bota Sot)

Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Haki Abazi, said that President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of Kosovo and also spoke about a document he said Thaci has prepared which ‘cripples’ the statehood of Kosovo.

“This is not the first time that a surprise is created to the country, and I would like to recall to you the creation of specialist chambers and then the attempt to undo them by threatening relations with supporting countries.

“Today, we should not be concerned because relations with the U.S. were and will remain strong and permanent.

“Today, we have a responsibility before the citizens to call the president of Kosovo to return home, respect the decision of the citizens and sit down with the prime minister of the country.”

Kosovo Assembly fails to take decision on tax (media)

Kosovo Assembly MPs discussed yesterday in an extraordinary session called by the opposition the import tariff on Serbia but failed to come up with any resolution, media report.

Koha Ditore writes that all parliamentary parties presented different versions of what they believed should be undertaken with regards to the tariff's removal and only the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) stood against any measures that would imply easing the tariff.

The paper also reports that as the session drew to an end, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) came with an offer to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to harmonise a position that would call for immediate full lifting of the tax. PDK meanwhile rejected the offer telling the LDK that it should not try to hide and that the decision should be taken at the level of the government.

Zeri meanwhile notes that there was no coordination between opposition parties on the issue of the tax and quotes Prime Minister Albin Kurti saying that the decision to lift the tariff on raw material is the right move. "I am taking a step of good will and it is up to Serbia to prove itself," he said.

Haxhiu: Our agreement with LDK is to replace tariff with reciprocity (Express)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu told T7 broadcaster that they agreed with their coalition partner before the elections, to lift the tariff and replace it with reciprocity.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti told this broadcaster that PM Albin Kurti did not consult them about partial lifting of the tariff.

“We have a written agreement with LDK prior to forming the government. I believe that what was written between the leaders of the two political parties is more valid in this case.” Haxhiu said. She further explained on Vetevendosje Movement’s persistence for establishment of reciprocity measures.

Haziri: Eastern Kosovo Albanians should unite with their homeland (RTK)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and mayor of Gjilan, Lutfi Haziri, wrote on his Facebook account that ‘the time has come for Albanians of Eastern Kosovo to unite with their homeland.’

“Our Republic is the painful compromise of the rightful solution for Albanians in Balkans,” Haziri also wrote.

Vucic: New withdrawals of recognition of Kosovo expected (RTK)

The president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said in Washington that his country would suspend diplomatic activities for withdrawal of the recognition of the independence of Kosovo if Albanians stop requesting from Serbia to recognize Kosovo.

“Do not request recognition, we will not recognize you. But they did not want to accept this,” Vucic said adding that Pristina believes that Serbia’s diplomatic actions to convince countries to withdraw recognition of Kosovo ‘affects their position as an independent country.”

He reiterated that Serbia is ready for discussions if Pristina lifts the tariffs. “when Albanians lift their tariffs, we are ready to talks about essential issues,” he told journalists in Washington. He added that the U.S. have not requested anything from Serbia in exchange of Kosovo’s lifting of the tariff.

He said he does not see at the moment what would a compromised solution be as both parties are equally dissatisfied.

He informed that he will also have discussions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel within a few days. “The important thing is that dialogue must resume, let us not underrate each other, as there is no winner in this. We have to live side by side in the next one hundred years,” Vucic said.

Vucic also informed that new withdrawals of recognition of independence of Kosovo are expected in the following days. 

Speaking about his meeting with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Vucic told Serbian broadcaster RTS that Serbia is waiting for the removal of the tax to pave way for discussion of "substantial issues".

Dacic: Sierra Leone has derecognised Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that Sierra Leone has decided to revoke recognition of Kosovo.

Dacic, who is on an official visit to the country, made the statement to Tanjug news agency.