Government warns holding meeting to decide tax

Prime Minister Albin Kurti's current government has warned of tax removal and the establishment of full reciprocity against Serbia. The date of this government meeting has not been confirmed, but is warned that it will be held very soon. For Thursday, the government's regular meeting was scheduled, but later confirmed that the same was postponed for Friday, 12:00.

The government's tax decision is being warned following continued calls by the United States of America for the tax to be abolished so that dialogue on reaching a peaceful agreement with Serbia can continue.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to a media communique issued after meeting with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, has stressed that he expects Kosovo to lift the fee on Serbian goods and exploit the moment created after signing documents for the establishment of air, railway and land ties between Pristina and Belgrade.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Haki Abazi told Radio Free Europe, that the government plans to hold a meeting where, in addition to the issue of the tariff, the realisation of the governing plan stemming from the coalition agreement between the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo will be discussed.

Aazi, said the Government of Kosovo is working to overcome open issues and that, according to him, the issue of lifting the fee is being considered carefully.

The “in preparation for the governing plan, which is in finalisation, is to have general access including relations in the region, but specifically, to the passage from the tariff for Serbian and Bosnian goods to reciprocity to use this as an instrument known within international relations”, Abazi said.

However, he said that still one date cannot be indicated when the tax will be removed, but stressed that the Government of Kosovo is working to close open issues rather than open new issues on the level of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti's new government has received US and EU support for lifting the 100 per cent fee against imports from Serbia, but this support has been lacking in the proposed attempt to replace the tax with setting the measure of full reciprocity against Serbia.

The White House envoy for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Ambassador Richard Green, wrote on Twitter more than a week ago that Kosovo must lift the fee, without setting other measures in order to avoid barriers to businesses and the economy.

On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister Abazi says the government will be careful with the decisions it will make.

“The movements should be in a parallel of constructive actions to reach a different phase [of dialogue], which is not only an endless cycle of discussions, but a deletive of political will and good neighbourliness, so that the problem of Kosovo-Serbia” can be completed permanently and permanently.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the day before that <x0 reciprocity measures are not about revenge or anger”, but as he put it, it is decided because Kosovo feels discriminated against and wants to be treated equally.

His deputy, Hakki Abazi, says that establishing reciprocity is a pragmatic approach.

LDK urges immediate tax removal
Although in a governing coalition, unlike the Vetevendosje Movement, which is not showing signs of haste, the Democratic League of Kosovo is more vocal and is demanding that taxes, according to the American request, be abolished as soon as possible.

Kosovo's first Deputy Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, from the LDK, has written on Facebook that American involvement in dialogue has changed the negotiation dynamic.

“The stance of Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador Green's commitments that the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo is very important for the future of the region and that the Peace Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia must result with mutual recognition are guarantees for our negotiating position and our goals in this” dialogue.

“Tarifa on Serbian and Bosnian goods is an insurmountable obstacle for the international community, the US and the EU. Any postponement to lift the fee seriously compromises our negotiating position in this dialogue, undermines our report with the US and EU, and risks a isolation for Government and country”, Hoti wrote.

Kosovo's largest opposition party, Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veselin has criticised Prime Minister Kurti, saying that there are days in public that the issue of the fee and the meetings of Albin Kurti with representatives of the Serbian state is being seriously challenged.

The prejudices on these two topics, in fact, are standard set by himself once. This debate in public requires just him to manipulate by running away from decision-making and state responsibility. But, this does not require Kosovo” today, Veselin wrote.

The Kryeziu Progress by the Committee for Jury and Political Studies tells Radio Free Europe that in the event of the resumption of the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia, the format of talks must be clarified, as, according to him, it has so far been unclear.

We are clear, based on promises, but also the international community's demands that once the decision is made to lift the fee, it is considered that there is no barrier for dialogue to resume. However, I consider that if the decision on the removal of the fee is taken if or after tomorrow, I consider that only preparations will begin for meetings between the parties involved”, Kryeziu said.

Kryeziu points out that prior to the resumption of dialogue, on the inner plain, there must be a sweeping unity of the political spectrum. That, according to him, is seen as a challenge and disadvantage in relation to the other side in the dialogue.

The “in the current situation is the responsibility of governing governing institutions to make sure that whenever the dialogue resumes, they will be ready and the inability to achieve an agreement is not marked and very harmful for the development of the dialogue process and ultimately for its final agreement and content”, Kryeziu said.

The United States of America has already assigned two of its diplomats to help and facilitate dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Mathew Palmer and Richard Green. While the European Union has nominated Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak, EU special representatives for dialogue.

According to REL sources in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell has handed over Lajcak's name to EU member states as the bloc's next representative, who will primarily deal with normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but also with other issues in the region. /rel/