• Apparent differences at Summit that aimed regional cooperation (Koha)
• Borissov calls on Kosovo and Serbia to resume talks (Zeri)
• Tahiri: Mogherini started well, but ended badly (Zeri)
• Lekaj: Claims by opposition, a boring chorus line (Epoka)
• Haavisto: It is time for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations (media)
• Serwer: EU is harsh with Kosovo, tariff is not functioning (RTK)
• Haradinaj: Justice must be served for the Bytyqi brothers (Zeri)
• Thaci: Good neighborly relations between Kosovo and Greece (Bota Sot)

Apparent differences at Summit that aimed regional cooperation (Koha)

The paper reports in its leading front-page story on the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit which was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Albanian President Ilir Meta said at the summit that there can be no efficient regional cooperation, if some countries in the region still try to prevent Kosovo from attending such events. “Now is the right time not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should have made all efforts to guarantee that Kosovo would attend the summit, but for every other country to move toward accepting and recognising this reality. The Republic of Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state and it should be treated respectfully first and foremost by its neighbours,” Meta said. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic reacted to Meta’s remarks saying that they are a provocation. “We will not be provoked. The SEECP does not recognise Kosovo,” Brnabic was quoted as saying.

Borissov calls on Kosovo and Serbia to resume talks (Zeri)

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Tuesday that Kosovo and Serbia should resume talks and resolve their disputes, the paper reports on page two. At the South-East European Cooperation Process Summit in Sarajevo, Borissov said that Pristina’s import tariff on Serbian goods was complicating matters and added that Bulgaria and Turkey too have certain problems, but their representatives meet and try to resolve them.

Tahiri: Mogherini started well, but ended badly (Zeri)

Kosovo’s former chief negotiator in talks with Serbia, Edita Tahiri, said in a front-page interview to the paper that, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini until last year defended European principles in the Balkans, but has recently violated these principles, “by going into adventures that can result in new wars in the Balkans”. The paper also quotes Kosovo’s Minister of European Integration, Dhurata Hoxha, as saying that more could have been done during Mogherini’s mandate in terms of visa liberalisation for Kosovo. “Mogherini had a major role, but we expected more … We did our homework with the international community, we implemented reforms, the SAA and a series of approximating actions with the European Union. We still face challenges, but we need greater supporter from European mechanisms,” Hoxha said.

Lekaj: Claims by opposition, a boring chorus line (Epoka)

Kosovo’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Pal Lekaj, said in a front-page interview to the paper that claims by opposition parties that they will bring down the Haradinaj-led government “are a boring chorus line”. Lekaj, who is a senior member of Haradinaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, said that the opposition should submit the no-confidence motion against the government if it has the required number of votes. “We are ready for elections, if they are held tomorrow,” he said.

Haavisto: It is time for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations (media)

Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Finland welcomes efforts for integration of Western Balkans in the European Union. In a statement for media Haavisto said Kosovo in on its way towards EU membership. “After the conclusion of Yugoslav wars, resulting with dissolving of Yugoslavia, the European Union offered perspectives of EU membership for the affected countries. The policy is sustainable: Western Balkans is not a neighbouring region; they are in the heart of Europe. EU should respect its engagements, because other players such as Russia and China are also expressing interest on this field,” Haavisto said. He further stressed that it is time for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize their relations.

Serwer: EU is harsh with Kosovo, tariff is not functioning (RTK)

Daniel Serwer, U.S. expert on the Balkans, said on Tuesday that Serbia is not ready yet to reach an agreement on recognition of Kosovo. He added that the European Union should put pressure on both countries. According to Serwer, failure of the Paris meeting revealed once again the problems and flows of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. He also said that it is obvious that the Kosovo government’s tariff on Serbia’s products did not serve to approximation between the parties. On the other hand, the EU appears to be harsher with Kosovo, despite the annual report showing that it has fulfilled conditions for removal of visas, the Council of EU Minister is still sceptical.

Haradinaj: Justice must be served for the Bytyqi brothers (Zeri)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that his government will not stop seeking justice for the killing of Bytyqi brothers, U.S. nationals, in Serbia in 1999. Agron, Yll and Mehmet, were American – Kosovo Albanian members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army, and they were killed by Serbian police shortly after the war in Kosovo, while in custody. Haradinaj wrote in a Facebook post: “On the 20th anniversary of the killing of the Bytyqi brothers – Agron, Yll and Mehmet – we remember their sacrifice for the freedom of the motherland. They came from the United States to join the defendants of this land and the essence of their fall unfolds the true dimension of our fight for liberty. Their execution without trial and the absence of justice makes Serbia guilty even to this day. Bowing to the capital deed of the three Heroes of Kosovo, the Government pledges that it will never stop until justice is served”.

Thaci: Good neighborly relations between Kosovo and Greece (Bota Sot)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci congratulated the elected Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Congratulations to Kyriakos Mitsotakis and New Democracy for the victory in elections in Greece. I look forward to continuing to work on building good neighbourly relations between Kosovo and Greece, for mutual benefit and the benefit of the region,” Thaci wrote on his Twitter account.