Headlines - 12.08.2016

Mustafa: Government reformatting, after demarcation (Zëri) 

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said on Thursday that the process of reformatting the government will start after the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. Informing he is in discussions with coalition partners for possible ways to reformat the government, he also said that this issue will not be finalized prior to 1 September.  Mustafa also said he believes the demarcation deal will be ratified by the Assembly on 1 September.  He said he will use the time until 1 September to communicate with the public and inform them that Kosovo does not lose land with this agreement. “I expect from the MPs to vote for the agreement, because there is no reason why Kosovo should not have international borders,” he said, adding that the government will not jeopardize the visa liberalization process. 

Montenegro unilaterally implementing border demarcation agreement (Koha)

The recent action of Montenegro authorities in not allowing Kosovo residents to access their property located along the border has been interpreted by legal experts as a unilateral implementation of the border demarcation agreement. Experts claim that for as long as the Kosovo side does not ratify the border demarcation agreement, the old borderline should be respected and suggest that Kosovo institutions should send a note of protest to Montenegrin authorities over their actions.

Communities say yes to demarcation deal (Zëri)

The paper reports that the MPs representing non-Albanian communities in the Kosovo Assembly are expected to vote in favor of the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro on 1 September. Minister of Public Administration who also represents the Turkish community, Mahir Yagcilar, told the paper that the issue of border demarcation should be finalized as soon as possible, because it might create an unstable situation in Kosovo. According to him, the government commission on demarcation presented sufficient evidence for minority communities to support the demarcation deal. 

30 days house arrest for Konjufca and Çaushi (Zëri/Kosova Sot)

The Vetëvendosje Movement parliamentary group chief, Glauk Konjufca, and MP Driton Çaushi were put under 30 days house arrest for setting off teargas inside the Kosovo Assembly building. Vetëvendosje, through a press statement, said this decision was unfair and unacceptable. “Putting MPs under house arrest who defended the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic and leaving the criminals free who are destroying our country, is the best reflection on how the justice system works in Kosovo,” reads the press statement. 

Selimi rebuts Çollaku on visa liberalisation statement (Bota Sot)

Vetëvendosje MP, Rexhep Selimi, has reacted to the statement of Kosovo’s Minister of European Integration, Bekim Çollaku, that there can be no visa liberalization without ratifying the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. Selimi said that the two issues are not linked and that the reason why there is no visa liberalisation lies with the government of Kosovo. He added that Çollaku is fully aware that there will be no visa liberalisation this year and now tries to shift the responsibility to the opposition.

KFOR troops help FYROM in coping with flood disaster (Koha)

A KFOR contingent left Kosovo for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to help with flooding relief operations in Skopje. Personnel from KFOR’s Swiss and Austrian contingents already arrived in Skopje and will help with heavy lift and engineer assets.