• European Parliament confirms support for Kosovo visa liberalization (media)
• Limaj: Haradinaj went beyond our joint position (Koha)
• The government under NISMA’s threats (Zeri)
• Kukan: Kosovo-Serbia agreement is reached only by lifting the tariff (RTK)
• U.S. Ambassador Kosnett meets Serbs in Gracanica (Epoka)
• President Thaci and COMKFOR discuss security situation (Epoka)
• Thaci: Serbia committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo (media)
• Haradinaj: Police officers in Djuric case should be decorated (media)
• Russia’s Ambassador: Border correction, a U.S. project (media)
• Kisic: Talks on Kosovo partition should be stopped (Koha)
• British embassy withdraws support for recruitment of ERO Board chief (media)

European Parliament confirms support for Kosovo visa liberalization (media)

Koha Ditore reports on its front page that the European Parliament confirmed on Thursday its support for visa liberalization for Kosovo, but that the issue is now in the hands of the EU Council of Ministers, because of concerns of some member states over illegal migration and the lack of results in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

Most media quote the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, as saying that “Kosovo remains the last black spot on the visa liberalization map in the Western Balkans”. Fajon tweeted: “I ask why has the EU Council and EU governments not delivered on their promise?! As Europe we are losing our credibility and Kosovar citizens their hope. We remain fully committed to visa liberalization”.

The European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, too said on Wednesday that Kosovo deserves visa liberalization. Kosovo

Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, took to Facebook to say that the European Union has confirmed the mandate for the start of trialogue for Kosovo visa liberalization. Haradinaj took to Facebook to argue that it is unfair to deny freedom of movement to the people of Kosovo, as the latter has met all the requirements in the process. “It is totally unfair, frustrating and discouraging to deny the people of Kosovo their freedom of movement in Europe. On behalf of the institutions and people of Kosovo, we call on the capitals of EU member states to conclude the visa liberalization for Kosovo,” Haradinaj wrote.

Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, told a press conference in Pristina on Thursday that every delay by the European Union in giving visa liberalization to Kosovo will damage the credibility of the EU itself, several news websites report. Veseli, who leads the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), also said that Kosovo has met all the requirements in the visa liberalization process.

“The EU has not honored its own decision. We are the only country that doesn’t have visa liberalization … They are taking away our youth and this is concerning because they are giving work visas to thousands of our youth and they’re not giving us visa liberalization,” Veseli added.

Limaj: Haradinaj went beyond our joint position (Koha)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Fatmir Limaj, told KTV in an interview on Thursday evening that the import tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods had its effect but that “with his request for Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia, Prime Minister Haradinaj went beyond our joint decision”.

“There came a point when political decisions, such as the decision to introduce the import tariff shocked Serbian officials; they realized we were very serious and perhaps there were signs from Serbia that they are ready to start respecting our state. Political decisions are not permanent, and if they reach the desired result, one needs to sit down and discuss them. The Prime Minister then went a step further. He went beyond our joint position. He went from the tariff to the request for recognition. We would all like for this to happen, but we know that in reality we need to have dialogue with Serbia sooner or later,” Limaj said.

The government under NISMA’s threats (Zeri)

The paper reports on its front page that Kosovo could go to early parliamentary elections if the Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) does not get a seat in the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Representatives of NISMA, which is a partner in the ruling coalition, have warned in recent statements that they could join forces with opposition parties in an attempt to overthrow the government if they don’t get a representative in the CEC.

Kukan: Kosovo-Serbia agreement is reached only by lifting the tariff (RTK)

Head of the European Parliament Committee for Cooperation with Serbia, Eduard Kukan, called on Kosovo on Thursday to lift the 100 percent import tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods.

“The first step would be that the authorities in Pristina suspend the 100% customs tariffs on goods produced in Serbia. Both Serbia and Kosovo should remain multi-ethnic and any agreement could only be acceptable if it is mutually agreed, in line with international law and if it takes into account the overall stability in the region. Such an agreement can be achieved, if there is a political will,” Kukan said.

U.S. Ambassador Kosnett meets Serbs in Gracanica (Epoka)

Ambassador to Kosovo Philip Kosnett visited on Thursday Gracanica Municipality, where he met with representatives of Serb community.

“Learned a great deal from meeting in Gracanica with members of the Kosovo Serb community—important to hear about the successes and challenges they are facing and ways we can work together to support peace, justice, and prosperity for Kosovo,” Kosnett wrote on his Twitter account.

President Thaci and COMKFOR discuss security situation (Epoka)

The President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci met on Thursday with KFOR Commander Lorenzo D’Addario, to discuss the security situation in Kosovo. “KFOR remains the most reliable institution in Kosovo for all citizens of all communities,” Thaci said. D’Addario expressed satisfaction with regards to the cooperation between KFOR and Kosovo institutions. They concluded that the security situation is good.

Thaci: Serbia committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said on Thursday that “Serbia committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo”. He made these remarks during a memorial academy for the 20^th anniversary of the massacre at Izbica. “The Serbian state committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. It expelled hundreds of thousands of Albanians from Kosovo. It burned and looted the wealth of our people. We will never forget Serbia’s crimes on the people of Kosovo,” Thaci said.

Haradinaj: Police officers in Djuric case should be decorated (media)

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP, Daut Haradinaj, argued on Thursday against investigations into the arrest one year ago of Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo. Haradinaj argued on a Facebook post that the investigations must be closed, and the police officers involved in the operation must be decorated.

“The police officers did not use force and everything that can be seen was a rational action according to the situation. Therefore, this case must be closed, and the officers should be decorated for doing their job with honor,” Haradinaj wrote.

Russia’s Ambassador: Border correction, a U.S. project (media)

Aleksandar Karpusin, Russia’s Ambassador to Albania told A2 CNN that Russians have never talked about the correction of birders between Kosovo and Serbia. “It is not very clear to me why do you request from me, Russia’s representative, to comment an idea which is being promoted by American officials. As you might recall, initially, in August 2018, it was President Trump’s adviser for national security John Bolton who spoke about eventual implementation of this scenario, while later, in the beginning of March 2019, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer spoke about it,” Karpusin said.

“On the other hand, there was not a single case when Russian leaders spoke about reconsidering the borders in the region. Russia fully supports the current discussions between Belgrade and Pristina. President Putin has stressed several times that our country is ready to accept any mutually accepted solution that the parties will reach through dialogue and in accordance with resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council. So far, we have not heard about a single official notification that would confirm that the parties are discussing change of borders as a suitable option for the resolution of the situation,” he added.

Kisic: Talks on Kosovo partition should be stopped (Koha)

Izabela Kisic, executive director of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, said on Thursday that talks on Kosovo partition should be stopped at once because they have dramatically worsened the situation of Serbs in Kosovo. “A compromise between the two sides should not focus on land swap but rather on an overall better situation of the population,” Kisic said during a presentation of a report on the position of the Serb community in Kosovo. She also said that Serbs living in the south and north of Kosovo are against partition and that they are now living in a worse situation than before.

“They feel fear and insecurity ever since talks for Kosovo’s partition have started and now, they can no longer plan their future in Kosovo. They fear that if partition does happen, the people will be expelled, and the Serbs that will remain south of Ibar will be completely marginalized,” she added. Kisic said Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has agreed with the recommendations of the 40-page report “and now we will have to wait and see if he will work on it”.

“Kosovo’s partition would mean the creation of ethnic states in the Balkans and this would be fatal not only for the Serb minority in Kosovo, but for all minorities in the region and Serbia itself,” she said. Kisic also argued that the Serbian List is “a pawn in Belgrade’s hands” and that it does not represent the interests of the Kosovo Serb community.

British embassy withdraws support for recruitment of ERO Board chief (media)

All media report that the British embassy has withdrawn its support for the recruitment of the chief of the board of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). The embassy said in a statement it was disappointed that Kosovo MPs failed to appoint to this position one of the candidates proposed through the embassy’s recruitment project.

The embassy further said that its experts would not support another recruitment process for the position. “The British Embassy exercises a high degree of vigilance when spending British taxpayers’ money. We will not provide funding for extra recruitment processes, when there is no reason to repeat the recruitment process except a lack of will to appoint qualified candidates,” the British Embassy announced. According to the statement the recommended candidates were selected through a well-structured, professional and meritocratic process. They had met all the relevant criteria and demonstrated the competences necessary to exercise the position of Head of ERO Board. Despite this transparent recruitment process, Members of the Assembly did not vote for any of the recommended candidates. The failure to appoint one of the recommended candidates contravenes the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo. This decision also calls into question the intention and political will of the Members of the Assembly of Kosovo to ensure professional appointments in senior positions in independent institutions in sectors of vital importance to Kosovo’s resources and economy,” the statement noted.