Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: Nine new cases, one death (media)
• Kurti warns of change in Demarcation agreement with Montenegro (Klan)
• Wesley Clark takes over duty of Special Adviser to Kosovo’s Defense Minister (media)
• Kosovo Parliament approves resolution condemning genocide in Srebrenica (Express)
• LDK criticizes government for lack of transparency in dialogue process (media)
• Kurti: University operating in Mitrovica North, illegitimate (media)
• Kosovo PM Kurti deems the Washington Agreement unconstitutional (Express)
• Hoti: Washington agreement has broken Kosovo’s international isolation (media)
• Tahiri criticizes government for obscurity over Washington Agreement (RTK)
• Konjufca expresses condolences to Kadri Veseli for the loss of his father (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Lajcak talked to Petkovic, later a meeting with both sides (Beta, NMagazin)
• Vucic on the Srebrenica resolution: It is surprising that Podgorica was faster than Pristina (Kosovo Online, B92)
• The Serbian List left the session; the Assembly adopts the Srebrenica resolution (Kosovo Online)
• Djakovica municipality sued Dragica Gasic (Radio KIM)
• Minister Selakovic met Goran Rakic (Kosovo-online)
• German Ambassador says Berlin Process summit successful (N1)

Opinion:

• Serbia: Sweeten The Pot, Or There Will Be No Pot (eurasiareview.com, TransConflict)

International:

• Berlin Process: Leaders praise successes of regional integration, commit to continue economic cooperation (EWB)
• Grisly Discovery in Serbia Brings Trauma Back to Kosovo Village (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Rakic: We will offer all available support so displaced can return to their properties (Kosovo-online)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: Nine new cases, one death (media)

Nine new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours and one death. Eight persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 152 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo. 5,251 vaccine doses have been administered in the last 24 hours. To date, a total of 236,035 vaccines have been administered in Kosovo. 57,994 persons have received both doses of the vaccine.

Kurti warns of change in Demarcation agreement with Montenegro (Klan)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has warned that there will be no implementation of the Demarcation Agreement with Montenegro, in the form ratified in 2018, in the Assembly of Kosovo.

Kurti in today’s session, among other things, said how the government will be committed to the properties of Trepca, which are in the former Yugoslavia, outside the territory of Kosovo, to become property of the state of Kosovo, reports Klan Kosova.

“There are at least 22 properties of Trepca, in the former Yugoslavia, outside the territory of our Republic. And we as the government will be committed in this direction so that what used to be Kosovo’s, becomes Kosovo’s even if it is not now.”

“As you are aware, the State Commission for Border Demarcation and Maintenance has no mandate. Once we have a newly appointed commission, all the pending issues will be addressed through special mechanisms that will be recommended by this commission.”

“And I will do my best to correct everything that has been done unjustly wrong, harmful in 2018 when that agreement was ratified, which lost territory to Kosovo.”

“I will use the mechanisms, as soon as I can, as much as I can, in order to correct the terrible, fatal mistakes you made in the previous legislature,” Kurti said today at the Assembly of Kosovo session. 

Wesley Clark takes over duty of Special Adviser to Kosovo’s Defense Minister (media)

Media widely reported today on the visit of the Former Commander-in-Chief of NATO Allied Forces in Europe, U.S. General Wesley Clark, who has been received with high military honors by Kosovo Security Force soldiers. He met with Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj and Rrahman Rama, the commander of the KSF.

“I am honored to be here and to return to Kosovo again. I am impressed with democracy and freedom in Kosovo throughout these years,” Clark said after the meeting.

Media report that former commander of NATO troops, Welsey Clark, accepted the invitation to be a special adviser to Armend Mehaj, Minister of Defense of Kosovo.

During the day, Clark will also meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, President Vjosa Osmani and Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca.

The American general led the 78-day NATO campaign when they bombed the targets of the Serbian army against the oppression and persecution of Kosovo Albanians.

Kosovo Parliament approves a resolution condemning genocide in Srebrenica (Express)

The Parliament of Kosovo voted Wednesday a resolution condemning Serbian genocide in Srebrenica. Ahead of the vote Serbian MPs have demonstratively walked out of the session.

Members of Kosovo Parliament representing Srpska List, were seen walking out of today’s plenary session as Speaker Glauk Konjufca announced the agenda.

Head of Srpska List Goran Rakic and other MPs of the caucus representing Serbian community in Kosovo were seen walking out of the Parliament Hall, as Konjufca was reading points of the agenda of today’s session. 

LDK criticizes government for lack of transparency in dialogue process (media)

Shqipe Mjekiqi deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) criticized the government for lack of transparency in Tuesday’s meeting between EU Envoy Miroslav Lajcak and Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.

“We learned from the media that a meeting was held yesterday in the framework of the dialogue process in Brussels. Another meeting is said to take place today. We highly appreciate the role of the media for information, at a time when the government of the Republic of Kosovo has chosen non-transparency in front of the citizens and ignoring the opposition parties. Until yesterday, the government of Kosovo stated that it had no knowledge of the dialogue process so far and that dialogue is a new process. Meanwhile, yesterday it informed the EU about the implementation of the agreements reached so far,” she wrote.

Kurti: University operating in Mitrovica North, illegitimate (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has stated that the functioning of the university in the north of Mitrovica is not legitimate, as it has not drafted a statute in accordance with the Law on Education and has not been accredited by the Kosovo Accreditation Agency.

“There is no doubt that the functioning of this university is not legitimate, as it has not drafted a statute in accordance with the Law on Municipalities and has not been accredited by the Kosovo Accreditation Agency and therefore this university is not funded by the Kosovo budget and will not be managed until its operation is in accordance with the Laws of Kosovo. No one should doubt that our state has mechanisms to prevent illegal activity, but we also keep in mind that this university is attended by citizens of Kosovo and it is in our interest for them to be integrated in our state,” he said.

This statement came after the question of the PDK MP, Ariana Musliu-Shoshi about the construction of the university in the northern part with Serbian funding.

Kosovo PM Kurti deems the Washington Agreement unconstitutional (Express)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has not commented on his government’s position on the Washington Agreement signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, separately, with Kosovo and Serbia, as part of the two countries’ dialogue. Kurti was summoned by MPs to discuss his cabinet’s position on the Washington agreement, which is supported also by the administration of President Joe Biden.

Instead of explaining his position on the commitments taken by Kosovo when signing the deal in September 2020, Kurti has accused former prime minister Avdullah Hoti who signed the agreement, saying that he made unconstitutional actions when pledging to a one-year moratorium on Kosovo’s bid to join international organisations.

One of the points of the Washington deal was to work with the U.S. on “a feasibility study for the purpose of sharing with Serbia the disputed Ujman Lake, as a reliable water and energy supply.

On 24 June the the U.S. Department of Energy published a feasibility report on the management of the Ujman lake in accordance with the signed deal.

Kurti, commenting today on the feasibility study that the U.S. Embassy has handed over to his Office, saying that he will protect the lake from “claims” without providing further details.

Kurti who refuses to comment on the content of the deal, insists in blaming his predecessor Avdullah Hoti, that with the deal enabled Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic to enter the White House. “It was impossible for Serbia and its head, who participated wars in ex-Yugoslavia, minister of Information of Slobodan Milosevic, to be hosted [at the White House] without someone from the victim countries unravelling the red carpet for him, and this was done by the then prime minister of Kosovo,” Kurti said.

Hoti: The Washington agreement has broken Kosovo’s international isolation (media)

The MP of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and former Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said that with the Washington Agreement, Kosovo has broken international isolation. He further added that the Washington Agreement has created a new momentum in U.S.-EU relations.

“I was criticized in this Assembly with very inappropriate language by the then opposition. When I stated that I believe in the White House that recognition by Israel is achieved, populists called me with all sorts of epithets, outside of any norm and ethics, distorting my name and using various offensive epithets. We have those populists today in the assembly, in the government and in the presidency. Today it is clear that they deserved those epithets and not me. It is well known that when a person insults and demeans you, he is actually talking mostly about himself. Today, those people do not apologize, neither to me nor to the White House for disrespect and distrust. I categorize these persons into three groups, under one, they are either fraudsters who have acted for electoral purposes or are naive in international relations or are oriented to something else and do not want to consolidate Kosovo statehood through the White House, but with other centers,” he said.

Hoti has proposed to adopt a resolution at the end of the debate, which according to him, will help the government to implement the Washington agreement.

Tahiri criticizes government for obscurity over Washington Agreement (RTK)

The head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri has criticized the Kurti government for obscurity over the Washington agreement. At the session of the Assembly, where these commitments are being discussed, Tahiri asked the executive for clarity regarding the implementation or not of this agreement.

However, he also criticized the previous government, saying that they did not use the opportunity for mutual recognition and membership in the UN.

“In every field from the government of Kosovo we are seeing a lot of fog, uncertainty on many such issues. This process cannot be separated from the dialogue, despite the fact that it was signed in Washington, this was part of the coordinated dialogue in the EU. Here we had mini-Schengen, a process that came out of the EU and also this seemed to be a coordination between them. What is important today is Kosovo’s clarity in foreign policy and in terms of this agreement,” he said.

Tahiri said that there are no doubts about the U.S. commitment to strengthen the state of Kosovo, but the way the agreement was negotiated leaves much to be desired.

Seeking concrete answers, Tahiri addressed some questions to Prime Minister Albin Kurti and told him not to deal with the past, but the future.

“Have you implemented it, have you started its implementation? Which points do you want to renegotiate if necessary? Is there such a possibility?”Tahiri asked.

Konjufca expresses condolences to Kadri Veseli for the loss of his father (media)

The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca has expressed his condolences to the Veseli family for the loss of their father, Fazli Veseli.

“On behalf of the Assembly of Kosovo, I am expressing my condolences to the Veseli family, for the loss of their father and to the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Mr. Kadri Veseli,” Konjufca said.

The head of the PDK parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, also expressed his condolences in the Assembly for the loss of Kadri Veseli’s father.

“Before the beginning of this session, I am informing you that a few hours ago Fazli Veseli passed away. He and his family were persecuted by the Milosevic regime. He was also the father of Kadri Veseli. Unfortunately, he did not even have his youngest son by his side,” he said.

Memli Krasniqi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Ramush Haradinaj leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) also expressed their condolences.

Media also report that the late Fazli Veseli will be buried today at 19:00 hours. 

Serbian Language Media

Lajcak talked to Petkovic, later a meeting with both sides (Beta, NMagazin)

The Special Representative of the European Union for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, stated that he had a “useful” conversation today with the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, as part of the continuation of the dialogue, reported Beta agency.

“This morning, I had a useful conversation with Petar Petkovic, the main Serbian negotiator. Later, I will sit down with the two parties to discuss current issues and preparations for the next meeting of leaders,” Lajcak said on Twitter.

The continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina at the technical level is being held in Brussels today, and the host of the meeting is Lajcak.

The Serbian delegation is led by Petkovic, and the Kosovo delegation by Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European integration Besnik Bislimi, who met with Lajcak on Tuesday.

Lajcak said on Tuesday after meeting with Bislimi that “nothing is technical” in talks on normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Everything in the talks on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is highly political, nothing is technical,” Lajcak said, agency Beta recalled.

Vucic on the Srebrenica resolution: It is surprising that Podgorica was faster than Pristina (Kosovo Online, B92)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic said today that he himself warned that after the resolution on Srebrenica was adopted in Montenegro, a flood of such resolutions and pressures would start that Serbs were the ones who committed genocide, reported media.

During a visit to the special hospital for cerebrovascular diseases Sveti Sava in Belgrade, where a new room for neuro-interventions was opened, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic commented 

the information that the resolution on Srebrenica is being discussed in the Kosovo Assembly today and said that it was ”surprising” to him that ”Podgorica was more zealous than Pristina”. He added that there were many in Serbia who would like Belgrade to overtake Podgorica, but that such ”fortunately are not in power”.

Vucic reminded that he warned that a flood of the same resolutions would start in all parliaments in the area, that everyone would want to clearly declare and express that ”Serbs committed genocide” and show their commitment to “allegedly for good neighborly relations”, but above all to strike a blow to Serbia.

However, he expressed his belief that the adoption of similar documents could be avoided somewhere due to good relations.

“Unfortunately, it will remain in history that Podgorica overtook Pristina,” Vucic said. 

On the occasion of the visit of the former Commander-in-Chief of NATO, during the bombing of the FRY, Wesley Clark, to Pristina, the President of Serbia said briefly: “I do not comment on the arrival of Clark.”

“They have de facto power on the ground and harass Serbs every day, but if you tell me that they will create a strong army, which could endanger Serbia; there are precise mathematical calculations, I have no fear,” he said, adding that apart from human resources “they have absolutely nothing”. 

“I have no fear on that issue, but I am worried, because any problem that happens will be a problem for us because we are making the fastest progress and the problem would affect investors. More than 60 percent of foreign direct investments end up in central Serbia,” he reminded.

He also stated that he was grateful to Matthew Palmer and the officials of the US Embassy for insisting on the formation of the ZSO in Pristina.

“I am not sure that anyone will want to hear that in Pristina. They are not interested in that,” said Vucic.

The Serbian List left the session; the Assembly adopts the Srebrenica resolution (Kosovo Online)

Portal Kosovo Online reported that the Serbian List deputies left the session of the Kosovo Assembly today due to placing the Draft Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica on the agenda.

The Serbian list will issue a statement, explaining the reasons for leaving the session, wrote the portal.

The portal reported that the draft resolution proposed a ban on the intentional and public denial of the genocide in Srebrenica and that the genocide of the Serb regime in Srebrenica against the Bosniak people and all human rights violations be strongly condemned.

The resolution was initiated by representatives of the Bosniak community in Kosovo, wrote the portal.

On the eve of the 26th anniversary of the crimes that took place in Srebrenica, members of the Assembly of Kosovo adopted a Resolution condemning the genocide.

89 deputies voted in favor of the resolution, none of them were against, and there were no abstentions. The deputies of the SL left the session at the moment when the Draft Resolution came on the agenda.

“The adoption of this Resolution will have multiple significance for us here and for the peoples of the region. It will help that in addition to the victims in Srebrenica and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, the victims in Kosovo are not forgotten and that this Resolution and the Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide to be an example for future generations, to be a means of reconciliation between nations, and not a means of alienation and aggravation,” said Bahrim Shabani, MP of the Bosniak coalition Vakat.

The Vice President of the Assembly, Saranda Bogujevci, said that Self-Determination strongly supports this resolution.

“It is difficult to live without knowing the fate of family members. We understand the suffering of the Bosnian people the most, because we experienced something similar during the last war in Kosovo. On behalf of the Self-Determination Movement, I declare our strong support for this resolution,” she said. 

Opposition parliamentary parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, also supported the adoption of the resolution, reported Kosovo Online.

Djakovica municipality sued Dragica Gasic (Radio KIM)

Representatives of Djakovica municipality have filed proceedings against the only one returnee in the town, Dragica Gasic, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said on Twitter, Radio KIM reports.

The proceeding was initiated over alleged usurpation of the apartment, Petkovic added.

“This is yet another pressure against our returnee to move out and I would bring this issue up at tomorrow’s meeting with Miroslav Lajcak in Brussels”, Petkovic wrote yesterday.

He also said that the Office for Kosovo and Metohija hired the lawyer that would assist Gasic in this process.

Earlier, Dragica Gasic confirmed that the municipality sued her. Talking to Radio Free Europe on July 6, Gasic said she is currently staying with her sister in the village of Veliko Krusevo, Klina municipality, 30 kilometers away from Djakovica. She also said she possessed valid documentation for the apartment, and that the Kosovo Property Agency (Kosovo Verification and Comparison Agency) released the apartment prior to her return to Djakovica.

Minister Selakovic met Goran Rakic (Kosovo-online)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic met with the head of Serbian List, Goran Rakic yesterday, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Selakovic wrote on Twitter they talked about the life of Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as about numerous foreign policy challenges that Serbia is facing.

German Ambassador says Berlin Process summit successful (N1)

German Ambassador in Belgrade Thomas Schieb said that the Berlin Process summit was a success, N1 reports.

He added the summit was an important step towards the start of a common regional market in the Western Balkans. He said that the goal of the Berlin Process is to build trust and ease reconciliation among the countries of the Western Balkans and pave the way towards possible European Union membership.

Berlin hosted a virtual Berlin Process summit on July 5 which focused on the common Western Balkan market which was agreed at a summit in the Bulgarian capital Sofia in November 2020. The summit was attended by heads of government of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia with the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and Poland attending along with the President of France. The summit was addressed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and Regional Cooperation Council Secretary General Maylinda Bregu.

See at: https://bit.ly/2Vim2Ez

Opinion

Serbia: Sweeten The Pot, Or There Will Be No Pot (eurasiareview.com, TransConflict)

By  David B. Kanin

Ed Joseph has a serious proposal.  It deserves to be taken seriously.  Joseph, a Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, has for many years been a prominent proponent of ideas meant to cajole or force states in the post-Yugoslav Balkans to accept the stated norms – if not actual practices – of the transatlantic West.  Like other public intellectuals, Joseph appears to believe the pull of Western-style democracy and tantalizing possibility of eventual membership in the EU makes the US and EU much more appealing to prospective Balkan partners than anything on offer from Moscow or Beijing.

Proceeding from the premise that the Western actors remain and will remain the dominant powers in the Balkans, Joseph proposes they impose a trade-off under which Serbia would halt its campaign to promote de-recognition of Kosovo by states who care little about Balkan disputes but initially blessed Kosovo’s sovereignty in the wake of its unilateral declaration of independence in 2008.  Belgrade also would drop its objection to Pristina’s membership in Interpol, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and other international organizations.  In return, Kosovo would agree not to seek political union with Albania or anything that would head in that direction.  Kosovo also would not be guaranteed membership in the UN, NATO, or – most importantly – the EU [1].  Joseph calls his proposal a “game-changer.”

Importantly, such a deal would signal American failure to convince five EU members to drop their refusal to recognize Kosovo.  During the run-up to Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence American policymakers and public intellectuals scoffed at those who warned them that some member states would refuse to accept Kosovo’s unilateral de jure separation from Serbia  and that the Kosovo created in Washington would achieve no more than a stunted status.  Under Joseph’s proposal, Kosovo would improve its international position without needing to gain the approval of the EU-5/NATO-4.

By stressing this last point, Joseph makes clear that the removal of Serbia’s negotiating leverage is a primary motivation for his idea.  He characterizes this leverage as afflicting Serbia with something like the “oil curse” afflicting countries with a lot of that resource but not much else.  According to Joseph, this leverage curse has the effect of “complicating its (Serbia’s) ability to settle the Kosovo question and finally accept the Western order…”   Again, the benefit and necessity of accepting the ”Western order” is simply assumed – not accepting the embrace of the West is defined as a self-inflicted curse.

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

International

Berlin Process: Leaders praise successes of regional integration, commit to continue economic cooperation (EWB)

BERLIN – Online Summit of Western Balkan Prime Ministers and the EU leaders, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, took place on Monday, with the participants taking stock of the results of regional cooperation and outlining the future steps.

In addition to regional leaders, EU officials and Chancellor Merkel, the Summit was also attended by President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Ministers of Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Croatia and Chancellor of Austria.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3hD1H4i

Grisly Discovery in Serbia Brings Trauma Back to Kosovo Village (Balkan Insight)

Relatives of war victims from the small Kosovo village of Rezalla say the recent discovery of bodies that had been hidden in a mass grave in Serbia has revived traumatic memories of the brutal killings in 1999.

Heavy rain cut short Besim Deliu’s work at the memorial site in the village of Rezalla where he had gone to clean up his father’s grave.

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

Humanitarian/Development

Rakic: We will offer all available support so displaced can return to their properties (Kosovo-online)

Representatives of 30 displaced families from Podujevo municipality met Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic in Nis today aiming to find a way and offer support to these families to return to Kosovo, Kosovo-online portal reports.

During the meeting, Rakic said the returns process was not met with an honest support of the Kosovo institutions and it solely depends on the Ministry for Communities and Returns, which invests strong efforts to return as many people to their homes and places of origin as possible.

He also said he would inform representatives of the international community in Kosovo about today’s meeting and on what has been agreed upon.

Displaced persons said they have strong willingness and intention to return to their properties, adding the biggest problems relate to usurped properties and personal documentation issues.

Approximately 1.500 Serbs lived in Podujevo prior to the 1999 conflict, and today there almost no Serbs there.