UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 12, 2022

Kosovo to formally apply for CoE membership today (Koha/RFE)
Borrell: Western Balkans, EU's most important foreign policy (media)
Gervalla-Schwarz: Kosovo delegation ready for dialogue results (media)
Osmani attends dinner hosted by House Speaker Pelosi; travels to Lithuania for official visit (media)
Kurti: Kosovo to be put on the global map of information technology investments (media)
AAK leader Haradinaj meets U.S. envoy to Western Balkans Escobar (media)
Kosovo FM on moving embassy to Jerusalem: ‘We keep our promises’ (i24News)
Kosovo and France police directors meet in Zagreb (Kosovapress)
COVID-19: 14 new cases, one death (media)

Kosovo to formally apply for CoE membership today (Koha/RFE)

Koha quotes multiple sources saying that Kosovo is expected to officially apply for Council of Europe membership today adding though that Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Scharz, has not publicly confirmed the news. Radio Free Europe also reports quoting sources that Kosovo has prepared the application for CoE membership and will very soon submit it, most likely on Thursday.

At the same time, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic has warned of consequences if Kosovo applies to CoE. Speaking to reporters after the meeting the EU High Representative Josep Borrell had with Western Balkans leaders last night, Vucic said Gervalla-Schwarz informed participants that Kosovo will apply for Council of Europe membership today. Vucic said such a step would be in conflict to several agreements, "ranging from the Security Council resolution 1244 to the Washington Agreement."

Borrell: Western Balkans, EU's most important foreign policy (media)

Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, hosted an informal meeting with leaders of the Western Balkans in Brussels. Kosovo was represented at the meeting by its Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz. The meeting was intended to serve as an opportunity to exchange views about the challenges in the region and about the region’s European future.

The EU said in a statement that the focus of Wednesday’s discussions was the global and regional impact of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine and its people, and how the EU and Western Balkans partners can together address the damaging consequences of this war. "High Representative Borrell welcomed the full support of Western Balkan partners at the UN General Assembly for the resolutions in relation to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The High Representative informed on the EU’s response in support of Ukraine, including EU restrictive measures aimed at limiting the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war. He reiterated the importance of Common Foreign and Security Policy alignment as a central element of the European path."

Speaking to reporters, Borrell said that the Western Balkans is not in the EU's backyard. "It is our courtyard," he said, adding that the Western Balkans remains the European Union's most important foreign policy.

Read the statements: https://bit.ly/3MZDjbc; https://bit.ly/3su1Zk2

Gervalla-Schwarz: Kosovo delegation ready for dialogue results (media)

Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, spoke to reporters ahead of the informal meeting between Western Balkans leaders and the EU High Representative Josep Borrell in Brussels. She said she expected the discussions to focus on the accelerated integration of the region into the bloc.

She also commented on the upcoming meeting between Kosovo and Serbia chief negotiators in Brussels. "The deputy prime minister [Besnik Bislimi] will be here on Friday and we will see what results there will be. Our delegation is very much ready to bring results in this process of dialogue," she said.

Osmani attends dinner hosted by House Speaker Pelosi; travels to Lithuania for official visit (media)

At the closing of her visit to Washington D.C., President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani attended a dinner hosted by the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as part of the Munich Security Conference Leaders Meeting.

"Alongside leaders & Members of Congress, discussed the current security situation in Europe & stressed importance of continued partnership on both sides of the Atlantic," Osmani wrote on Twitter.

Following her stay in the United States, Osmani has travelled for an official visit to Lithuania on the invitation of her counterpart Gitanas Nausėda with whom she will discuss strengthening of bilateral relations as well as coordination of foreign and security policy, a statement issued by Kosovo President's Office announced. In Lithuania, Osmani is also scheduled to meet the country's prime minister, Ingrida Simonyte and Assembly Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen.

Kurti: Kosovo to be put on the global map of information technology investments (media)

During his visit to the United States, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti stayed in San Francisco, California, and said that the purpose of the visit there was to put Kosovo on the world map of information technology investments.

In a video message posted on his Facebook page, Kurti said that in Silicon Valley he visited leading global companies like LinkedIn, VMWare, Airbnb, Microsoft, Uber. "We saw technological and social innovation centres and information technology professors as part of the dialogue with the Diaspora whose members work in Oracle, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and many other companies," Kurti said.

AAK leader Haradinaj meets U.S. envoy to Western Balkans Escobar (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj, currently undertaking a visit to the United States, met the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar.

"We spoke about foreign policy and security in Kosovo and I reaffirmed our commitment to a legally binding Comprehensive Agreement which ends in mutual recognition and respects Republic of Kosovo's integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order," Haradinaj wrote on social media after the meeting. He added that such an agreement can only be achieved through the active role of the United States and thanked Escobar for his engagement.

Kosovo FM on moving embassy to Jerusalem: ‘We keep our promises’ (i24News)

Kosovo decided to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem last year, becoming the first Muslim-majority state to do so.

After its decision, the European Union warned Kosovo of moving its embassy, and Turkey tried to make it reverse the relocation.

In an interview with i24NEWS, Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said that the country had to explain its decision to its allies, particularly in the European Union.

However, it did not impact the country’s final decision.

“It was a promise and a commitment of the former government in Washington that we are going to open our embassy in Jerusalem. And we keep our promises because we are a reliable partner internationally," Gervalla-Schwarz told i24NEWS, adding that it is part of “foreign policy” to disagree.