The former European Union Special Envoy for Kosovo and former EU chief negotiator in peace talks on Kosovo, Wolfgang Petritsch said on Tuesday that Kosovo should establish the special court as soon as possible, in order to move forward. According to him, it is in the national interest of Kosovo to deal with the past, in order to have a better future.
The leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri, told KosovaPress that the current government of Kosovo is no different from earlier ones in any way. “This government is bringing the special court to create a parallel system of justice in Kosovo,” Ymeri said. According to him, the special court puts into question the sovereignty of Kosovo. Ymeri added that the special court is directly sponsored by Serbia and Russia, and aims to install a logic of selective justice in Kosovo.
During this week the government of Kosovo will open a migration office in Germany, which will help migrants to return to Kosovo. The news site reports that the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development will participate in the process. "Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, Gerd Muller will visit Kosovo, among other things, for cooperation opportunities for the opening of an office for migration in Germany. This office would help citizens for information and their return,” the source said.
Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama will arrive to Kosovo tomorrow to take part in the unveiling ceremony of Ismal Qemali’s monument in Pristina. The visit was confirmed by the Municipality of Pristina.
Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday urged international investigation into the armed incident that happened in Kumanovo, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) two weeks ago. During the yesterday’s plenary session, MEPs called on the European Parliament to support FYROM on its road towards the EU, but urged respect for the rights of all its citizens. Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek said that she was shocked by the incident in Kumanovo."There should be an independent investigation on what happened there.
The bodies of the nine Kosovars that were killed in the Kumanovo fighting will not be returned to Kosovo today. Citing unnamed sources, the news site reports that the family members today will only identify the bodies in Skopje. The same source said that the bodies would be returned in the next couple of days.
Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa met the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous with whom he discussed the political situation in Kosovo and the region.
Prime Minister Mustafa informed Ladsous about priorities of the Kosovo government, about sustainable economic development, rule of law, fight against corruption and organised crime and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Kosovo Security Force (KSF) Minister Haki Demolli said the government will review amendments for transformation of the KSF into Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF) in the next meeting and submit them for further approval. Demolli also addressed reports that a battalion consisting of members of the Serb community would be set up within the KSF. “No one until now has requested such a thing from me. KSF currently reflects ethnic diversity and is an integrated force. I want to assure you that I would not agree to such a proposal, whoever it may come from,” said Demolli.
Kosovo’s President, Atifete Jahjaga, said that Serbia should stop supporting illegal structures in Kosovo, especially in the northern part of Kosovo. In addition she required that the citizens of Serb community to be helped to integrate into Kosovo’s social and institutional life. While talking about the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, Jahjaga highlighted the importance of the implementation of agreements reached and further engagement towards full normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Kosovo is one of the most polluted places in the Balkans and Europe and has 27 “hot spots” which tremendously pollute the environment and endanger human health. The statement was made at a conference in Pristina organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with Italian Embassy on environmental challenges in the Balkans. UNEP, the largest environmental organization, expressed through the conference its interest of improving the environmental situation in Kosovo.