Kosovo gets guarantees from US that 4 September agreement to be implemented

So Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said Tuesday 8 December during a news conference.

Hoti said that during this period, there has been regular communication with the current administration of President Donald Trump and added that he hopes co-operation will continue even after January 20th, when Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the new US president.

“I believe that the good in this process is that Kosovo's relations with the US have never been influenced by which of the parties, democrat or republican that has ruled. I'm sure we can continue this cooperation. Even the communication we've had so far, during these weeks we've received guarantees that the agreement we signed on September 4th will continue to be implemented without any hesitation”, Hoti said.

On September 4th, in the presence of President Donald Trump, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, signed separate documents for economic normalisation.

The deal includes a series of economic projects, such as the construction of highways, railway lines and the launch of Pristina-Belgrade flights. In this agreement, the parties have also agreed that the US conducts feasibility study on Ujman Lake with a “aiming to use the common Lake of Weyman as a reliable supplier of water and energy”.

Prime Minister Hoti also spoke of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which is expected to continue in Brussels on December 10th, at the meeting between the Kosovo state delegations and Serbia.

Hoti reiterated the position that she expects this process to be completed within months, and the final agreement will include mutual recognition.

Whatever I've been saying over and over again, I still say today, this is a limited process in time and in time it's a matter of months. I believe we come to the end of this process for a few months. I would like to finally come with final agreements on mutual recognition or conclude that we cannot negotiate final agreements with mutual recognition”, the prime minister of Kosovo said.

Prime Minister Hoti was also asked about a warned meeting of leaders on the issue of the country's new president. He said there is still no date for a meeting date, while added that the country's leaders should discuss whether they are willing to negotiate on finding a name for president of the country, or agree to new elections.

Since November 5th, when Hashim Thaci resigned from the presidential post, due to confirmation of the war crimes indictment and crimes against humanity from the Specialised Chambers, Kosovo is with the president's task officer.

This post, as ordered by the Constitution, is holding the chairman of the assembly, Vjosa Osmani. But, according to the Constitution, Osmani could stay in this position for up to six months before a new president is elected.

If the parties represented in the Kosovo Assembly fail to elect the new president, then the assembly is distributed and early parliamentary elections are held. Currently, only the opposition party, the Vetevendosje Movement, has been declared in favour of holding new elections. /rel