The Principal Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, who is hosting today’s Western Balkans Ministerial Conference in Pristina, said in his opening remarks that Kosovo is proving to be a constructive country with a very important role in the region, Europe and beyond. Thaci said: “good relations and dialogue with neighbors is one of the key requirements for moving toward membership in the European Union and NATO. This is why regional cooperation is one of the top priorities of Kosovo’s foreign policy agenda.

After two joint meetings with the Government of Albania, Kosovo plans to do the same with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).  Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said today that the meeting with Macedonian government is expected to take place sometime in April.

Aleksandar Jablanovic, the former Communities and Returns Minister in the Kosovo government who was dismissed from duty after insulting families of missing persons in Gjakova/Djakovica, is expected to be appointed chairman of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli is travelling to Panama today, a country which has recognized Kosovo’s independence in 2009. Many countries in Latin America, under the influence of Spain’s position, have yet to recognize the independence of Kosovo. “Promoting Kosovo in this continent and consolidating relations with countries of the region is one of our biggest challenges in international relations,” Veseli wrote on his Facebook account.

Five EU states still refuse to recognise Kosovo as an independent state, but progress has nevertheless been made in efforts to normalise relations between Serbia and Kosovo through EU-supported talks. In an interview with Tena Prelec, Bekim Çollaku, Kosovo’s Minister of European Integration, discusses the recognition issue, high levels of migration into the Schengen Area from people in Kosovo, and the on-going talks with Serbia.

Besim Hoti, the Deputy Commander of Kosovo Police Regional Directorate in Mitrovica North, told Lajmi today that it is not true that 50 Serb police officers in northern Kosovo were suspended from duty. “There can be daily suspensions or even longer suspensions on certain issues and depending on the cases, but the information about the dismissal of 50 Serb police officers is not true,” Hoti said.

The European Union Commissioner for Migration, Internal Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said on Tuesday that very soon there will be some good news regarding visa liberalization for Kosovo. “Only with real results in fighting high-level corruption, and prevention of irregular migration, the EU will help the citizens of Kosovo, to travel without visas,” he said.

The Dutch Ambassador to Kosovo, Robert Bosch, said on Thursday that poor economic conditions are not a reason to seek asylum in the European countries.  "People are leaving because they see no future. It may be economic reasons, but not necessarily, because with such issues are facing also other countries in the region,” said Bosch.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci criticized the opposition parties and other public factors, that they are trying substantiate their allegations against the agreements reached in Brussels. Thaci told Lajmi that the recent agreement reached in Brussels between Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Serbia Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, received the blessing of Parliament and other relevant institutions in Kosovo.

The Austrian Ambassador to Kosovo, Johann Brieger told the Austria-based newspaper “Osterreich” that the surge of asylum-seekers from Kosovo, has to do with poverty and unemployment, but also the political crisis. Brieger said that based on the large number of requests for asylum, it can be said that things in Kosovo are not going well. According to him, there is much to be done in terms of economic development. He said that the main reasons for migration are economic and social.