Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 269 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• Kurti meets NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (media)
• Borrell: Kosovo’s European path goes through dialogue (media)
• Government engages external experts to help prepare for dialogue (Express)
• LDK demands greater commitment on dealing with the dialogue (Kallxo)
• Lekaj: Non-paper document unacceptable (Kosova Press, media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19 in Serbian communities: 17 new cases, one death (Kontakt plus radio)
• Petkovic to international missions in Kosovo: Protect believers and SOC facilities during the holidays (KoSSev)
• “Flammable rhetoric and inefficiency of police and judiciary affects security” (KiM radio)
• On “genocide in Kosovo”: Use of terminology that has not been officially proven (VoA, KoSSev, KiM radio)
• Stano: EU ready for continuation of dialogue as soon as Pristina and Belgrade agree on acceptable dates (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic in meeting with Godfrey: Serbia has always been ready for open dialogue with Pristina (Kosovo-online)
• Matthew Palmer: US unconditionally supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity (N1)
• Serbian Patriarch prays for COVID patients, Serbs in Kosovo (N1)
• Stoltenberg: Dialogue the only way to achieve a lasting political solution (Kosovo-online)
• EU Delegation denies Serbian tabloid’s claims about non-paper (N1, Kosovo Online)

Humanitarian/Development:

• WHO: The rich used 82 percent of all corona vaccines (FoNet, N1, AP)
• Deputy mayor says almost half of Belgrade residents vaccinated (N1)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 269 new cases, 9 deaths (media)

269 new cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 449 persons recovered from the virus during this time. 

There are 9,296 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kurti meets NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, as part of his official visit to Brussels met Thursday NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. 

Kurti wrote on Twitter that Kosovo’s membership in NATO makes the region and Europe much safer. “NATO is the greatest security alliance the world has ever seen. With Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg I emphasised that its presence in Kosovo is indispensable in keeping peace and providing security and Kosovo’s membership in NATO makes the region and Europe much safer,” Kurti wrote on Twitter.

“Welcomed Albin Kurti to discuss developments in Kosovo and the importance of NATO_KFOR for stability in the Western Balkans. NATO supports efforts to re-energise talks between Pristina and Belgrade. Dialogue is the only way to achieve a lasting political solution,” Stoltenberg wrote on his Twitter account.

After this tweet, Koha Ditore argued that after all his meetings with the statesmen, Stoltenberg refers to them including their post, while today, he only wrote Albin Kurti’s name without including his Prime Minister’s post.

Ekonomia online reported that the U.S. mission at NATO retweeted Stoltenberg’s post after adding “Prime Minister” on the Tweet. 

Borrell: Kosovo’s European path goes through dialogue (media)

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said today after the meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, that there is no other alternative for Kosovo than the dialogue with Serbia.

Borrell said there was no date set for the Kurti-Vucic meeting, but added that they had agreed to continue the process.

“Kosovo’s European path goes through this dialogue. There is no other way. There is no other alternative. Reaching an agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is the way to take the European perspective. That is why I encouraged Mr. Kurti to be involved in this issue “, said Borrell.

He said that dialogue “is one of the most important issues we discussed”.

He also mentioned to Kurti the great trust he received from the citizens in the last parliamentary elections. Borrell said citizens trusted him to push Kosovo towards the EU.

“A person when he receives such a strong mandate from the citizens, means that they are offering an opportunity to push Kosovo towards the European Union, European standards and we hope that you will use this opportunity,” said Borrell.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the joint conference with EU High Representative Josep Borrell, said that the dialogue will not be neglected by Kosovo. 

“Dialogue will not be neglected by us. I will come again in mid-May for the dinner you will have with the leaders of the Western Balkans and I will look to have talks and meetings to start a new period of dialogue,” he said.

Kosovo Government engages external experts to help prepare for dialogue with Serbia (Express)

The Balkans Policy Research Group (BPRG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Kosovo and the Embassy of Norway a week ago setting modalities for the engagement of external experts in the dialogue process with Serbia and other agendas related to the dialogue. 

“The engaged experts provide expertise, professional and substantive support for the dialogue process, and support the prime minister, his cabinet, and the deputy prime minister for European integration, development, and dialogue,” the Group said in a press release.

“External experts have no representative or leadership role and are contracted only by the BPRG. The experts engaged so far are Bernard Nikaj, Leon Malazogu, Robert Muharremi, Muhamet Mustafa, and Veton Surroi. Blerim Shala is expected to join the group of experts soon. Other experts may be invited and engaged depending on the needs of the government and the dynamics of the dialogue process. This activity is one of the program components of the BRPG, which are implemented with the support of the Government of Norway, within the framework ‘Development of peace & state-building, and advancement of the European agenda.’”

LDK demands greater commitment on dealing with the dialogue with Serbia (Kallxo)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has demanded that the dialogue with Serbia be handled with greater commitment by the institutions of Kosovo. Teuta Sahatqija, member of the leadership of the LDK said in a press conference that in this process, the LDK  will play its constructive role as an active part of the Assembly of Kosovo.

“LDK considers that the dialogue should be dealt with greater commitment, not only for the membership of these two countries in the European Union, but for ensuring long-term peace and security in the region,” she said. According to her, LDK will play its role in order for the dialogue to end successfully with mutual recognition within the current borders.

“LDK considers that substantial preparations should be made and the dialogue should be based on these principles: transparency, establishment of basic principles, serious and substantial preparation with the right platform, in principle should be the preservation of constitutionality, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Sahatqija said.

LDK assesses that the U.S. should be part of this process, with a stronger role.

“Dialogue should be with Kosovo and not about Kosovo. The Prime Minister should report regularly on the visits by answering the questions of the MPs. We expect from the institutions to come out against ‘non-papers’,” Sahatqija emphasized.

Lekaj: Non-paper document unacceptable (Kosova Press, media)

Kosovo Assembly MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Pal Lekaj said that Kosovo’s institutions should not enter the analysis of the “non paper” document on the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, until there is something clear from the EU.

“We do not have a platform for dialogue, an analysis of how Mr. Kurti will approach it. I think we should analyze these “non paper” drafts from who they came from, it is known that in diplomacy these are not signed by governments and it is not specified from which country. But we do not dare to enter the analysis until we have a clear document from Brussels. We as the opposition will insist on not changing the borders, there is no district or autonomy for the northern part, there is no association with executive powers and here we will be vigilant and monitor 24 hours,” he said.

Lekaj criticized the government for the delays in providing anti-Covid 19 vaccines, the lack of a governing program and the participation of Prime Minister Kurti in the elections in Albania.

The former minister from AAK said that Prime Minister Kurti considers the provision of vaccines as secondary, while wandering in Brussels.

Serbian Language Media

Covid-19 in Serbian communities: 17 new cases, one death (Kontakt plus radio)

In Serbian communities in Kosovo, according to the latest data, another person died as a result of the coronavirus, 17 new cases of infection were registered, while 91 people came out of isolation, the Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica announced.

Based on 81 processed samples, positive cases were recorded in the municipalities: North Mitrovica (6), Zubin Potok (4), Zvecan (2), Leposavic (1), Gracanica (3) and Priluzje (1).

There are currently 284 active cases.

Petkovic to international missions in Kosovo: Protect believers and SOC facilities during the holidays (KoSSev)

On the occasion of the upcoming Easter holiday, the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic sent a letter to international missions operating in the territory of Kosovo, urging them to pay special attention to security in Serbian communities during the days when Orthodox believers celebrate Christian holidays, reported portal KoSSev. 

Petkovic pointed out his concern due to the frequent attacks on the facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church and believers in Kosovo in the previous period, and therefore points out that taking preventive measures to protect them is necessary.

As it was announced from this Office, the letter stated that they were expected to act preventively and take adequate measures within their competence to protect the facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church and believers during Easter.

“During the upcoming holiday, on Good Thursday, Good Friday, Good Saturday, as well as on Easter Sunday itself, Orthodox believers traditionally go to religious facilities in their communities. We consider it necessary to raise security attention to a higher level in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija during the upcoming Easter holiday, as well as during the day ahead, and to take adequate measures to protect the Serbian population and facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church,”  reads the letter sent to UNMIK, EULEX, OSCE and EU Office in Kosovo, reported KoSSev.

“Flammable rhetoric and inefficiency of police and judiciary affects security” (KiM radio)

“Flammable rhetoric by current government officials is leading to a deterioration in the security of Serbs in Kosovo,” Serbian civil society representatives agreed during a debate on “Open Security Situation in Serb Environments” held at the Gracanica Civic Energy Center (CEC), reported KiM radio. 

Frequent cases of attacks and robberies in Serbian areas generally remain unsolved, according to research by the “Human Center” from North Mitrovica.

The attack on two Serb young men on the promenade in North Mitrovica, the beating of Luka Dimitrijevic in Gracanica and the harassment of the Djordjevic family in Gojbulja are the latest incidents that have upset the Serb public in Kosovo.

“Serbs in central Kosovo are outraged by the attack on a young man in Gracanica by three Albanians,” said Dejan Radivojevic, noting that this was the reason for the local civil society to start and organize more activities aimed at pointing out the worsened security. 

However, he pointed out that security institutions were completely ineffective in resolving such cases.

“The Serbian community is embittered, they showed that that day at the protests and in a couple of initiatives that were organized, but I personally doubt that there will be any epilogue related specifically to this case. On the other hand, I think it is very brave for such an attack to happen in the center of Gracanica by another community. That is inadmissible,” said the director of the Forum for Development and Multiethnic Cooperation.

Radivojevic criticized Serb political representatives in central institutions for not dedicating more to the event. 

“Political structures probably think that one statement, issued by the Serbian List, affects any post process. It is a question of will, it is a matter of coordination … I personally believe that coordination between the civil sector, the political sector and the local political structure would be a winning combination,” said Radivojevic.

Due to doubts about the work of the authorities at the Police Station in Gracanica during the investigation in the case of the attack on the young man, the Dimitrijevic family requested the initiation of a new investigation in the Police Inspectorate in Pristina. Miodrag Milicevic, executive director of the NGO Aktiv, said that if there was a complaint, the Police Inspectorate should review the whole case.

“Based on internal procedures, the police inspectorate must request a repeat of the investigation process in order for the case to receive an epilogue, as it really should be according to the law and the rules that apply at both the police and the Prosecutor’s Office levels,” Milicevic said.

“While there are Serbs in Kosovo, there will be security risks”

According to the data from the research of the “Human Center” from North Mitrovica, during the month of January, 7 criminal acts were recorded on the territory of the municipality of Gracanica.

“Of which were: attack, domestic violence, robbery, destruction and damage to property, attempted theft, intimidation, threats. We also had that in February. Most of the cases are under investigation, there are mostly no arrests,” said Veroljub Petronic, stating that there are few discovered perpetrators of criminal acts.

Petronic said that there were 52 attacks in Serb areas last year, of which 26 only in returnee villages. Petronic thus denied the deputy director of the Kosovo Police, Dejan Jankovic who said in the show “Dogovor” that only last year there were 11 such incidents.

“The issue of security of the Serbian community is a question of all issues, because, to be open, as long as there are Serbs in Kosovo, there will be some kind of threat,” Petronic pointed out.

He also stated that during the last year, 827 different criminal acts were recorded in Serbian communities, and that most often those were thefts

According to Miodrag Milicevic, executive director of the NGO Aktiv, there are two main indicators regarding the deterioration of security.

“One is a very inflammatory rhetoric that takes place in public space, initiated primarily by politicians and key government officials, and on the other hand, we have insufficient efficiency of the work of security bodies. First, I mean the Kosovo Police, which oversees that investigation process,” says Miodrag Milicevic.

Radivojevic agreed and said:  

“This is the result of the very inflammatory rhetoric of the current government and it very affects, I can’t say the encouragement, but it has the effect that the current rhetoric that prevails at the central level generally has the influence of encouraging that patriotism and nationalism, which is inadmissible after 20 years and investments by the international community,” Radivojevic said.

Miodrag Milicevic opined that a clear mechanism should be established to put pressure on police and judicial bodies in order to be more efficient in resolving ethnically motivated cases.

“In order to reduce the possibility of repeating them, or at least send a clear message to possible future perpetrators,” said Milicevic.

Petronic pointed out that the problem was in the judiciary, not in the police.

“Only the impunity of perpetrators of criminal acts sends the message that it is legitimate, permissible, unpunished. Therefore, if the judiciary were much more efficient, I think that such crimes would not happen.”

He reiterated that “everything should not be blamed on the police” because, as he pointed out, the Serbian community did not have cooperation with the security authorities.

“People are afraid to report what they know because they are afraid that it will be found out that they have reported a crime, they are afraid that they will have consequences and they are afraid that nothing will change if they report it,” said Petronic based on the research recently conducted by the “Human Center” from North Mitrovica.

The debate “Open on the security situation in Serbian communities” was held within the project implemented by the “Forum for Development and Multiethnic Cooperation” from Gracanica, with the support of the “Kosovo Foundation for Open Society” (KFOS).

On “genocide in Kosovo”: Use of terminology that has not been officially proven (VoA, KoSSev, KiM radio)

Recently, the highest Kosovo officials have often sent message that Serbia committed genocide in Kosovo. According to Bekim Blakaj from the Kosovo Humanitarian Law Center and Miodrag Milicevic from the NGO Aktiv, the term “genocide” is very dangerous and does not contribute to the normalization of relations between Serbs and Albanians and Belgrade and Pristina.

“We will sue Serbia for genocide”, “Serbia committed genocide”, “The address of all crimes in Kosovo is Serbia, but there is still no justice for war crimes and Serbian genocide” – are some of the messages of the highest Kosovo officials Vjosa Osmani, Albin Kurti and Glauk Konjufca highlighted in the past ten days.

The director of the Humanitarian Law Center of Kosovo, Bekim Blakaj, told the Voice of America that no one, especially government officials, should use terminology that has not been proven.

“I believe that it is used for daily political purposes, for some populism both after the elections and during the campaign, but I don’t think it leads anywhere in the sense that everyone who talks about the past should stick to the facts and not raise some tensions using such terminology,” said Blakaj.

On the other hand, Miodrag Milicevic from the NGO Aktiv believes that the rhetoric of Kosovo officials regarding the alleged Serbian genocide is not only populism, but that there are other possible goals.

“We get the impression that Kosovo is now clearly establishing a firm position on the continuation of negotiations with Belgrade, and that in that context we should also look for reasons or motives for mentioning genocide in public, almost on a weekly basis, at least once. All this is not in favor of calming the situation, especially at the level of Belgrade and Pristina, but even within Kosovo it can simply provoke maybe even a chain reaction where, as a rule, somewhere Serbs are, or they become, the target of some incidents that are difficult to explain,” Milicevic said. .

Blakaj reminds that the term genocide has not been found in court cases so far when it comes to crimes committed in Kosovo.

“After all, neither the Hague Tribunal nor the prosecutors of the Hague Tribunal, when they filed indictments against the Serbian authorities or the regime from the 1990s, filed an indictment for genocide, but for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Also, in Kosovo, the judiciary and prosecutors did not mention it as genocide in any war crimes case, but as crimes against humanity. This does not mean that there may not be a subject in the future, but it would be good for government officials, as well as everyone else, to stick to the facts and not use terminology that is not appropriate. Of course, the use of such a language will unfortunately not affect the improvement of interethnic relations, but also state relations between Kosovo and Serbia, especially now that we expect the dialogue to continue,” said Blakaj.

Milicevic thinks that it is very dangerous that there is almost no reaction from international representatives to the frequent mention of the alleged “Serbian genocide” by the highest Kosovo officials.

“I personally consider it very dangerous and I generally think that it is in no way in the spirit of what we should call the process of reconciliation and attempts to normalize relations with Belgrade. What is also important to emphasize is that the process somehow went generally, I can’t say unnoticed by the international public, but somehow there is too much insistence on some silence in essence, when talking about such clearly concretely dangerous things like genocide,” Milicevic said. 

The most recent mention of alleged “Serbian genocide” by President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Kosovo Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca occurred on National Missing Persons Day. Although there are more than 400 Serbs among the 1,640 people still listed as missing, Kosovo’s top officials believe the issue of the missing is the result of “Serbia’s genocidal policies”.

“It is clear that they, the representatives of the highest institutions, are aware of the exact numbers of the missing, when they say 1,640, they know that more than 420 Serbs and others are among the missing. However, they seem to be deliberately misusing those numbers, because they say that Serbia is responsible for all 1,640, and they will not accept the responsibility of the Kosovo side for collecting or finding information about missing non-Albanians or Serbs, because obviously Serbia is not to blame for the disappearance of Serbs in Kosovo. So, even here, they should be aware and take responsibility and try to find information about the fate of the missing non-Albanians through the institutions, and they should not charge Serbia for all 1,640,” said Bekim Blakaj.

Stano: EU ready for continuation of dialogue as soon as Pristina and Belgrade agree on acceptable dates (Kosovo-online)

EU Spokesperson Peter Stano said the talks are currently underway in Brussels with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on acceptable dates for the continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“The EU is ready for the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as soon as the both sides agree on mutually acceptable dates and agenda”, Stano said.

Asked about Kurti’s refusal to attend the new round of negotiations that the EU High Representative Josep Borrell announced for May 11, Stano said that “at this moment” this is being discussed in a meeting of Borrell and Kurti.

“We have already discussed this with President Vucic. I hope that soon we will have more clarity regarding the next steps and dates”, Stano added. 

Vucic in meeting with Godfrey: Serbia has always been ready for open dialogue with Pristina (Kosovo-online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today in a meeting with US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey the US could suggest to their European partners that the progress of the Western Balkans in European integration was necessary, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“The reform of our societies is the aim per se, but the outcome should also be certain and clear”, Vucic said.

He also thanked Ambassador Godfrey for continuous support of Washington to Serbia’s fully fledged membership in the EU, which represents one of its priority foreign policy goals.

The two interlocutors also discussed continuation of the Washington agreement implementation and bilateral cooperation, in particular in the light of the 140 anniversary of diplomatic relations between Serbian and the US.

They also touched upon Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and in this regard President Vucic said that “Serbia has always been ready for an open dialogue with Pristina”. 

Matthew Palmer: US unconditionally supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity (N1)

The United States strongly and unconditionally supports the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and nothing will change about that, US special envoy for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer told N1, commenting on the recently leaked documents that speculated about redrawing of borders in the Western Balkans.

Speaking to N1’s Pressing from Washington, Palmer said he has read many reports on the alleged non-paper but that he did not take it seriously as its authors remained unknown and the document is unofficial.

“The ideas presented there are dangerous and wrongly directed. And those ideas were rejected long ago as completely irrelevant for the Balkans,” he was quoted as saying.

The United States, he stressed, supports the efforts to identify compromise among the political leaders and political parties for Bosnia and Herzegovina to become more functional.

“And so, it can present itself as a credible candidate for the membership in the European Union,” he added.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2Sc0mbI

Serbian Patriarch prays for COVID patients, Serbs in Kosovo (N1)

Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Patriarch Porfirije said in his Easter message that his prayers go out to people sick with COVID-19 and their doctors and nurses, the Serbs in Kosovo and the faithful in Montenegro, N1 reports.

“We are praying for the recovery of all the sick and the souls of all the deceased” in the coronavirus pandemic, Patriarch Porfirije said in the message. The SOC celebrates Easter on Sunday, May 2 this year.

“Our thoughts and prayers got out to all the sick, especially those infected with COVID-19, and all the doctors and medical staff who are risking their lives to save the sick from the coronavirus and other diseases,” the message said, adding that “by respecting the recommendations of medical experts we are saving ourselves and each other”.

The Patriarch said that Kosovo “is a symbol of dignity, honor, the just fight for life in freedom on age-old hearths”.

“Today we are recalling in prayer our suffering brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija. We encourage them to be firm in their faith, hope and love”, he said, adding that “all the Serb people are with you as are all the Orthodox people of the world and all justice and truth loving people”. “Nothing has so powerfully united the Christians of the world as Kosovo,” Easter message said.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3eEjvKL

Stoltenberg: Dialogue the only way to achieve a lasting political solution (Kosovo-online)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today after meeting with Kosovo PM Albin Kurti in Brussels that the Alliance supports Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter “this is the only way to achieve a lasting political solution”.

“Welcomed @albinkurti to discuss developments in #Kosovo & the importance of @NATO_KFOR for stability in the #WesternBalkans. #NATO supports efforts to re-energise talks between Pristina & Belgrade. Dialogue is the only way to achieve a lasting political solution”, Stoltenberg wrote. 

EU Delegation denies Serbian tabloid’s claims about non-paper (N1, Kosovo Online)

The European Union Delegation in Serbia on Thursday denied claims in a Belgrade pro-government tabloid that the non-paper on Kosovo was written by an EU official.

Srpski Telegraf daily said that the non-paper proposing solutions for Kosovo was written by European External Action Service Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia Angelina Eichhorst. The alleged non-paper proposed a separate district in the north of Kosovo covering the majority Serb municipalities and special status for the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The EU Delegation press release said it rejects the claims by Srpski Telegraf. “EEAS Managing Director Angelina Eichhorst nor anyone from any EU institution has anything to do with that document, they did not draft it, nor did they support it. Any information to the contrary is incorrect. The alleged non-paper does not reflect the views of the EU and the EU strongly distances itself from it and has nothing to do with it,” the press release said.

See at: https://bit.ly/2R77LbF

Humanitarian/Development

WHO: The rich used 82 percent of all corona vaccines (FoNet, N1, AP)

More than a billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been used worldwide, and 82 percent of them have been used in highly and more middle-developed countries, said the Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported N1.

Ghebreyesus said that only 0.3 percent of the vaccines were used in poor countries, reports the AP, quoted N1.

The availability of vaccines is one of the main challenges of the pandemic, Ghebreyesus assessed during an online conference hosted by Portugal.

Deputy mayor says almost half of Belgrade residents vaccinated (N1)

Belgrade Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic said Thursday that almost 600,000 residents of the Serbian capital have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A post on his Facebook profile said that 42.9 percent of the population of Belgrade (597,191 people) had received one vaccine shot and 31.5 percent (438,276) had received both shots. “The goal is to vaccinate 750,000 people in Belgrade”, Vesic said.

The post said that 657,729 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine had been administered along with 172,448 doses of Pfizer, 161,021 doses of Sputnik V and 60,828 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. “The average age of the people who have been inoculated is 58 with 54 percent of women and 46 percent men”, the post said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3nA6pCC