UNMIK Headlines 7 November
- Hoyt Yee: Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should continue (RTK)
- Bulliqi on Kosovo-Montenegro border: We visited Croatian archive (RTK)
- Thaci accuses members of border demarcation commission of deceit (Epoka)
- Montenegro FM: We are not about to annul an international agreement (Koha)
- Minister: It is time for EU to close mission in Kosovo (Koha)
- Government to ask EU to remove UNMIK from CEFTA (RFE/Koha/Zeri)
Kosovo Media Highlights
Hoyt Yee: Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should continue (RTK)
The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee, said that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should continue. “An internal dialogue has started in Serbia, but the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should also develop faster than it has so far. This is only an advice, being that it is on the two countries to decide,” Yee said. Asked about a journalist from the Voice of America about his statement that “Serbia should not be sitting on two seats, Yee said that his statement meant that Serbia should move as soon as possible towards EU. “It was not an ultimatum, it was an announcement. The subject was how should Serbian state move towards the European Union, and I gave a few advices,” Yee said. He added that America will remain Serbia’s partner.
Bulliqi on Kosovo-Montenegro border: We visited Croatian archive (RTK)
Shpejtim Bulliqi, Kosovo’s head of the Commission for demarcation of the border line with Montenegro, told RTK that members of this institution visited the state archives of Croatian and Slovenian army. He said that they have found documents there that he would not want to comment, being that they will be summarized and presented to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj.
Thaci accuses members of border demarcation commission of deceit (Epoka)
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, has accused the members of the Kosovo government’s commission on border demarcation of deceiving the public opinion by claiming to have found new evidence showing that Kosovo lost territory to Montenegro through the 2015 border demarcation agreement. Thaci said that the evidence the commission claims to have found is not grounded and is an attempt to manipulate the media and the public. “We cannot remain hostage to anyone’s whims and false causes which not only keep us in isolation but also threaten to damage state relations with Montenegro and above all, the Kosovo’s cooperation and trust with the U.S., NATO, and the EU,” Thaci wrote on Facebook.
Montenegro FM: We are not about to annul an international agreement (Koha)
Foreign Minister of Montenegro, Srdjan Darmanovic, said his country has so far never annulled an international agreement and does not plan to start with the one on border demarcation with Kosovo. “We did everything we had on our part,” Darmanovic said adding, “We will be patient and wait for possible positive developments in Kosovo as this is their internal matter.”
Minister: It is time for EU to close mission in Kosovo (Koha)
Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Abelard Tahiri, said in an interview to KTV that it is time for the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, to wind down its activity in Kosovo as Kosovo is ready to function as a country. “We are discussing the transitory stage with EULEX because it is present in our justice system through different ways. I think Kosovo has managed to build capacities on which it can function in the future,” Tahiri said. He noted that any assistance from the international community is welcomed but that it is time for EULEX to begin transferring its competencies to relevant Kosovo institutions.
Government to ask EU to remove UNMIK from CEFTA (RFE/Koha/Zeri)
The government of Kosovo plans to ask the EU Office to prevent UNMIK from continuing to represent Kosovo at the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), Radio Free Europe reported. Haki Shatri, advisor to Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, said that Kosovo is being unequally treated by being represented by UNMIK. “It is final time to show Kosovo is an independent country,” Shatri said. However, he added that this issue is being discussed and concrete actions have not been decided yet.