Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa together with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama inaugurated a joint customs transit between Kosovo and Albania in Vermica. Mustafa said the move is a result of close ties between the two countries and is also an expression of the nonexistence of borders. “Businesses and citizens will benefit from this agreement,” said Mustafa. Albanian PM Rama said the agreement will cut down the time needed to transport goods from one side to the other as the whole procedure will from now on take only five minutes.

Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti told a local radio that tomorrow’s protest in Pristina is unavoidable even if the Communities and Returns Minister, Aleksandar Jablanovic, is dismissed. “Even if Jablanovic is dismissed, we will gather at the square to celebrate what we achieved. Nevertheless, we do have another demand, that regarding Trepca,” Kurti said. He expressed doubt that Jablanovic would indeed be dismissed. “Mustafa would rather dismiss himself than Jablanovic,” added Kurti.

Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic and Minister of Communities and Returns, Aleksandar Jablanovic, ignored today the meeting of the Government of Kosovo, led by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. Instead they joined Serb population gathered in Pasjane to wait on the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, did not allow the Minister for Diaspora, Valon Murati, to express at the meeting of the Government his opinion on Jablanovic’s insult for the mothers of Gjakova/Djakovica a few days ago, when he called them “beasts.”

After protests in Gjakova/Djakovica and the pressure from the media and the civil society, the Minister for Communities and Returns, Aleksandar Jablanovic, has received an order from Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa. PM Mustafa is reported to have put forward two options to Jablanovic: to either issue a public apology for his remarks about Gjakova/Djakovica protesters, or resign his Kosovo Government post. Sources within the Mustafa cabinet said Jablanovic is expected to choose one of the options during the week.

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, has not replied to the request of trade unions' representatives for a meeting to discuss the issue of pay raise for the civil servants. The head of Kosovo Healthcare Trade Unions, Blerim Syla, said that if the Prime Minister refuses to see them, a strike will be the unavoidable scenario. “We do not want strikes, but our unionist actions have to protect the workers”, he said.

Columnist Donik Sallova writes that agreement between the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has been generally interpreted as marking the end of the six-month political stalemate and was justified with the need to save Kosovo from its complete collapse. At the same time, while some viewed the PDK-LDK coalition as an “act of betrayal”, Sallova warns that the biggest danger from the new government comes from the infiltration of the Serbian List into Kosovo institutions.

The Assembly of Kosovo elected Kadri Veseli as the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, with 71 votes for, 42 against, and one abstention. 119 deputies were present at the session. The PDK proposed Veseli for Assembly Speaker and Xhavit Haliti as his deputy.

US Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson and European Parliament Member Ulrike Lunacek were present at the session.

Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister of Kosovo, met today in New York with Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic.

Editor Agron Halitaj argues in his opinion piece that “it is fortunate that, 500 or more persons who are fleeing Kosovo daily are showing that they love their country although they are leaving. 50,000 persons, who according to official statistics have fled Kosovo last year and this year, chose not to damage their state, because if they were to go out and protest no one would be able to predict the consequences. But they don’t want to do that. They only want well-being. Nothing more and nothing less.

Armand Shkullaku, editor-in-chief of ABC News Albania and president of the Association of the Professional Journalists of Albania, in a front-page editorial of Gzeta Express, writes that after a desperate attempt to restore Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) as the major political force in the country, Isa Mustafa ended up to where he had driven to [about four years ago] Fatmir Sejdiu, in Hashim Thaci’s lap.