• 19 new cases of coronavirus in last 24 hours (media)
• Former PM: I cannot do the handover to a person I dismissed (media)
• President Thaci: Kurti to release usurped offices as soon as possible (media)
• Osmani: New government doesn't represent the citizens' will (media)
• EP Rapporteur comments on Kosovo government vote (media)
• Thaci responds to allegations of influencing MPs vote (media)
• Ahmeti: Unheard for a president go and convince MPs how to vote (Telegrafi)
• Thaci: I will not go to Brussels for dialogue with Lajcak (T7)
• Lajcak: We expect close cooperation on EU-facilitated dialogue (media)
• British Embassy commends peaceful formation of new government (media)
• Austrian Chancellor: We will continue to support Kosovo (media)
• Albanian PM Rama congratulates new government (media)
• Kusari: High-ranking officials confirmed Thaci is negotiating land swap (T7)
• Latifi: Thaci will sign agreement with Serbia, Hoti govt will implement it (media)
• Serwer: Kosovo’s new government is ill-fated (net/Prishtina Insight)
• Trucks come in from Serbia bearing "Republic of Kosovo" papers (Koha)

 Kosovo Media Highlights

19 new cases of coronavirus in last 24 hours (media)

Most media outlets reported on Wednesday that 19 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the last 24 hours.

The new cases are from the municipalities of Vushtrri, Fushe Kosove, Obiliq, Podujeva, Kamenica and Mitrovica.

Former PM: I cannot do the handover to a person I dismissed (media)

Kosovo’s former Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in a video-message entitled “Four months of good governance” on Wednesday said he would relieve his post on Thursday. “Today marks four months since my election as Prime Minister and starting from tomorrow I will no longer be in this office. Four months of good governance, 39 good meetings of the governments, and 213 decisions that have made politics a lot better in Kosovo,” he said.

Kurti thanked the people for their support and his associates. “Since the October 6 2019 elections, we have proved that are the biggest party in the country and in the Assembly, that the main political party in the Republic of Kosovo is called the Vetevendosje Movement. We have proved that you can govern without an agreement with the Serbian List and without being dependent on them. We have proved that the government cabinet can be downsized, and the democratic state can become stronger,” he said.

He thanked the public administration for their work, the government cabinet for cooperation and his advisors for their suggestions. 

Kurti said his party – the Vetevendosje Movement – is the biggest in Kosovo. 

Commenting on his governance, Kurti said he reduced the government cabinet and the salaries of government officials and that he stopped what he called “the financial bleeding”. 

Kurti said the recent decision by the Constitutional Court is unacceptable. “With the decision, they committed an aggression against the Constitution of the Republic, and they have devaluated themselves as a court,” he said. 

Commenting on the new government led by LDK’s Avdullah Hoti, Kurti said: “this is a useless and an illegitimate government; we are the alternative government. I will not do the handover tomorrow because I cannot accept the person that I dismissed, and he yielded to the President in the meantime. We will continue our battle. We will come back very soon”.

President Thaci: Kurti to release usurped offices as soon as possible (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci welcomed on Wednesday the election of the new government of Kosovo and congratulated the members of the Kosovo Assembly.

“As President of the country, I congratulate the members of the Assembly on their institutional maturity, those voted in favor and those that maintained their positions. It is an important day because another stone was laid in the foundation of the statehood of Kosovo. I want the congratulate Prime Minister Hoti and all ministers for assuming their new duties. We have no time to lose, we need to address the challenges that await us,” Thaci said in a press conference. 

Thaci called on former Prime Minister Kurti to free the offices for the new government. “Kurti is required to easily handover the office to the Hoti government. Kurti needs to give up on the barricade of the usurped office. This barricade does not serve him, his party, the state of Kosovo or democracy in Kosovo. Following his dismissal, he is becoming even more ridiculous,” he said. 

Thaci also said the people and Kosovo’s partners expect the new government to further reforms in the economy, the rule of law and good governance. “The new government must show a high level of responsibility for membership in NATO and EU,” he said. 

Thaci also called on the European Union to acknowledge Kosovo’s achievements and not delay the decision on visa liberalisation any further. 

Osmani: New government doesn't represent the citizens' will (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani said that a government of Kosovo that relies on the votes from Belgrade can never represent the citizens' of Kosovo will.

"A government relying on Serbian List votes, namely on Belgrade, whose 61st vote was secured by President Thaci in violation to his constitutional role, can never represent the citizens' will," Osmani is quoted by the Telegrafi news outlet.

EP Rapporteur comments on Kosovo government vote (media)

Several news websites reported on Wednesday that Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Member of the European Parliament, Standing Rapporteur for Kosovo, commented on the vote of the new government of Kosovo: 

“I would like to wish a successful work for Mr. Avdullah Hoti and his government in Pristina. The government has a lot to do, these are crucial times both for domestic and international issues, I hope the new government will be able to execute reforms and work for a better Kosovo.” 

“However, we cannot turn a blind eye on the circumstances of the election of Mr Hoti. The democratically elected members of the Parliament of Kosovo were under extremely big pressure from LDK leadership and from President Thaci. Various sources claimed that the president visited personally those members of the Assembly, whose vote for the new government was not ensured. If these claims are true, it is a very bad signal and shows that the role of the Parliament, which is guaranteed by the Constitution is undermined. As a parliamentarian myself, I find it unacceptable to pressure the democratically elected members of the Assembly. It is the very basis of our democracies that MPs can vote according to their free will and best conscience.”

Thaci responds to allegations of influencing MPs vote (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci has responded to allegations that he and the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj paid a visit to the NISMA MP Haxhi Shala a night before the vote on the new government was to take place following Shala's statement that he would not be endorsing a Hoti-led government.

At the Kosovo Assembly session, Shala said he changed his position after being visited by Thaci and Haradinaj and as a result voted in support of the new government.

Speaking to reporters, Thaci said it is his duty to meet with representatives of Kosovo. "I do not refuse discussing crucial matters with all those that agree and disagree. Not infrequently I give advice and recommendations to anyone seeking them on what is good for the country, the democracy, development," Thaci said.

Ahmeti: Unheard for a president go and convince MPs how to vote (Telegrafi)

Pristina Mayor Shpend Ahmeti weighed into the allegations made against President Hashim Thaci stating that he visited NISMA MP Haxhi Shala a night before the Kosovo Assembly vote on the new government and convinced him to support Hoti government after he initially said he would vote against.

"Nowhere have I seen a 'uniting' president go and convince MPs to vote for a government," Ahmeti wrote on Facebook adding that this is particularly important as Shala's vote was considered to be the deciding one.

Thaci: I will not go to Brussels for dialogue with Lajcak (T7)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said in an interview to T7 on Wednesday that unity is needed in Kosovo’s political landscape for the dialogue with Serbia. He also said he would not cooperate with the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo – Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, because he doesn’t recognise Kosovo’s independence. 

“The issue of dialogue should not be a competition in the political landscape. We need unity. I hope we will have coordination with Hoti as Prime Minister. I will perform my constitutional and legal role. I don’t miss the meetings with Serbian leaders. I have said that I will not go for dialogue in Brussels. Because Mr. Lajcak has said that he doesn’t recognise Kosovo and I will not go where there is dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade,” Thaci said.

 “Mogherini [former EU High Representative] said we are an independent state and she did not refer to as Prishtina. I have told Lajcak personally: this will be a good job but only if you recognise Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. I have also made it clear that Kosovo first needs to get visa liberalisation in order to restore the trust in European institutions”. 

Thaci also said that former Prime Minister Albin Kurti must submit a report to the new Prime Minister about his talks with Lajcak and EU High Representative Borrell in the last three months. 

Thaci said he would not seek a second term in office as President of Kosovo. “I don’t have an agreement with anyone, nor with Mr. Mustafa [LDK leader], about any post. I have said this before: I will conclude my mandate in February and I will no longer be President,” he added. 

Lajcak: We expect close cooperation on EU-facilitated dialogue (media)

The European Union Special Representative for the Kosovo – Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, tweeted on Wednesday: “Congratulated Avdullah Hoti on his election as Prime Minister of Kosovo in our telephone call today. Looking forward to closely working with him on the EU-facilitated Dialogue and towards a European perspective for the people of Kosovo.” 

British Embassy commends peaceful formation of new government (media)

The British Embassy in Prishtina issued a press release on Wednesday saying it commends the peaceful formation of the new government and congratulated Prime Minister Hoti and his cabinet on their appointment. “Pressing challenges lie ahead for the new government, in particular the Covid-19 health emergency. It is important that the new government seeks to build consensus and unity across political divides,” the press release noted. 

Austrian Chancellor: We will continue to support Kosovo (media)

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in a Twitter post on Wednesday congratulated LDK’s Avdullah Hoti for his election as Prime Minister of Kosovo. “Congratulations to Avdullah Hoti on your appointment as new Prime Minister of Kosovo. We will continue to support Kosovo on its European path and encourage further progress in the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue,” Kurz tweeted. 

Albanian PM Rama congratulates new government (media)

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama congratulated the formation of the new government of Kosovo.

"I wish a good journey to the new government of Kosovo and the opposition as well, in the serve of the interest of the people and their countries, believing and hoping that after a not an easy period of twists and turns in the process of democratic maturing, they will together do good work for Kosovo," Rama wrote on social media. 

Kusari: High-ranking officials confirmed Thaci is negotiating land swap (T7)

Vetevendosje MP Mimoza Kusari-Lila said in an interview to T7 on Wednesday that high-ranking EU and U.S. officials have confirmed that President Thaci is negotiating border changes with Serbia. 

“We didn’t make up the idea that Thaci is negotiating border changes,” she said. “It was confirmed to us that Thaci is negotiating border changes. High-ranking European and American officials have confirmed this. These are high-ranking officials and we will mention them when necessary. They told us that border changes are being negotiated. They are negotiating on several villages of Presheva. Not the city. Not Medvedja. We were told that ‘you will win with this agreement and you will no longer be isolated’.”

 Latifi: Thaci will sign agreement with Serbia, Hoti govt will implement it (media)

Political commentator Blerim Latifi took to Facebook on Wednesday to say that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will sign a final settlement with Serbia and that the newly elected Hoti government will implement the agreement. 

“The Hoti government was created for one purpose only: to administer the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia! Thaci will sign the agreement! The Hoti government will implement it! PDK will support in the Assembly! Vetevendosje will protest on the streets!” Latifi wrote. 

Serwer: Kosovo’s new government is ill-fated (Peacefare.net/Prishtina Insight)

Daniel Serwer, director of the Conflict Management and American Foreign Policy Programs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, writes in an opinion piece: 

As parliament approved a new Kosovo government today, here are a few thoughts on its fate. It will be led by the LDK and command a narrow majority based on several minority parties as well as several smaller parties that have been in the opposition during the short life of the VV/LDK coalition. 

The main purposes of this government are necessarily 

• Get the country as safely as possible through the Covid-19 epidemic;
• Deal with the negative economic fallout;
• Respond to the Americans and Europeans, who are demanding re-initiation of the stalled dialogue with Belgrade.

This is a formidable agenda, though Kosovo appears to have escaped the worst of Covid-19. Even a strong, single-party, majority government (with the required minority participation) would have a difficult time meeting the requirements. A multi-party coalition with a thin majority led by the second-place* finisher in the last election is going to have a much harder time. VV (Self-Determination) in opposition will redouble the difficulties again, both in parliament and in the streets.

What this does is to empower the President relative to the government. His machinations with the Americans led to the vote of no-confidence in Albin Kurti’s short-lived rule. The President will now claim the lead role in the talks with Belgrade that Kurti tried to deny him–Thaci surely has no interest in leading on Covid-19 or the economy. The LDK will have promised they will not contest his leadership in the talks with Belgrade, as the price of their getting the prime ministry. The Americans will support him, because they have him over a barrel and willing to do just about anything to avoid indictment by the Special Tribunal in The Hague. Never mind that both the Constitutional Court and the parliament have said that talks with Belgrade should be the responsibility of the government, not the President. 

Richard Grenell, the US envoy for the Serbia/Kosovo talks, claims he is only interested in improving economic relations between Belgrade and Pristina, not land swaps as I and others have claimed. That is not a credible smokescreen. Already slated for a role in the campaign, he wants to deliver a Rose Garden ceremony for President Trump in the runup to America’s November 3 election. No economic agreement would make the grade. He needs a land swap not only for its own sake, as it reaffirms the ethnic nationalist principles of the Trump Administration, but also because he thinks it can be sold as a big plus for peace and stability in the Balkans, settling an issue neither Clinton could resolve.

That is not true: it will settle nothing. A land swap will sooner or later result in instability in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and possibly Macedonia. It will also strengthen Russian President Putin’s hand in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. But whatever is agreed in the Rose Garden need not last long–just until November 3. The civil aviation agreement Grenell claims to have negotiated has already evaporated, without anyone noticing. The likelihood that neither the Serbian nor the Kosovo parliament will approve a land swap, or that it will be accepted in referenda in either country, won’t matter after the US election. The damage will have been done: wherever the new borders are to be drawn, people will be moving–some voluntarily and some involuntarily–to the “right” side for their own ethnic group. Those who don’t move will be chased out. 

So I see this new government–with apologies to Avdullah Hoti–as ill-fated. It will try to open the way to a deal that Kosovans, Americans, and Europeans will regret. The only winners will be Putin and his minions, as well as Serbian President Vucic. By now, even President Thaci should be having his doubts.

Trucks come in from Serbia bearing "Republic of Kosovo" papers (Koha)

16 trucks carrying goods from Serbia entered into Kosovo after obtaining documents referring to Kosovo by its constitutional name of "Republic of Kosovo," customs officials told Koha.

At the same time 13 other trucks were not allowed in after not being in possession of the required paperwork.