Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 345 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• Kurti: Governing programme to be technically finalised soon (media)
• PDK: Kurti focusing on Albania’s election rather than securing vaccines (media)
• LDK’s Abdixhiku slams Kurti government (media)
• Kosovo officials accused of ‘irresponsible’ meddling in Albania election (BIRN)
• “Government to treat vaccination of teachers as priority” (media)
• Expert: Youth more threatened by UK variant of the virus (media)
• Caplan: There will be pressure on Kurti for dialogue (Radio Free Europe)

Serbian Language Media:

• Eight new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas on Sunday (Kontakt plus radio)
• Father Sava reacts to accusations: Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you (social media, KoSSev)
• Brnabic, Office for KiM, Serbian List react to accusations against Father Sava (Radio KIM)
• Europa Nostra: Decani should not be a source of conflict, but a valuable link between citizens (KoSSev)
• Harsh reactions in Kosovo media to Decani Monastery’s inclusion in 7 Most Endangered 2021 (KoSSev)
• Sava: Paradox that Church must remind Kosovo to respect its own laws and Constitution (KoSSev)
• Health house in village of Gojbulja broken into (RTS)
• Kurti posts about LVV candidates in Albanian elections; the media and the opposition accuse him of running a campaign (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: There is no place at the negotiating table for guns (KiM radio)
• Gogic: Stability while the “honeymoon” lasts (KiM radio, Slobodno Srpski)
• Russian Ambassador says partnership with Serbia has ”cosmic prospects” (N1, Beta)
• Lajcak: Agreement possible in a few months if there is political will in Belgrade and Pristina (Beta, Kosovo Online)

International:

• Generations of Albanians lived off cannabis production. Can they stop? (BIRN)
• Thousands rally in Serbia to protect the environment (AP)
• Death of British Queen’s Husband Severs a Balkan Link (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Digital Trustbuilding Week (RTK2)
• Rakic with UN and IOM representatives on return of displaced persons (Kosovo-online)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 345 new cases, 8 deaths (media)

345 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 518 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. There are 14,697 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kurti: Governing programme to be technically finalised soon (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti announced that his cabinet held a two-day workshop over the weekend to draft the governing programme and action plan for the next four years.

“Soon, these very important documents that clearly set out our priorities in every field along with work towards their implementation will be finalised technically as well and presented at the Government for approval and at the Assembly for discussion,” Kurti said in a Facebook post.

He added that the citizens of Kosovo have voted for change and as their will made the change possible, “with our work  the government will make this change a reality.”

PDK: Kurti focusing on Albania’s election rather than securing vaccines (media)

Abelard Tahiri, head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group accused Prime Minister Albin Kurti of focusing his attention on upcoming elections in Albania instead of dealing with immediate issues at home: securing more doses of the Covid vaccine.

“Such a precedent happening in the Republic of Albania by the Vetevendosje Movement and Kurti is dangerous and damaging for relations between the two countries, Kosovo and Albania,” Tahiri told a press conference today in connection to Kurti’s recent endorsement of a number of candidates running for office in Albanian elections.

Tahiri added: “In a pandemic situation every citizen needs to count on the government of their own country. In these 20 days we had a government but no governance or plan of governance. This shows lack of responsibility, skills and knowledge.”

Tahiri said that in face of the increasing number of new coronavirus infections and deaths, the only thing the government of Kosovo led by Kurti did was to issue the lockdown order. “Kurti got the vaccine himself and feels comfortable at the fact that he has received 25,000 vaccine doses, a donation secured by the previous government, and has no intention of doing anything to secure more vaccines,” Tahiri is quoted in the Telegrafi news website. 

LDK’s Abdixhiku slams Kurti government (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku took to Facebook today to criticise the Kurti-led government of abandoning its citizens by campaigning and organising protests in Albania.

“It is immature and irresponsible for the Prime Minister, his ministers and MPs to deal with elections and protests in Albania at a time when 80 of our fellow citizens in Prishtina pass away in a week and when the elderly are waiting to be vaccinated,” Abdixhiku said. “The government has abandoned its own people. At the peak of the health and economic crisis, the government has chosen to be an opposition organising protests and campaigns in another country”.

Kosovo officials accused of ‘irresponsible’ meddling in Albania election (BIRN)

Opposition says it is wrong for government officials to campaign over the border in Albania’s election while at the same time tightening anti-COVID restrictions at home.

Numerous rallies held by Kosovo officials in Albania over the weeked at a time when Kosovo has tightened its measures to fight COVID-19 have drawn criticism from the Kosovo opposition.

On April 6, Kosovo closed all bars and eateries until April 19, in a bid to curb the number of COVID-19 infections.

While these restrictions were being installed, more than 40,000 Kosovars were reported to have crossed to Albania over the weekend, questioning the rationale behind the measures.

Over the weekend, numerous activists from the ruling Vetevendosje party, including MPs and government officials, such as the Minister of Infrastructure Liburn Aliu, physically joined the Albanian parliamentary election campaign, in which Vetevendosje is running with three candidates for the parliament in Albania.

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, called the involvement of government officials in Albania’s election “irresponsible”.

“The government has abandoned its people,” Abdixhiku wrote on social media. “At the peak of the health and economic crisis, the authorities elected to lead here have chosen to be a protesting opposition and campaign in another country,” Abdixhiku wrote.

On Monday, Abelard Tahiri of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, accused Prime Minister Albin Kurti of failing to deal with the consequences of COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, in the last 20 days alone, 212 citizens lost their lives to the virus,” Tahiri said.

“The only thing that the Prime Minister has done is issue an order to isolate Kosovo citizens while ministers and MPs from his party went to Albania for the election campaign,” Tahiri added.

While BIRN contacted Perparim Kryeziu to respond to these claims, the government spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the government would issue a press release later on the matter.

Kosovo received 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the end of March as part of the World Health Organisation’s COVAX programme but the government has failed to purchase any further doses as yet.

“Government to treat vaccination of teachers as priority” (media)

The United Union of Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK) is calling on the Kurti-led government to treat the vaccination of teachers as a priority. SBASHK leader Rrahman Jasharaj said in an interview with Ekonomia Online that they have asked Health Minister Arben Vitia to give priority to the vaccination of teachers after the elderly. “We raised the issue in our meeting with Minister Vitia and he told us that they are waiting for another contingent of vaccines as a donation and promised us that he will do his best so that according to the manual, after the elderlty, priority will be given to education sector employees,” he said.

Expert: Youth more threatened by UK variant of the virus (media)

Salih Ahmeti, an infectious disease specialist, said in an interview with Euronews Albania that the situation with COVID-19 in Kosovo is deteriorating as a result of an increased number of new cases with the UK variant of the virus. “The UK variant proves to be more serious. We are seeing that this virus spreads faster, be it among family members or other contacts, it has more serious complications, it attacks the lungs more and other organs putting the life of the patient at risk. We have noticed that it affects younger people; we have had many fatalities in the 40-60 age group and pregnant women too have been affected,” he added.

Caplan: There will be pressure on Kurti for dialogue (Radio Free Europe)

Richard Caplan, a professor of International Relations at Oxford University, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe that the European Union and the United States will put pressure on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to continue the dialogue with Serbia without setting any preconditions. 

Caplan also said he is not optimistic about quick results from the process of talks given the positions of the two sides. He said that based on the current, there is a possibility that the dialogue will last indefinitely, as in the case of Cyprus or the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Asked to comment on signals from the new administration in Washington for closer cooperation with the EU in the Kosovo – Serbia dialogue, Caplan said: “I think this cooperation will result in better coordination. There has not been enough coordination between the administration of former President Donald Trump and the European Union. In some respects, the Trump administration has acted unilaterally – but not against – the goals and objectives of the European Union. I think the Biden administration will be more sensitive in terms of the importance of coordination. The difference, however, lies in the fact that this issue is not a high priority for the Biden administration, but remains important. The US administration has already signaled that it is important for this issue to be resolved. I think they have bigger priorities, mainly internal, dealing with the pandemic and economic recovery, but also external ones such as: resuming the dialogue with Iran, then China and Russia. I think these have advantages over Kosovo. For the US it will not be as important as it is for Europe, but there will be greater efforts to work together in this direction.”

Serbian Language Media

Eight new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas on Sunday (Kontakt plus radio)

Out of 21 tested samples, eight were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced on Sunday, Kontakt plus radio reports.

The new cases were registered as follows: three in Gnjilane, two in Kamenica, one in Mitrovica North, one in Leposavic and one in Strpce.

Currently there are 743 active cases in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo.

A total of 135 persons have died in the Serb-populated areas since the outbreak of the pandemic due to Covid-19 related complications.

Father Sava reacts to accusations: Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you (social media, KoSSev)

Pristina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) has called for investigations against Visoki Decani Monastery Abbot Sava Janjic for his alleged involvement in war crimes during the war in Kosovo, KoSSev portal reports.

In a series of posts on Twitter Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Sava Janjic reacted to these accusations and hate speech against him. In a first post he said that “After a series of hate-speech accusations against me in #Kosovo media I can only reply – “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven”(Mt 5:11-12)”.

He also recalled the visit of present US President Joe Biden to the Monastery in 2009 saying that – “When he visited Dečani #Monastery in 2009 the present US President Mr @JoeBiden highlighted the role of our monastery during the 1999 war when Kosovo refugees were sheltered at the Monastery. He strongly advocated religious and ethnic peace & tolerance in #Kosovo now after the war”.

Father Sava also responded to the negative reactions of the Kosovo officials, including Decani mayor regarding Europa Nostra decision to include the Monastery into the list of seven the most endangered localities in Europe in 2021

“Negative reactions of #Kosovo officials, especially the Dečani mayor & media only show that Dečani monastery & #Serbian #Orthodox #Church heritage here remain endangered. These reactions demonstrate ethnic & relig animosity, hate speech and an appallingly low level of tolerance”, he said.

“Dečani town mayor who with impunity refuses to implement the decision of #Kosovo Constitutional Court which recognized the Church property in 2016 has no moral credibility to say that #EuropaNostra was blinded to recognize Dečani Monastery among #7MostEndangered sites in Europe”, Father Sava added.

Brnabic, Office for KiM, Serbian List react to accusations against Father Sava (Radio KIM)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today the Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Sava Janjic has become a target of the attacks in Kosovo only because he keeps this monastery, Radio KIM reports. She also added that such attacks demonstrate how much the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo is endangered.  

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija and Serbian List reacted yesterday to the accusations Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms made against Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Father Sava, Radio KIM reports.

The Office for KiM said accusations against Father Sava were “carefully designed to mask the real truth about endangerment of this holy place, which has been under armed protection of the international forces for 20 years due to frequent extremist attacks”.

It added that “such senseless accusations, not only have no grounds in reality, but are also hypocritical attempts to replace theses and declare monks war criminals. Those accusations additionally draw the target on the head of Visoki Decani Abbot, and declare this shrine a legitimate target, by denying its spiritual and religious significance and role”, the Office said in a statement.

Serbian List condemned “the pressure of the Council for the Protection of Human Rights on the Abbot Visoki Decani Monastery Sava Janjic and Serbian Orthodox Church in general over said truth about endangerment of the Serbian shrines in Kosovo and Metohija, assessed by independent international institutions”.

The List called upon the government in Pristina and other institutions to distance themselves from such stances, and hold those who run criminalization campaign against Father Sava accountable.

The List added that “any labeling Father Sava is the most directly exposed to is a threat to his and security of the Monastery, and as such absolutely dangerous and impermissible”.

Europa Nostra: Decani should not be a source of conflict, but a valuable link between citizens (KoSSev)

By including the Visoki Decani Monastery on this year’s list of the seven most endangered cultural monuments in Europe, Europa Nostra wants to draw more attention of the domestic and foreign public to the long-term endangerment of this exceptional cultural monument, which has been on the World Heritage List since 2006, the Executive Vice-President of this organization, Guy Clausse told Belgrade-based Novosti daily.

He also pointed out that this organization is ready to get involved in finding a way out of the current situation through an open and constructive conversation with all interested parties.

“In the coming period, we will talk to everyone to establish and review a detailed and comprehensive factual situation, listen to all opinions and interpretations, and so that our European experts can publish a detailed report on the current situation and suggest ways to overcome still open issues. In that context, we will work closely with EU representatives, especially with our partners from the Institute of the European Investment Bank, who attach increasing importance to the comprehensive protection of cultural heritage“, the Vice-President said.

Clausse told Novosti that they hope that thanks to the responsible behavior of all stakeholders, in the not-so-distant future, the Decani Monastery will be removed not only from our list of the most endangered cultural monuments in Europe but also from the list of World Heritage sites in danger.

“Decani Monastery should not be a source of conflict between different communities living in the Balkans, instead, it should become a valuable link between all citizens who are committed to European values ​​and who want to permanently restore dialogue and peace between nations and their cultural and spiritual identity“, Clausse underlined.

See at: https://bit.ly/3a3WzDl

Harsh reactions in Kosovo media to Decani Monastery’s inclusion in 7 Most Endangered 2021 (KoSSev)

Visoki Decani Monastery has been included in a list as one of the most endangered monuments and heritage sites in Europe in 2021 on Friday, KoSSev portal reports.

Kosovo recently elected president, Vjosa Osmani, and Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, as well as other Kosovo officials, however, objected to this decision. Numerous interlocutors of the Kosovo media have criticized Europa Nostra’s decision, claiming that the organization was “instrumentalized“ by the Serbian state and the Serbian Orthodox Church to include the topic in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. They also claimed that churches and monasteries in Kosovo are not endangered. The mayor of Decani even accused the monks that they are standing behind the incidents against the monastery, alleging that KFOR, the police, and the KSF were aware of that, while also emphasizing Albanians would guard Visoki Decani.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3d7Wfp6

Fr. Sava: Paradox that Church must remind Kosovo to respect its own laws and Constitution (KoSSev)

“Kosovo leaders say that Serbian Orthodox Church doesn’t recognize Kosovo state. We’re not a state or political entity to do so. As the Serbian Orthodox Church here we respect the laws and courts living here as citizens. Kosovo’s obligations to us come from its Constitution and laws” – reads the reaction of the Abbot of the Visoki Decani Monastery, Sava Janjic to Osmani’s and Kurti’s letter in which they opposed Europa Nostra’s decision to include the SOC monastery on the list of the 7 most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe, KoSSev portal reports.

“By the way, Kosovo is not recognized by the Vatican as a state. UN, EU, OSCE, NATO, UNESCO… as organizations, political entities and many states do not recognize Kosovo officially as a state either which is a much bigger problem for Kosovo than the Serbian Orthodox Church’s opinion”, the Abbot added.

He argued that it is quite a paradoxical situation that the Church has to remind Kosovo to respect its own constitution and laws.

“The Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2016 made a decision recognizing the Decani monastery’s land. It is Kosovo’s decision not ours, and it is not yet implemented”, Abbot Sava reminded that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo of the return of 24 ha of monastery land has not been implemented even five years after the case was finalized.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3wOynhZ 

Health house in village of Gojbulja broken into (RTS)

Unknown perpetrators have broken into the health house in the village of Gojbulja, Vucitrn municipality yesterday, RTS reports.

A glass on the door and a window has been broken. The case had been reported to the Kosovo police.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija reacting to the incident said this “latest incident is particularly concerning as it comes at the times of Covid-19 pandemic, with overstretched health system and people very much concerned about their health”.

The Office requested an urgent reaction of the responsible authorities and arrest of the perpetrators. It also requested “increased security in the Serbian area to put an end to the endangerment of the Serbian property and intimidation of the Serbian people”. 

Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns, Goran Rakic also condemned the incident in Gojbulja, terming it “as an act of intimidation of the Serbian people living there”. 

“I condemn in the strongest terms what happened in Gojbulja yesterday. An urgent reaction of all institutions responsible for maintaining public peace and order is needed. Without an urgent reaction, I am concerned the attacks against the Serbs and their properties will continue. I also appeal to international representatives in Kosovo to condemn the most strongly such incidents, as it is in our interest to live in a safe and secure environment”, Rakic said. 

Kurti posts about LVV candidates in Albanian elections; the media and the opposition accuse him of running a campaign (KoSSev)

Parliamentary elections – in which a branch of the Self-Determination in Albania will also take part – are scheduled to be held on April 25th in Albania. The pre-election campaign is underway. According to allegations from the Kosovo opposition, as well as some media outlets, Albin Kurti – who has been sharing photos and biographies of LVV MP candidates of this party branch on his Facebook profile – is also a part of this opposition, wrote portal KoSSev. 

For the time being, the Albanian branch of Self-Determination is not registered as a political party but operates as a civic initiative that supports independent candidates in parliamentary elections.

The newly elected Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, shared three posts on Facebook about the candidates of this initiative on Saturday.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3d6s95k

Petkovic: There is no place at the negotiating table for guns (KiM radio)

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic reacted to the announcement of the member of Self-Determination, Fidan Ademi, who stated that the “unification of Albania” would come with a rifle or a referendum, reported KiM radio.

Petkovic, on Twitter, asked Self-Determination leader and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti:

“Do these threats with rifles mean that creation of ‘greater Albania’ is among top priorities for you @albinkurti.

? Where do you place the #dialogue in that case? The fifth place or lower?  No place for guns at the negotiating table! The future lies in peace! @miroslavlajcak!”.  

The director of the inspection in the municipality of South Mitrovica, Fidan Ademi, wrote in a post on Facebook that “unification with Albania will happen with guns or a referendum,” reported KiM radio.

Gogic: Stability while the “honeymoon” lasts (KiM radio, Slobodno Srpski)

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic said on the show Slobodno Srpski (Free Serbia) that Albin Kurti, as the leader of the party that won the elections and as prime minister, has what no one had before him since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and that is stability, reported KiM radio. 

“It has a stable and strong majority that was expected both during the election of the government and during the election of the president. However, what is crucial is that Kosovo politics is not conducted in Pristina. Let’s be clear, Pristina does not have enough resources and does not have enough strength to conduct politics autonomously. They (Kurti and Osmani) will face the resistance of the Quint countries, if the things that those countries worked on continue to be undermined, and here I am thinking primarily of the Brussels and Washington agreements. That’s where the problem will arise. If he (Kurti) persists in these things, and he will, he will lead to international isolation and that can lead to a split between Osmani and Kurti. At the present, the honeymoon lasts, and it will be possible for a while. Now, how long, we will see,” says Gogic.

The President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo complement each other well in the exercise of power, because they have an interest in supporting each other, but there is no dispute about “who is stronger”, Gogic believes.

“Albin Kurti is not someone who endures any authority next to him. He would never be next to a person in a political alliance who could dominate him. The moment when Vjosa would try to position herself as dominant, that would be the end of their partnership,” said Gogic. 

He points out that there are great differences between them, but also similarities.

“Both show the features of populism, demagoguery, but still Vjosa is more pro-Western and pro-European, despite many statements that are not on that track,” Gogic said adding that at some point there will be differences between them, especially towards the West and the international community.

Commenting on the fact that the deputies of the Serbian List did not vote for the new president of Kosovo, nor did they appear in the assembly hall on the day of the voting, to give a quorum, Gogic believes that they have shown that they are consistent in their political activities in Kosovo.

“They, in general, have the approach of being part of the institutions, part of the political process, but not to a greater extent than necessary. In this situation, they did not even need to be there (in the hall) because, above all, they did not become part of the coalition agreement. The Serbian List did not reach any agreement with Self-Determination on the Government, and this was also seen during the distribution of ministerial positions, and they would actually, if they have remained in the hall, either voted or giving a quorum, they would give something to Self-Determination and get nothing in return,” Gogic points out, noting that this time as well, the Serbian List has an ambivalent or contradictory attitude towards institutions: on the one hand they are part of them, but they often act as if they are the opposition and outside the system,” analyst Ognjen Gojgic in the show “Slobodno srpski”, who, although a citizen of Belgrade, has been working for years as an expert in the non-governmental organization ”Aktiv” in North Mitrovica.

Russian Ambassador says partnership with Serbia has ”cosmic prospects” (N1, Beta)

Russia’s Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan Harchenko said on Monday that the two country’s strategic partnership has ”cosmic prospects”.

”Russia’s strategic partnership with Serbia has, without any exaggeration, cosmic prospects,” he wrote in an op-ed piece in Belgrade daily Politika. ”We hope to establish cooperation soon with our Serbian friends in research and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes and achieve concrete results in this field,” he added. The piece was published on the 60th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

The ambassador said that Russia-Serbia cooperation will increasingly get an innovative dimension. According to him, the production of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is being organized at the Torlak Virology, Vaccines and Serums Institute in Belgrade and the construction of a center for nuclear science, technology and innovation is being planned in Serbia. He added that contacts between the two countries’ high-tech centers are also being stepped up.

See at: https://bit.ly/2RucggI

Lajcak: Agreement possible in a few months if there is political will in Belgrade and Pristina (Beta, Kosovo Online)

EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said the agreement was “technically absolutely feasible within a few months, if the two sides want it and have the political will” and said that EU members expected the dialogue to continue without delay and ”and make rapid progress in negotiations on comprehensive agreement,” reports news agency Beta. 

In an interview with Beta, Lajcak stressed that leaders in both Pristina and Belgrade must “invest effort and political capital, have the political will and courage, as well as a mandate from the people, which means trust, support and understanding of their peoples for issues on which is being negotiated, the difficult decisions that lie ahead,” quoted portal Kosovo Online. 

EU member states expect immediate continuation and rapid progress towards the agreement “while all agreements reached so far are respected and implemented”, Lajcak pointed out and underlined that the agreement “must find permanent solutions to open issues and contribute to the stability of the entire Western Balkans”.

Asked by Beta what he expects from the continuation of the dialogue if Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made it clear that without the establishment of the Community of Serbian municipalities with executive powers there will be no negotiation, while Kosovo PM Albin Kurti refused and said that the missing persons is the main issue, and that the first principle for the dialogue with Belgrade was the acceptance of the Kosovo’s independence, Lajcak answered that the EU was a mediator and that progress depends on two sides.

“The EU is a mediator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue for a simple reason, and that is to ensure that Kosovo and Serbia make progress on their paths to Europe, but the issues being discussed, speed and progress depend on the will of the two sides. Therefore, the EU is here to guarantees that everything agreed upon will be in line with international law, EU values and norms, while at the same time it is true that EU member states expect the dialogue to continue without delay and that the two sides make rapid progress in negotiations on a comprehensive agreement, so at the same time, all previous agreements must be respected and implemented,” he said.

Lajcak believes that his key achievement during the year in the capacity of special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other regional issues is that the Dialogue was renewed in July 2020, after a break of 20 months

“It was not an easy task, and we also,” he said, “succeeded in setting a clear framework for the process, which is to reach a comprehensive legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in accordance with international law and acquis, with consistent solutions to open issues.”

Asked to say how he views his efforts to boost good neighborly relations, reconciliation and a clearer view in the Western Balkans of what the EU is doing to support the region’s rapprochement with the Union, Lajcak said he managed to come to the region despite pandemic crisis, but “when it comes to perceiving in the public of the region what the role of the EU is, it is not yet understood properly”

The European official drew attention to the fact that it is almost astonishing that the EU is the most important trade partner, investor, provider of financial aid and support, and that this is not noticed in the region”.

International

Generations of Albanians lived off cannabis production. Can they stop? (BIRN)

A drug crackdown has cut back the cultivation and trafficking of cannabis in Albania. But experts say it will take more than police raids and prosecutions to address the factors that have led whole families and villages to grow weed for decades.

Valentina recalls the hours she spent at the police station in 2017 as the worst in her life.

Under interrogation, her blood pressure rising, the 72 year-old suffered a heart attack.

“I couldn’t even raise my head to look the police chief in the eye,” Valentina [not her real name] told BIRN. “He kept repeating, ‘Tell the truth; you’ll be released and your son will be charged.’”

Valentina cuts an unlikely criminal, yet, according to data from Albania’s General Prosecutor’s Office, she is one of 8,328 Albanians prosecuted for cultivating or trafficking cannabis between 2013 and 2019 under a police crackdown to break the back of what had become a major illegal industry in the Balkan country.

Some 3,739 were convicted, including Valentina, but her brush with the law hasn’t stopped her. Valentina’s persistence is testimony to the deep roots of cannabis cultivation in rural regions of Albania, where poverty is rife and cannabis is seen as a financial lifeline. Police collusion also remains common.

Experts warn it will take more than police raids and prosecutions to eradicate the phenomenon.

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3d7m9t8

Thousands rally in Serbia to protect the environment (AP)

Protesters in Serbia rallied Saturday demanding that the government protect the environment in a Balkan nation that has seen record levels of air pollution and scores of other ecological problems following decades of neglect.

Several thousand people gathered outside the Serbian parliament building in the capital of Belgrade for an “ecological uprising” against what organizers say is a widespread environmental devastation in the nation aspiring to join the European Union. Some wore face masks to ward off coronavirus but not all.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3mFwpf5

Death of British Queen’s Husband Severs a Balkan Link (Balkan Insight)

After decades spent at the side of Queen Elizabeth in London, the colourful Balkan roots of the now late Prince Philip have been largely forgotten.

The death aged 99 of Britain’s Prince Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth, ends a long chapter in relations between the British royal family and their Balkan counterparts.

It began in the 1890s, when Princess Marie of Edinburgh became crown princess, later queen, of Romania – and continued when her daughter, also Marie, became Queen of Yugoslavia after marrying King Alexander.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3280x9K

Humanitarian/Development

Digital Trustbuilding Week (RTK2)

RTK2 reports that UNMIK will host a digital trust building week from April 12th to 16th to support the Kosovo Trustbuilding Platform. During this week, as stated in the announcement, talks with experts, a campaign on social networks as well as a presentation of the interactive functions of the platform will be organized.

The launch of the Kosovo Confidence Building Network will mark this week as well. A public directory of prominent trust building professionals, which will be permanently on the Kosovo Trustbuilding Platform. Each member of the Network has made a pledge, describing how they would incorporate trust building and / or confidence building efforts into their daily work. During the Trustbuilding Week, pledges can be seen on social media (@trustbuildingks), digital billboards across Kosovo and will be presented on the Kosovo Trustbuilding platform website, RTK2 quoted the UNMIK statement.

Rakic with UN and IOM representatives on return of displaced persons (Kosovo-online)

Kosovo Minister for Communities and Return, Goran Rakic met today representatives of UNHCR, UN and IOM in Kosovo, Erol Arduk, Ulrika Richardson and Ana Rostocki, and discussed returns process as well as challenges affecting it, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Rakic also requested their support in this, as he said, “a process run for many years, which is not easy at all, and that has been stagnating over the last couple of years”.

He also thanked UNHCR and International Organization for Migration, for the help they have been providing and their constructive cooperation with the ministry he leads.

He also spoke about the incidents affecting the Serb community, adding the incidents send a bad message, the press statement said.