• Kosovo could end up being only one in the region without access to gas (RFE)
• Kosovo Police arrest five persons suspected of preparing terror attacks (media)
• Civil society wants consensus on Serb-majority commune association (euronews.al)
• Rama: Serbia recognition of Kosovo, last chapter of a painful story (euronews.al)
• Lavrov: We accept any solution with Kosovo that suits Serbia (Koha)
• COVID-19: 4 deaths, 12 new cases (media)
• Kosovo President message on Mental Health Day (media)

Kosovo could end up being only one in the region without access to gas (RFE)

The Kosovo government said several days ago that for the time being it is not interested in building a gas network that would connect Kosovo with North Macedonia. The government's rejection of the project sparked debate as opposition parties said an American project of strategic interest to the country was being rejected.

According to the government, the project for the construction of gas infrastructure with North Macedonia was foreseen to be done with the support of the US agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

The cost of building this pipeline network as well as a power plant for gas production, according to the government, was estimated to cost around €600 million. Although Kosovo is not involved in any other gas project, the government said the construction of this project was not economically viable, so it decided to withdraw.

Kosovo Police arrest five persons suspected of preparing terror attacks (media)

Kosovo Police arrested five persons on Sunday under the suspicion they were preparing to carry out terror attacks. Explosives, firearms, drones and anti-tank weapons were found during raids in several locations. Citing unnamed sources, Kallxo news website reports that this is a group of radical Islamic militants. According to the same sources, all five members of the group are Albanians and that two of them were previously arrested as part of radical Islamic groups.

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo announced on Sunday the arrests were made after a several-month investigation and the implementation of covert investigative and surveillance measures. The whole investigation then resulted in an operation which was carried out by the Kosovo Police, respectively by the Directorate Against Terrorism.

Also, there is a reasonable suspicion that the same persons have committed the criminal offenses "Preparation of terrorist acts or criminal offenses against the Constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo" in relation to the criminal offense "Committing a terrorist offense" and the criminal offense "Import, export", supply, transportation, production, exchange, intermediation or unauthorized sale of weapons or explosives”. The Special Prosecution also said that the same persons are suspected of the criminal offense "Unauthorized possession, control or possession of weapons”.

Civil society wants consensus on Serb-majority commune association (euronews.al)

Representatives of the Democratic League of Kosovo have said they’re wary of the possibility that the Government of Kosovo might end up allowing the establishment of an association of Serb-majority municipalities, especially after the license plate agreement and repeated requests made by the EU and Serbia for the implementation of the 2015 agreement.

The opposition party is also saying that the Kurti administration is taking steps backward, in terms of the dialogue and that this approach risks creating a Serbian entity with vested executive powers.

Meanwhile, the civil society is asking for a consensus from all of the political spectrum, in order to come to an agreed and clear position, in regard to the association.

KosovaPress news agency asked the government of Kosovo as well as the EU in regard to this request as well as the agenda of the upcoming dialogue, but neither decided to get back to them with an official response.

LDK member, Muamet Hamiti has said that an association with vested executive powers should be unacceptable for Kosovo, but that according to him, the VV-led government risks allowing it.

After reaching an agreement on the license plate dispute, the EU made an official communication asking both countries for the implementation of the 2015 agreement, with a special focus on the association of Serb communes in Kosovo.

In addition, the Serbian side has been saying from the start, that the topic of associations should be the first to be discussed in the framework of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

Several months ago, PM Kurti has proposed founding a National Council of Minorities, as an alternative to the association, but this has been refused by Serbia. Kurti has also repeated on numerous occasions in the past that he will never agree to the foundation of a mono-ethnic association in Kosovo.

Rama: Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo, last chapter of a painful story (euronews.al)

Albanian Prime Minister PM Edi Rama said in an interview for Spanish National Radio Television that the fact that Spain still hasn’t agreed to recognize Kosovo as an independent state has nothing to do with Albanians or even the country itself, but it’s rather linked to Spain’s history and its internal problems.

According to Rama, there’s no link between the independence and separatist movements in Spain and the separation of Kosovo from Serbia.

“…We know very well that Spain’s position has nothing to do with Albanian or even Kosovo, but with the country’s history and internal issues. Very well, but we have to be extra clear at this point, because there can be no comparison between Spain’s internal problems, in regards to its independence movements and separatist groups with Kosovo’s division from Serbia,” – said Rama.

The latest tensions arising amongst Kosovo and Serbia, according to Rama, are part of the peace process, one that cannot just come to pass in grace and complete agreeableness.

“The good news here is that tensions are arsing and getting quashed because both sides, are nonetheless communicating and trying to find the necessary solutions for people. Therefore, it’s no longer like it was in the past. There’s a big difference because now, we have regional cooperation, we have many meetings and visits, back-and-forth trips, summits etc. Of course, Kosovo is the last remaining problem since the fall of former Yugoslavia and it’s without a doubt, Kosovo’s recognition as a sovereign state by Serbia will be the last chapter that will put an end to a history filled with pain,”- said Rama.

Lavrov in Belgrade: We accept any solution with Kosovo that suits Serbia (Koha)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during his visit to Belgrade that Russia is engaged in resolving the Kosovo issue within the dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina and that any eventual solution must be adopted by the United Nations Security Council.

After meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Lavrov said Russia would accept any solution that suits Serbia and the Serbian people.

Lavrov also said that in talks with the European Union, Moscow always reminds Brussels about its responsibility in the dialogue and added that “the time has come to implement the agreements reached several years ago, most notably the agreement for the formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities”.

COVID-19: 4 deaths, 12 new cases (media)

4 deaths from COVID-19 and 12 new cases with the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 77 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 1,157 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kosovo President message on Mental Health Day (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani took to Twitter on Mental Health Day to write “many in our society struggle with mental health and we must treat it with the same urgency as our physical health. Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.”