Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 47 new cases, two deaths (media)
• New shipments of Covid vaccines to arrive to Kosovo in coming days (media)
• Swedish FM: Kosovo and Serbia to treat dialogue as priority (media)
• Croatian FM pledges support for Kosovo in visa liberalisation process (Koha)
• Police begin interviewing witnesses of yesterday’s incident in Zubin Potok (Klan)
• Human remains recovered from Kizevak grave site (EO)
• Annual budget exceeding €100 million allocated to Ministry of Defence (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 13 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas on Saturday (Kontakt plus radio)
• EU: Chance for an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, no time to lose (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTS)
• EU Ministers to Discuss Urgent, Reinforced Engagement in Western Balkans (Beta)
• Fabrizi: Urgent need of rule of law reforms in Serbia, BG-PR dialogue not a condition for opening more chapters (RTS, Beta, N1)
• Selakovic informed Davenport on the position of the Serb population in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, RTV) 
• Office for KiM: Stoned church in Kosovska Vitina (Kosovo Online, RTV)
• Radman: Recognition of Kosovo is a reality; Vulin: What the reality is in Republika Srpska? (Hina, N1, KoSSev)
• Patriarch: Persecution of believers, occupation of their homes, and destruction of churches is a culturcide (KoSSev)
• Vucic awards Austrian writer Peter Handke the Order of Karadjordje’s Star (N1, RTS)

Opinion:

• Resuming Kosovo – Serbia Dialogue: What can be expected over next six months? (KoSSev

Humanitarian/Development:

• EU kicks off year-long Conference on Future of Europe (N1)
• Visoki Decani and Pec Patriarchate open to limited number of visitors (Radio KIM)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 47 new cases, two deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded in the last 24 hours 47 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths. At the same time, 202 recoveries have been confirmed over the same time period.

There are 6,854 active cases of coronavirus in Kosovo.

New shipments of Covid vaccines to arrive to Kosovo in coming days (media)

Over 62,000 doses of the Covid vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca, are expected to arrive in Kosovo on Wednesday as part of the WHO-led COVAX initiative.

The news was announced on the UNICEF website which stated that 62,400 doses will be reaching Kosovo on 12 May. 

The Ministry of Health however confirmed that the batch expected to arrive Wednesday will include 38,400 doses which, together with the first batch of 24,000, make a total of 62,400.

Koha meanwhile quotes sources saying that around 5,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, part of the EU assistance, are also expected to arrive in Kosovo later in the day. 

Swedish FM: Kosovo and Serbia to treat dialogue as priority (media)

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde met the EU Special Representative for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Good discussions with EU special representative @MiroslavLajcak on the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia is the way forward. Both countries should make the dialogue a priority,” Linde tweeted after the meeting.

Lajcak on his part said that the meeting with Linde, who is also OSCE Chair-in-Office, took place ahead of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council discussion on the Western Balkans. “We spoke about the need to strengthen EU credibility in the region, the Dialogue and the important role the OSCE plays on the ground,” he wrote on Twitter.

Croatian FM pledges support for Kosovo in visa liberalisation process (Koha)

Croatia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman pledged to contribute to the improvement of relations between Western Balkans countries by focusing on the transformation of democracy, human rights, and rule of law.

“This will include the issue of talks with North Macedonia and Albania and the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo,” he said.

Police begin interviewing witnesses of yesterday’s incident in Zubin Potok (Klan)

Kosovo Police has confirmed that it is in the process of collecting testimonies from witnesses who were part of a mountain climbing trip near Zubin Potok yesterday when yet unidentified persons are reported to have opened fire in the direction of a group.

“We went to the scene yesterday but were unable to precisely determine the location as we were only told that shots were fired in the mountains of Zubin Potok and we could not contact the witnesses yesterday but will be collecting their testimonies today and together with few of them go to the scene,” Kosovo Police spokesperson for the Mitrovica region, Besim Hoti, told Klan Kosova.

The incident was condemned by Kosovo authorities with President Vjosa Osmani saying that every citizen of Kosovo should feel free and safe in moving across the whole territory of Kosovo. “I call on law enforcement authorities to continue work to identify and punish as soon as possible the authors of this criminal act whose goal is to sow fear and feeling of insecurity in that part of our country,” Osmani wrote on Facebook. 

Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla meanwhile urged the police to swiftly launch an investigation into the case.

Human remains recovered from Kizevak grave site (EO)

Ekonomia Online news website reported that human remains have been recovered during exhumations at the Kizevak mass grave site. 

Director of Kosovo’s Forensic Institute, Arsim Gerxhaliu, said that two human skulls were discovered at the site and that DNA samples are expected to be taken tomorrow.

Gerxhaliu noted that the exhumation process is set to continue over the coming couple of weeks and that he did not prefer to speculate at how many people are buried at the site. “I do not prefer to speak of numbers but I can say that the Serbian side sometimes says 14 or 16, but we do know that this is part of the Rezalla group which is related to the remains recovered in 2014 in Rudnica,” he said. 

Annual budget exceeding €100 million allocated to Ministry of Defence (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defence is expected to have an annual budget of more than €100 million, the highest since the ministry’s establishment.

“The 2022-2024 medium-term expenditure framework adopted at the 10th meeting of the Government foresees, starting from next year, an annual budget for the Ministry of Defence for the first time reaching over 100 million euros. The Kurti Government prioritises having a force ready to defend the country and contribute to global peace and security,” the ruling Vetevendosje Movement said in its website. 

Defence Minister Armend Mehaj welcomed the move saying that the Government of Kosovo led by Albin Kurti is demonstrating its commitment to having a modern army ready to defend the country and contribute to global peace. “The future is NATO,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

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

13 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced on Saturday, Kontakt plus radio reports.

Out of 97 tested samples, 13 were positive for Covid-19. The new cases were registered as follows: four in Zubin Potok, three in Mitrovica North, and one each in Zvecan, Leposavic, Gnjilane, Gracanica, Strpce and Kamenica.

Currently there are 181 active cases in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

A total of 146 persons have died in the Serbian areas in Kosovo since the outbreak of the pandemic.  

EU: Chance for an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, no time to lose (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTS)

EU foreign ministers are leading a strategic debate on the Western Balkans, based on an unofficial document compiled by High Representative Joseph Borell, Tanjug learns in Brussels.

In the so-called “non-paper” on “Enhanced EU engagement in the Western Balkans”, which Tanjug had insight into, states that Serbia is expected to accelerate the dynamism of reforms in the country, but also to use the chance to reach an agreement with Kosovo.

The text of the document estimates that the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina currently have a “strong mandate”, won in the elections, which “they should use to reach a comprehensive agreement on normalization”.

“Neither side has time to lose,” the text reads.

It is added that the EU is working on enabling the continuation of the process of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels.

Pristina is urged to make “decisive reform efforts” as well as “progress in EU-mediated dialogue” in order to move forward on its European path.

Stressing that it is necessary to “speed up the process of integration” of Serbia, Belgrade is called upon to speed up reforms “especially in the area of rule of law and governance”, but also to “consolidate its geopolitical orientation”.

“More political investment should be invested in that,” the text reads.

The document emphasizes that the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is “a political, security and economic interest” and “an investment in a stable and prosperous Union”.

“The Western Balkans has a clear goal of becoming a full-fledged part of the EU and do not want to be satisfied with enhanced economic, trade and financial cooperation,” the text reads.

It is added that the citizens of the Western Balkans have a “feeling of long-term disappointment” in the enlargement process, which, in the case of Serbia, comes due to a slowdown in the pace of progress.

In conclusion, the EU calls for a unified approach to the Western Balkans that will direct all forces towards “one goal”, which is “work on a common future” and “firm connection of the Western Balkans with the EU”, quoted portal Kosovo Online.

EU Ministers to Discuss Urgent, Reinforced Engagement in Western Balkans (Beta)

The European Union’s foreign ministers will meet in Brussels, on May 10, for a strategic debate on the EU’s stronger political engagement in the Western Balkans, and how to “heat up joint potentials and work as partners in dealing with global challenges.”

The above was said in a preparatory document for the ministers who will discuss how to “shape a joint future within the EU through urgent and concrete action together” and how to “strengthen cooperation in the area of security.”

EU High Representative Josep Borrell will present a non-paper which says that “for the Western Balkans the clear objective is full EU membership…and any suggestion of another path is a distraction with bad consequences for a job that needs to be done to accomplish the vision of a united, powerful and prosperous Europe.”

A senior EU official told journalists that the ministers wanted to firmly establish how to encourage cooperation with the Western Balkans “for the sake of the stability and security of the EU itself,” explaining that the Union could be safe and protected only if the Western Balkans were safe and resilient… while raising the possibility for the process that leads the region to the EU.

See at: https://bit.ly/2SFJcU4

Fabrizi: Urgent need of rule of law reforms in Serbia, BG-PR dialogue not a condition for opening more chapters (RTS, Beta, N1)

European Union Ambassador Sem Fabrizi said on Monday that Serbia urgently needs to implement rule of law reforms to achieve progress towards EU membership.

He told the Serbian state TV (RTS) that the government needs to focus on reforms which show results, not just “abstract reform concepts”. The job this year is for Serbia to focus on reforms, especially in rule of law, he said and added that every EU member state must be convinced that Serbia has progressed. He said that the reform process has advanced in Serbia but only in some areas with very little progress in some areas such as rule of law.

Fabrizi said that it’s too early to say whether Serbia will open more chapters in the pre-accession negotiations in June and added that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is not a condition to open more chapters, but that normalization of relations is part of the process. He said that the new government in Pristina must focus on the dialogue following the recent elections.

Selakovic informed Davenport on the position of the Serb population in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, RTV) 

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikola Selakovic met today the new Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport.

Selakovic congratulated Davenport on the election and expressed the expectation that the practice of good and open communication will continue, as well as regular meetings in Belgrade, reported portal Kosovo Online, quoting the press statement. 

Selakovic emphasized that Serbia supports the work of the Mission acting in accordance with the mandate based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244. He underlined that it is crucial for Serbia that the OSCE maintains a comprehensive status-neutral approach to Kosovo and that this applies not only to the work of field missions, but also to the modalities of organizing OSCE meetings and visits by OSCE officials to Pristina.

When it comes to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the Minister emphasized Belgrade’s commitment to dialogue and the search for a compromise solution, at the same time pointing out “that Belgrade has fulfilled its obligations from the Brussels Agreement, but on the other hand even eight years since the agreed, the Community of Serbian Municipalities have not been created”.

Selakovic said that it was necessary for Pristina to start implementing all agreements and that periods of political instability in Pristina should not be used as an excuse for their continuous refusal to implement the agreements reached. He emphasized that Serbia is ready to continue the dialogue and talks on numerous issues, such as internally displaced persons, missing persons, property and the status of cultural heritage.

As a very important aspect of the Mission’s work, Selakovic mentioned the activities so far in the field of protection of community rights in Kosovo and the conduct of elections in the north of Kosovo. Discussing the work of the Mission, the Minister pointed out that the Human Rights and Communities Program is of special importance for Serbia, bearing in mind that it monitors respect for human rights, community rights and democratic standards, with special attention paid to the rights of non-Albanian communities, displaced persons, returnees, as well as other vulnerable groups.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that Kosovo, with only 1.9 percent of returnees, is a post-conflict area with the lowest rate of return in the world. He also pointed out that there are about 42,000 long-term court disputes in Kosovo over the usurped private property of Serbs.

Selakovic also informed his interlocutor about the condition and position of the Serb population in Kosovo and the frequent attacks on Serbs, their property, as well as on churches and monasteries.

The head of Serbian diplomacy said that it was extremely important to shed light on the fate of 17 missing and killed journalists in Kosovo, pointing out that it was a devastating fact that none of these cases were under investigation in Kosovo, nor were any perpetrators punished, the statement reads, quoted Kosovo Online.

Office for KiM: Stoned church in Kosovska Vitina (Kosovo Online, RTV)

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic stated that the church of St. Petka in Kosovska Vitina was stoned last night around 10 pm by unknown perpetrators, but fortunately no one was injured, reported portal Kosovo Online.

This incident was preceded by an attempt by unknown rioters to remove the Serbian tricolor flag from the bell tower of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Klokot on St. George’s Day, Petkovic stated

“Thus, the number of attacks on Orthodox churches on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija has risen to 10 since the beginning of the year, and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes have not been arrested or punished. The number of incidents targeting Serbia’s religious and cultural heritage in the province alarms that this is not an isolated event, but a series of attacks aimed at intimidating and expelling the remaining Serbs because it is well known that our temples are important places of Serbian people unity in Kosovo and Metohija,” stated Petkovic. 

According to him, it is especially symptomatic that attacks are more frequent during church holidays, “which sends an unequivocal message to Serbs in the province that they do not have the right to peace, but it is also a clear signal of intolerance towards everything Serbian”, quoted the portal.

Radman: Recognition of Kosovo is a reality; Vulin: What the reality is in Republika Srpska? (Hina, N1, KoSSev)

The Serbian Minister of the Interior promotes the defeated Greater Serbia policy and unfoundedly complains to Croatia, which has never aspired for foreign territory or demanded a revision of its borders, a series of criticisms and accusations continues between Belgrade and Zagreb. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, Gordan Grlic Radman, spoke again, the answer of the Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs arrived soon enough. 

After the exhibition “Faces of Europe” on the occasion of Europe Day, the head of Croatian diplomacy yesterday commented on the statements of Aleksandar Vulin, who called Croatia and Kosovo “brothers in arms” and added that Grlic Radman would like to be able to deploy “occupation forces in Serbia” but that he will need “much more than he can think of with Kurti”, reported regional broadcaster N1. 

“Vulin actually promotes the defeated policy of Slobodan Milosevic, the Greater Serbia policy that conquered, which sought what did not belong to it. Croatia has never aspired on anyone’s territory, in fact, it has never asked for a revision of the borders,” Grlic Radman told reporters.

Similar and very harsh statements about the “brothers in arms” were given by the President of the Assembly of Serbia, Ivica Dacic and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that those who think that there will be new Storms and pogroms are deceived, Hina agency reported. 

“Vucic said in 1995 in Glina that Glina will not be Croatia (…) who will speak about weapons, but himself,” said Grlic Radman.

He assessed that complaining to Croatia was “escaping from one’s own responsibility and deviating from one topic, which is not a topic, from other problems that Serbia is burdened with”.

“Serbia is aware of a certain international pressure when it comes to the recognition of Kosovo, because that is the reality, and then they want to project certain frustrations on Croatia,” Grlic Radman said.

He pointed out that Croatia supported and continues to support Serbia’s European path, but also warned that this path “goes through Croatia”.

The Western Balkans is one of the two main topics of the regular monthly meeting of foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday. The EU enlargement and the Stabilization and Association Process, designed for the countries that emerged from the disintegration of Yugoslavia and Albania, will be discussed on Tuesday at a meeting of the General Affairs Council, composed mainly of foreign ministers or ministers in charge of European affairs.

The Croatian minister says that Croatia is a “subject” and that Serbia will be one of the countries on which official Zagreb will have to give an opinion on that debate.

“We are not satisfied with the state of democracy, the state of human rights, the fight against corruption and reforms that are not being implemented in general,” said Grlic Radman.

Serbia should never be a member of the European Union if the condition is for it to “cure Croatian complexes with its silence and humiliation”, followed by a response from the Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin to Grlic Radman. 

“If the road to the EU leads through Croatia and its conditions, we better not travel. Celebrating Victory Day, I laid a wreath to the first anti-fascist police ministers in the country in which Serbia was then, as a victorious force. Minister Radman did not celebrate Victory Day, the country that modern Croatia inherited was called the Independent State of Croatia and it was defeated,” Vulin’s written answer arrived.

He says that Croatia was created by “violent secession” and by the break-up of Yugoslavia, while by recognizing Kosovo in 2008, it “tried to break up Serbia”.

“I will not keep silent about how miserable and hypocritical it is when Minister Radman swears by the principle of immutability of borders. If Kosovo is independent because it is a ‘reality’, what is the reality in Republika Srpska? And I am still waiting for an answer as to why the dismemberment of Serbia is a contribution to peace, and the unification of Serbs is a contribution to unrest in the Balkans,” Vulin asked.

The series of accusations on the Belgrade-Zagreb route, which continues today, began in the middle of last week, after Grlic Radman, during his stay in Pristina, announced that Zagreb had decided to increase its military contingent within KFOR in Kosovo, and that, according to Pristina media, would set up a military camp in Kosovo for greater security, wrote portal KoSSev.

Patriarch: Persecution of believers, occupation of their homes, and destruction of churches is a culturcide (KoSSev)

“Who could simply disregard, turn a blind eye to the fact that people, Christians, Serbs were expelled from their homes, from their fields, in the 21st century, more than 200,000 of them, and that 140 churches were destroyed and demolished in Kosovo after 2000“, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije said in an interview with the Croatian daily Vecernji list.

The Patriarch recalled that several incidents against church properties on the territory of Kosovo took place last month.

“Hypothetically speaking, if what will never happen – happened, if the Church recognized a false state created by violence, would the violence stop or intensify?“ – he posed a question.

Speaking about the spiritual significance of Kosovo for the Serb people, the Porfirije stated that the very notion of spirituality – although “a kind of social utopia“ – develops and manifests itself, “unrestrained by state borders”. He also underlined that it is a complex phenomenon.

“Spirituality as a religious, psychological, social, artistic, cultural phenomenon is related to the realities of life“, the patriarch emphasized, adding that the Kosovo covenant is not a magical or mythical category, but a spiritual one.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3ex1OxP

Vucic awards Austrian writer Peter Handke the Order of Karadjordje’s Star (N1, RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic awarded Austrian Nobel laureate writer Peter Handke the Order of Karadjordje’s Star and thanked him for everything that he does for Serbia, N1 reports.

Vucic said he is glad that the Serb people can count on Handke as a friend.

“Our people never needed better ones”, Vucic said, adding that every time he thinks of the troubles of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, he reaches for one of Handke’s books.

“By accepting our order, the writer does a great honor to Serbia and I thank him a lot for that. By awarding this most important order, Serbia shows its gratitude to its academician and friend Handke”, Vucic said.

Handke said that he was not ready to receive such an important medal and that he was only told that he would meet with the President of Serbia and had a coffee with him, so he did not prepare any speech. “But that is good, as often in my life I was not prepared in advance”, Handke said.

“When I think of Serbia, I always think of the White Angel icon of Mileseva Monastery”, Handke added. “It is an angel pointing to an empty tomb saying ‘why are you looking for a living one amongst the dead ones’. He thus said that Christ was resurrected”, Handke explained.

He also said he has a copy of that icon at home and the White Angle regularly welcomes him at his home. At the end he thanked Serbia and the White Angel for the reward. 

Opinion

Resuming Kosovo – Serbia Dialogue: What can be expected over next six months? (KoSSev)

By: Lulzim Peci

After a number of efforts by the EU and the United States, the Kosovo – Serbia dialogue is expected to resume in the next month. The US – EU rapprochement with President Biden’s mantra “America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back,” and the security challenges posed by Russia and the China in the Western Balkans, have created a new momentum that may lead to a comprehensive and a long-lasting solution of the disputes between the two countries.

Nevertheless, there are still a number of differences that have to be bridged between Brussels and Washington on this issue. There is no doubt that the most important of them is how these two most important international stakeholders view the end-game of the dialogue. The position of Brussels still remains ambiguous by aiming for a legally binding comprehensive agreement, whereas Washington prefers mutual recognition by Kosovo and Serbia.

Furthermore, the European Union has largely lost its influence on Kosovo, due to its failure to lift visas for Kosovar citizens, regardless the fact that in the last three years the EU Commission has repeatedly stated that Kosovo has fulfilled all conditions. This reluctance also affects Serbia, since rightly it may assume that Brussels will not deliver in terms of further integration of the country into the EU, even if it achieves an agreement with Kosovo, which further complicates the circumstances of the dialogue.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3y32PWb

Humanitarian/Development

EU kicks off year-long Conference on Future of Europe (N1)

The Conference on the Future of Europe, a citizen-led series of debates and discussions that will enable people from across Europe to share their ideas and help shape our common future, was officially launched on Sunday on the occasion of Europe Day, N1 reports.

The formal ceremony of the opening of the event was held in Strasbourg.

The ceremony was addressed by French President Emmanuel Macron, European Parliament President David Sassoli, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal, the current chair of the Council of the EU.

About 500 participants, citizens of the EU and civil society associations’ activists participated in today’s video conference and the Conference executive board’ co-chairpersons answered their questions.

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

Visoki Decani and Pec Patriarchate open to limited number of visitors (Radio KIM)

As of today visits of up to five persons are allowed in Visoki Decani Monastery and Pec Patriarchate, it was announced on the Facebook profile of Visoki Decani Monastery, Radio KIM reports.

“The visiting hours at our Monastery are from 10.00-15.00 and from 16.00-18.00 hrs. All visitors are obliged to show their ID card to the KFOR personnel protecting the monastery. For any additional information feel free to contact Fr. Peter through the KFOR personnel or by email manastir@decani.org. Professional photographing and taking videos inside the compound is not allowed. Decent dressing is advised during the summer months. Attending the services for visitors is regrettably still restricted without a permit due to the pandemic”, Visoki Decani fraternity posted on Facebook.  

Due to deterioration of the epidemiological situation in Kosovo in June last year visits were temporarily banned as per the decision of the Raska-Prizren Eparchy Bishop Teodosije.

Ceremonies were served only in the presence of Monastery’s brotherhood.