Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti receives German Foreign Minister Baerbock (media)
• Osmani and Gervalla participate in the Diplomatic Forum of Antalya (media)
• Lajcak: Integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, an urgency (Ekonomia)
• Haxhiu and Haekkerup expect the prison agreement to be finalised in May (RTK)
• Prime Minister Kurti participates in the inauguration of “Selac Windpark” (media)
• Kurti to AFP: Despotic Putin is looking for new conflicts, Kosovo endangered (Reporteri)
• COVID-19: 47 new cases, one death (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic meets with Baerbock (Tanjug)
• Baerbock: Solution for Serbs in Kosovo to vote on April 3 to be found, dialogue before EU candidate status (Kosovo-online, media)
• The US Senate confirmed: Christopher Hill is the new US Ambassador to Serbia (Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic on a two-day visit in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Baerbock met mayors Hamza and Radojevic at Mitrovica main bridge this morning (Radio kontakt plus, KoSSev)
• EU Ambassador: We know that Serbia faces specific circumstances over Ukraine war (N1, RTS)
• Serbian government bans exports of staple foods, caps eurodiesel, petrol prices (Tanjug)
• Limited sale of basic grocery essentials in Mitrovica North (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Ukraine to withdraw from UN peacekeeping operations, from Kosovo as well (Radio KIM)
• EU says there is no fast membership for Ukraine (VoA, Kosovo-online)

International:

• Kosovo Probes ‘Artificial’ Hikes in Basic Goods’ Prices (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Serbian authorities revoke Covid-19 passes (N1)

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti receives German Foreign Minister Baerbock (media)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla, received today the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Annalena Baerbock, and the Special Representative of the German Federal Government countries of the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin.

At the opening of the meeting, Prime Minister Kurti thanked Minister Baerbock for her visit to Kosovo, at a very tense and difficult time for the democratic world.

He emphasised the strong and special connection of Kosovo with the German state and people. He also expressed his gratitude to Germany for its assistance during difficult times during the war, its support on state-building, as well as for its active, supportive role for Kosovo within the European perspective.

He briefed the Minister on the government’s work on justice reform, the fight against crime and corruption. He stressed the direct and positive impacts that institutional stability has brought to the performance of Kosovo’s economy.

“In this regard, he said that we need help from the European Union and stressed that the funds must be linked to the values ​​of the EU, which are necessary in order to have lasting peace and long-term stability in the Western Balkans.

Minister Baerbock stressed that the Federal Republic of Germany wants to further expand the close bilateral relations with the Republic of Kosovo. She also expressed support for visa liberalisation.

The Prime Minister said that Kosovo’s future is in NATO and the European Union and that Germany’s role in accelerating Kosovo’s integration is central.

Kosovo can and should benefit more from EU funds in infrastructure, energy and development projects, said Prime Minister Kurti, emphasising that Germany as an influential member within the EU can help us more in this regard.

He added that Kosovo is a stable partner for Germany and the European Union, citing the reception of Afghan refugees, sanctions against Russia, the readiness to accept 20 Ukrainian journalists and the readiness to house up to 5,000 refugees.

He also informed the Minister about the positive and proactive role that Kosovo is playing in regional issues, while reiterating that Kosovo is a strong supporter of the Berlin Process and the Regional Common Market,’ reads a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3hX3OjR

Osmani and Gervalla participate in the Diplomatic Forum of Antalya (media)

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz will participate in the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, Turkey. 

The Office of the President announced that they will participate in several panels of this Forum and meet with counterparts from several countries around the world, participating in this Forum.

The Antalya Diplomatic Forum is a high-level meeting, which addresses international challenges and is attended by state leaders, diplomats, opinion leaders and academics. This year’s theme of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum is “Recoding diplomacy”.

This Forum will take place from March 11 to 13 and will be attended by representatives from about 70 countries.

Lajcak: Integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, an urgency (Ekonomia)

Due to the new circumstances created in Ukraine, the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said that the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union is urgent. He made this statement after a meeting with the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani.

“The current geopolitical situation confirms the urgency and importance of the full integration of the Western Balkans into the EU,” Lajcak wrote on Twitter.

 Meanwhile, Osmani said there is no time to lose to make EU integration happen. “It is more likely than ever and there is no time to lose. We agreed that enlargement is a security policy and that there is a need for tangible results on the Western Balkans path to membership.”

Haxhiu and Haekkerup expect the prison agreement to be finalised in May (RTK)

The agreement between Kosovo and the Kingdom of Denmark on the lease of cells for prisoners is expected to be signed in early May. This was announced during a joint press conference of the Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu, Denmark’s Minister of Justice Nick Haekkerup.

“But we have not set the date for approval by the Assemblies of the two countries yet,” Haxhiu said.

She stressed that this agreement has aroused the interest of citizens because it is considered a weighty agreement. “Agreements with serious states contribute to our institutions. This act will prove that Kosovo is a serious partner. Through this agreement we want to continue deepening justice reforms. From this conference I emphasise that our commitment is clear, and we will be committed to cooperation in expanded fields,” Haxhiu said.

Meanwhile, the Danish Minister, Nick Haekkerup said that this agreement will enable Denmark to be more vocal in terms of visa liberalisation for Kosovo, but also NATO and EU membership.

“We have contacted Kosovo because we have long relations with your country and we were among the first countries to recognize Kosovo. We feel more comfortable with Kosovo. It was natural to strengthen our cooperation,” Haekkerup said. 

Prime Minister Kurti participates in the inauguration of “Selac Windpark” (media)

“With this investment, Kosovo takes the first big step towards a more sustainable and diversified future of renewable energy supply,” said the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, at the inauguration ceremony of Selac Windpark in the villages of Selac and Bajgora in the Municipality of Mitrovica.

In this ceremony, which was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock, Kurti praised this strategic investment and especially the commitment of German Minister Baerbock for the development of Kosovo.

“The Green Agenda is one of our government’s priorities, not only because it includes an important aspect of our EU integration process, but especially because we need to gradually reduce coal use while maintaining our energy independence,” he said.

While speaking about the importance of this project, which will cover 10% of the installed capacity of Kosovo, will reduce CO2 emissions and will also contribute to the overall energy supply, Kurti stressed that in the long run, renewable resources is the only sustainable solution to invest in.

Kurti to AFP: Despotic Putin is looking for new conflicts, Kosovo endangered (Reporteri)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti has given an interview to the French news agency “AFP”.

In this interview, Prime Minister Kurti also spoke about the danger that threatens Kosovo from Russia, writes Reporteri.net.

Kurti said that Putin’s goal is a new Yalta conference, Yalta 2, in which spheres of interest would be divided and, in this way, the Russian Federation would aim to compensate for the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Therefore, Prime Minister Kurti stressed that the Western Balkans in general, and Kosovo in particular are at risk.

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

COVID-19: 47 new cases, one death (media)

47 new cases of COVID-19 and one death have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said in its daily report. 61 persons recovered during this time.

There are 797 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic meets with Baerbock (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is in Belgrade as part of a two-day visit to the Western Balkans, Tanjug news agency reports.

The meeting in the Presidency of Serbia building is also being attended by Serbian FM Nikola Selakovic, European Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimovic, Germany’s special Western Balkans envoy Manuel Sarrazin and Berlin’s Ambassador to Belgrade Thomas Schieb.

Vucic and Baerbock will hold a press conference after the meeting.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vucic said the discussion with Baerbock would be significant.

“We will do our best to maintain good bilateral relations with Germany. We believe the path to the EU is very important for us”, he also said.

Baerbock: Solution for Serbs in Kosovo to vote on April 3 to be found, dialogue before EU candidate status (Kosovo-online, media)

German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is visiting Pristina, said yesterday that Belgrade and Pristina must find a solution acceptable to both sides regarding the voting of Serbs in Kosovo at upcoming April 3 elections, Kosovo-online portal reports citing Pristina-based media. She added that the topic of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue comes prior to the EU candidate status.

“One of the priorities is to strengthen trust in the region. We need progress in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. I can’t imagine that those war sufferings which every family expirinced and rapes during the war will be transferred from generation to generation. We will take responsibility and we need courage for difficult decisions. Cooperation of Kosovo and Serbia is important as it is the realisation of elections in Kosovo by Serbia in order to find a solution for the Serbs to vote in Kosovo”, Baerbock is quoted as saying. 

The US Senate confirmed: Christopher Hill is the new US Ambassador to Serbia (Kosovo Online)

The US Senate has confirmed that Christopher Hill is the new US Ambassador to Serbia, reported Kosovo Online.

This was announced on Twitter of the Senate Democratic Majority, where the appointment of several other American ambassadors was confirmed.

Hill is replacing Anthony Godfrey, a career diplomat who has been in Belgrade since November 2019. 

Hill is considered an experienced diplomat, a connoisseur of the region and a close friend and associate of US President Joseph Biden.

In addition to Belgrade, Hill served in Skopje and Tirana, but to this day he remains best known as the US Special Envoy for Kosovo during the two years of war.

He was also a member of Richard Holbrooke’s negotiating team for Bosnia. He served as ambassador to South Korea, Iraq, and Poland.

Petkovic on a two-day visit in Kosovo (KoSSev)

Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, is on a two-day visit in Kosovo. He will spend the first day on the territory of the municipality of Strpce, reported KoSSev.

Petkovic will meet today in the village of Berevce the leadership of the municipality of Strpce, as well as young athletes and members of the Cultural and Artistic Association of this region.

“After a short sports and cultural-artistic program, director Petkovic will spend some time with children, their parents and representatives of sports associations, after which he will address the gathered citizens,” the Office announced.

Petkovic will visit the elementary school “Sarski odred” in the village of Vrbestica, and Mladenovic family and hand over aid to this nine-member family.

The statement reads that Petkovic will spend the second day of his visit in the municipality of Zubin Potok.

A meeting with political representatives of the Serbian List and local self-government is planned, as well as a conversation with the locals in the village of Ugljare.

The director of the Office for KiM will then visit the seven-member Mihajlovic family in the village of Gornje Dobrosevine, for whom the Office built a house in this place, reported KoSSev.

Baerbock met mayors Hamza and Radojevic at Mitrovica main bridge this morning (Radio kontakt plus, KoSSev)

Early this morning, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, met with the mayors of South and North Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza and Milan Radojevic, on the main Ibar River bridge, Radio kontakt plus reports.

“The Ibar bridge connects the north with the southern part of the city. In the past, there were riots and incidents here. Today, the bridge can be crossed on foot”, reads the message posted by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Instagram.

“It is necessary to work hard in order to apply the standards, not for the international community, but for the citizens of Mitrovica and in order for the main bridge to be “different””, said the Mayor of South Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza.

He added that there are two more bridges on the river Ibar in the immediate vicinity and expressed hope that this bridge will be open for traffic in the future.

“We need to cooperate. I am open. I am here to serve every citizen without any distinction, to create better conditions for the development of industry. If we as politicians are careful with statements and cooperate, we’re thus making small steps and after that it is much easier for citizens”, Hamza said and Radojevic agreed with that.

Radio Kontakt Plus emphasized that the Serbian-language media were not officially informed about the meeting of the two mayors with Baerbock on the Ibar bridge.

Early this morning, Baerbock also visited a wind farm located in the Mitrovica region, which was financed by the German Government as the largest single investment in Kosovo.

KoSSev news portal published that the two mayors and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs were also accompanied by representatives of civil society from North and South Mitrovica.

KoSSev has also emphasised that the media that report in Serbian were not officially informed about the meeting of the two mayors with Baerbock on the Ibar Bridge, and therefore have transmitted the information published by the Facebook page “Jepi Ze”, news portal from South Mitrovica.

EU Ambassador: We know that Serbia faces specific circumstances over Ukraine war (N1, RTS)

European Union Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret said on Thursday that the Union knows that Serbia is faced with specific circumstances over the war in Ukraine but expects Belgrade to align with its foreign policy.

“We appreciate the fact that Serbia supported the 141 UN member states who lent their support to the victims and condemned Russia for this attack. We appreciate the fact that Serbia has stated clearly that it supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity. We also appreciated the fact that Serbia has joined in providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, adopting the same package of measures as the EU did. It also respects the large number of declarations that the EU adopted on the conflict,” Giaufret told Serbian state TV (RTS).

He added that Serbia is expected to align with EU foreign policy as a candidate country. “We know that Serbia has a specific history and that it is in specific circumstances. We are constantly talking to the government about gradually aligning with EU policies,” the EU Delegation chief said.

“We think that preserving peace and stability in this part of the world is very important and we don’t see why the citizens of the Balkans should pay the price for Russia’s aggression. It’s important for them all to be safe and convinced that peace and stability will be maintained,” he said.

Giaufret said that the Western Balkans, including Serbia, are part of Europe. “We want the countries of the Western Balkans to become EU members, Serbia to become a member and we have to step up efforts on reforms which will take Serbia into the European family,” he said.

Serbian government bans exports of staple foods, caps eurodiesel, petrol prices (Tanjug)

The Serbian Government on Thursday introduced a temporary ban on exports of staple foods – grain wheat, wheat flour, maize, groats and sunflower oil, Tanjug news agency reports.

In a statement released after a session, the government said the reason behind the decision had been to react in a timely manner to market disruptions and increased market demand at home as well as globally.

The government also adopted a decree capping the prices of two oil derivatives, eurodiesel and euro premium BMB 95 petrol, over a period of 30 days, from March 11 until April 11.

During that period, the prices will be adjusted every Friday by 3 pm.

The decree also specifies the conditions and method of sales of oil derivatives to registered farmers.

The government also adopted a decision on a temporary 20 pct reduction of excise duties on leaded and unleaded petrol and gas oils.

Limited sale of basic grocery essentials in Mitrovica North (Radio Mitrovica sever)

Radio Mitrovica sever reported yesterday that due to excessive demand in grocery stores in North Mitrovica, the amount of basic grocery essentials (flour, cooking oil and sugar) that one person can buy is limited.

The quantity that can be bought, as well as the price of these groceries, varies from store to store. Thus, in some markets it is possible to get 5 kg of flour, 3 kg of sugar and 3 litres of oil per person, while in some places they are more rigorous – 2 kg of flour, 1 kg of sugar and 1 litre of oil per person.

When it comes to prices, a kilogram of flour can be bought at a price of 80 dinars (0.7 euros) on average. The oil is from 190 to 220 (approx.1.6 to 1.9 euros), and the price of sugar is mostly around 90 (approx. 0.76 euros) dinars per kilogram.

In some supermarkets in South Mitrovica, the amount of basic food products is also limited. On average, it is possible to buy up to five litres of cooking oil at a price ranging from 1.99 to 2.29 euros, depending on the manufacturer. In some shops, the places on the shelves where flour, cooking oil and sugar are displayed are completely empty, Radio added.

Traders say that the reason for the restriction is the huge demand, and that, if they did not react, they would soon be left without this type of goods. In addition, they add, their goal is for the available quantity to be evenly distributed among households.

The price increase started with the increase of the price of fuel, which now costs 217 dinars per litre (approx. 1.85 euros).

Ukraine to withdraw from UN peacekeeping operations, from Kosovo as well (Radio KIM)

The United Nations received official notification that Ukraine intends to withdraw all its 308 army and police members serving at six UN peacekeeping missions, and it will also withdraw eight MI-8 helicopters that are in Congo, Radio KIM reports.  

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said this yesterday, adding it includes around 250 Ukrainian soldiers in Congo, whose withdrawal was announced yesterday, as well as 36 army officers and 22 police members.

In addition to Congo, Ukrainians are serving at five peacekeeping missions including Mali, Cyprus, special administrative district Abyei, South Sudan and Kosovo. There are around 40 Ukrainian soldiers as part of the KFOR Mission.

Dujarric said that every country has the right to withdraw its military forces serving at peacekeeping operations and thanked Ukraine for long-term contributions. He also said the UN is working to implement the Ukrainian request and will contact other countries to replace withdrawn army members, police and equipment. 

EU says there is no fast membership for Ukraine (VoA, Kosovo-online)

European Union leaders told Ukraine there is no fast way for this country to join the EU, thus diminishing hopes of Kiev amid the war, Kosovo-online portal reports citing Voice of America.

“There is no fast accession”, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said ahead of the EU Summit in Versailles, France, expressing the stance of several member states. Media described Rutte as an opponent to the further enlargement process of the EU. 

“I want to focus on what we can do for the Ukrainian president tonight, tomorrow and accession of Ukraine to the EU is long-term (matter), if it happens at all”, Rutte said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the accession process can’t be launched with a country at war. “Can we close the door and say – never. That would be unfair. We should be careful”, he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU should deepen its partnership with Ukraine, instead of talking about membership that requires consent of all 27 member states, the media reported. 

International 

Kosovo Probes ‘Artificial’ Hikes in Basic Goods’ Prices (Balkan Insight)

As prices of basic essentials like cooking oil soared suspiciously high this week, authorities vow to prosecute supermarket warehouses that hoard goods in order to push up prices and spark panic buying.

Authorities closed two supermarket warehouses in Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje and Gracanica on Thursday on suspicion of manipulating the prices of basic goods and causing panic buying.

“The market inspectorate in collaboration with the Directorate for Investigation of Economic Crimes of the Police temporarily closed two warehouses of economic operators”, the Ministry of Trade announced on Facebook.

BIRN found out that 100,000 bottles of cooking oil were stored in one of the closed warehouses and another 26,000 bottles in the other.

Kosovo shoppers flocked to supermarkets on Thursday to buy oil after prices rose by more than a euro in one day, reaching an all-time high of 3.49 euros per bottle.

One day earlier, a litre of cooking oil cost around 2.25 euros. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, cooking oil cost around 1.69 euros in February. Some supermarkets also limited purchases to four bottles at a time.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3MI7dBf

Humanitarian/Development

Serbian authorities revoke Covid-19 passes (N1)

The Serbian Government pandemic crisis response team on Thursday decided to revoke Covid-19 passes as of upcoming weekend, N1 reports.

Crisis response team member Minister Darija Kisic Tepavcevic said that the Covid-19 passes would no longer be required as of Saturday. Covid-19 passes were introduced on October 23, 2021 and were required indoors after 8 pm. Doctors of the crisis response team wanted the Covid-19 passes imposed 24/7 but that was not accepted by the rest of the team.

The minister said the Covid-19 passes were introduced to combat the delta variant of the coronavirus which, she said, is no longer present in Serbia.

She said that the recommendation for face masks indoors remains in force with masks mandatory in health care facilities but that the limits on the number of people at indoor events is being revoked. Kisic Tepavcevic said that seven-day isolation requirements are still in place for those infected.

She said international travel measures remain in place: proof of vaccination, PCR tests or proof of recovery from Covid-19 to enter Serbia.

The crisis response team also recommended a fourth booster dose of coronavirus vaccine for people over the age of 18 five months after the first booster dose and booster doses for children aged 12-18. It also revoked quarantine requirements for people in contact with infected patients.