Albanian Language Media:

• Deputy Defense Minister: Kosovo’s membership in NATO, necessary (Klan Kosova)
• Osmani does not indicate who is hindering Kosovo’s membership in NATO (Federalna, demokracia)
• Justice Ministry accuses Special Prosecution of propaganda on Dehari case (media)
• Kurti received the Government Commission for Recognition and Verification of the Status of Victims of Sexual Violence during the War in Kosovo (media)
• Osmani on Sexual Violence Survivors Day: Peace will not be complete until justice is done (media)
• Civil society organisations list recommendations to facilitate sexual violence survivors (Telegrafi) 
• Dick Marty: I had nothing to do with Thaci’s arrest, I was targeted since then (Klan)
• Alexandra Channer: I think of translation as a political activity (Kosovo 2.0)
• COVID-19: 14 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• “Hate speech used by politicians is a big problem – reaction needed” (KiM radio)
• Brnabic: All options open for Serbian Oil Industry (N1)
• Pribicevic: Time to discuss Serbia’s EU membership (Tanjug)
• Zakharova: Serbia says that we are its friend – we always support our friends (Sputnik, N1, FoNet)
• Petkovic: Basic political rights of Serbs endangered (Radio KIM)
• Visoki Decani Monastery: Absurd statements that Serbs in Kosovo destroyed their own churches (Kosovo-online)
• Hearing of B.B on allegations relating to Ivanovic’s murder postponed (Radio KIM)
• Giaufret says Serbia did a lot to align with EU (N1)
• Petkovic met Cyprus Ambassador; warns of pressure on Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio)
• Epidemiologist: Six active cases of Covid-19 in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio kontakt plus)

Opinion:

• Vejvoda: Difficult to maintain Serbia’s policy of neutrality in a long run (NMagazin, N1, FoNet)
• In Serbia’s Electoral Simulation, the Leader Outstrips the Party (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Detainees of Mitrovica Correctional Center to clean up cemeteries on both sides (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media  

Deputy Defense Minister: Kosovo’s membership in NATO, necessary (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Shemsi Syla, said in an interview with the news website that Kosovo’s membership in NATO is both reasonable and necessary. He said that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) has proved in practice that with its capacities it can contribute to international missions alongside U.S. troops and other allies. “With our participation in the Kuwait mission, we proved that the KSF has developed professional capacities in line with NATO standards and that they are capable of effectively working with troops and forces of partner countries. We have also strengthened the trust of our partners and we have removed doubts among hesitant countries,” he said.

Syla said that after Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine there is an inevitable need to reassess Kosovo’s challenges in security and defence. “We are in permanent contact with all political and military structures in the United States and we undertake all steps in full coordination and agreement with U.S. authorities,” he said.

Syla also said that “despite a destructive approach by Serbia, the Republic of Kosovo has confirmed its unwavering pro-West position, based on Euro-Atlantic values and with the presence of NATO through KFOR, the alliance with the United States, and other Western allies. We have a consolidated institutional system, we are safe, but we also remain vigilant.”

Osmani does not indicate who is hindering Kosovo’s membership in NATO (Federalna, demokracia)

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has said that Kosovo deserves to join NATO, although she has not answered on the question of the Bosnian broadcaster Federalna, on who is preventing this to happen.

“I will not mention names because it has more to do with the process than the countries. I was very open when I called for faster membership. I think Bosnia deserves the same. We are two countries in this region that are most at risk of possible destabilization by Serbia and Russia. I really think that NATO membership prevents such scenario. The security situation requires the countries of the Western Balkans to join NATO. At the same time, it is unacceptable for us that Serbia does not even want to join NATO,” she said.

She also expressed hope that Serbia would elect a new leader in the future because ‘Aleksandar Vucic will never apologise for the crimes committed in Kosovo.” 

Justice Ministry accuses Special Prosecution of propaganda on Dehari case (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice has accused the Special Prosecution of manipulating the expertise from a Swiss institute of forensic medicine in the case of Astrit Dehari, claiming that the prosecution published only two out of five conclusions. Dehari, an activist of the Vetevendosje Movement, died while in detention in 2016. The ministry said it was disappointed with the fact that the prosecution decided to publish the report before it was sent to Dehari’s family. “This shows a major lack of intellect, a total lack of scientific knowledge, a highly unprofessional language and ill intentions. We are disappointed by the approach! … Who benefits from this manipulation and from the publication of partial conclusions? How can judicial bodies be so tendentious and selective, especially the prosecution, being that it must not ignore any investigation in any case. Astrit Dehari died in the hands of the state. The irresponsibility of state mechanisms led to this situation. This irresponsibility now by the Special Prosecution is an attempt to kill justice,” the Ministry’s statement notes.

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior, Xhelal Svecla, also reacted to the Special Prosecution’s publication of the Swiss forensic expertise on Dehari’s death, saying that the report included five conclusions and only two have been made public. “We need to know why the Special Prosecution chose to not reveal the whole truth. Who asked it to hastily and partially speak out,” Svecla said on Facebook. “This case needs to be investigated professionally and free of any influence. Justice should be served,” he added.

Kurti received the Government Commission for Recognition and Verification of the Status of Victims of Sexual Violence during the War in Kosovo (media)

On the Day of Sexual Violence Survivors, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti hosted a meeting with the Government Commission for the Recognition and Verification of the Status of Victims of Sexual Violence during the War in Kosovo.

Kurti praised the process of recognizing the status of victims of sexual violence during the war, for the importance it has for the future of survivors and for society as a whole. He confirmed the will of the government of Kosovo to extend the mandate of this commission.

They discussed the progress and challenges of this process, as well as the necessity of joint commitment to promote the application by the survivors, in this completely confidential process. It was also emphasized that the challenge of the process for recognizing the status of victims of sexual violence during the war, remains the stigma for sexual violence, which prevents survivors from exercising this right guaranteed by law.

Osmani on Sexual Violence Survivors Day: Peace will not be complete until justice is done (media)

An exhibition was opened in the courtyard of the Assembly of Kosovo on the occasion of April 14 – the Day of Survivors of Sexual Violence during the recent war in Kosovo.

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, also participating in this event, said that “marking April 14, the month when there were the most rapes during the last war in Kosovo, would be a permanent seal of a tragic chapter of our history, and would be a union of our voices to show how Kosovo women and men, despite the great suffering, turned their suffering into force, to raise their voice for justice.”

Osmani also spoke about the situation in Ukraine, where rapes of women by Russian soldiers are reported.

“Today, some of you, but also many other women in Kosovo, sympathize and understand best the pain, sadness and disappointment that girls and women are experiencing in Ukraine, but also in other parts of the world,” Osmani said. 

“You girls and women, men and women, have become the truest and most sincere narrator of the sufferings and experiences of our people, and at the same time you have become our daily motive, our common journey towards justice.”

She added that “we have won freedom, but peace for many of our citizens will not be complete until justice and punishment for the crimes committed is final.”

Civil society organisations list recommendations to facilitate sexual violence survivors (Telegrafi) 

A group of civil society organisations, part of the “Be My Voice” platform, issued a statement on 14 April, Day of Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) in Kosovo, which they said is aimed at advancing the process of formal recognition of the survivors’ status and at guaranteeing their rights.

A statement said that in meeting Kosovo institutional leaders today, the organisations authorised to support the process for application of legal status recognition for survivors of sexual violence – Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, the Centre for Promotion of Women’s Rights, Medica Gjakova and Medica Kosova – will request that the timeframe for survivors applying for recognition of their status not be limited to five years but be a legally guaranteed permanent right. They also seek survivors of sexual violence be granted the right to personal pension from the date they applied for status recognition and to enjoy free healthcare. The composition of the commission for recognition of the status of sexual violence survivors, the platform said, should be changed to focus more on the sychosocial aspects of the process and an independent mechanism should be set up to monitor the commission’s work and ensure its efficiency and accountability.

Dick Marty: I had nothing to do with Thaci’s arrest, I was targeted since then (Klan)

The news website reports that former Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty, who has been living under strict protection for 16 months after segments of the Serbian secret service tried to kill him to blame Kosovars, has become an international topic.

Marty spoke again about this whole event in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI this Thursday, where he shows that he was targeted since the arrest of the former president of Kosovo Hashim Thaci by the Specialized Chambers in The Hague in 2020.

“For some reason, the Albanian press started targeting me and hate speech was addressed in the parliament, despite the fact that I had nothing to do with the arrest of President Hashim Thaci. However, it was later revealed that it was an operation orchestrated by elements of Serbian extremist groups within the secret service who wanted to blame Kosovo for my assassination.”

“I am sorry that none of the politicians responsible for these decisions wanted to give me an explanation,” Marty underlined, “we certainly do not want to increase tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, although Switzerland still has a lot of influence on them. Bern simply does not want to have problems with anyone because those countries allow Switzerland to be active within international organizations, let’s not forget that soon there will be another vote to give Switzerland a seat on the UN Security Council.”

Among other things, Marty made it known why he decided to talk about all of this now.

“I spoke only now because I had respect, perhaps a lot, for the federal judiciary, the pressure on my family and especially on my grandchildren was very great. With this gesture, I want to unmask the criminal design that otherwise would have enjoyed the silence, the ability to move in the shadows and create surprise,” he said.

“We should not be afraid of the noise of the wicked, but of the silence of the honest,” concluded Dick Marty, quoting Martin Luther King.

Alexandra Channer: I think of translation as a political activity (Kosovo 2.0)

Those who follow literary publications in Kosovo will likely have encountered the name Alexandra Channer. Having translated numerous plays, poems, short stories, novels, memoirs and film scripts, Channer is currently among the most prominent translators of Kosovar contemporary literary texts into English.

You’ll often find her name alongside that of Kosovar Albanian playwright Jeton Neziraj. “It’s a collaboration which has lasted over a decade now,” Channer told me, referencing the 17 plays of his that she has translated. One of them, “Balkan Bordello” — an adaptation of the ancient Greek Oresteian Trilogy — last week made its debut at La MaMa Experimental Theater in New York City, after having its English language premiere in Prishtina at the end of 2021.  

Trained as a political scientist, Channer’s odyssey into Albanian language began in 2005 when she came to Kosovo to conduct academic research on nonviolent resistance. She eventually joined Lëvizja Vetëvendosje (VV), and translated its main political documents. And after the February 10, 2007 demonstration in which two VV activists were killed and three were left seriously injured by Romanian police working for the UN, she coordinated the human rights case for the victims’ families.

Given her background as a political activist, for Channer there’s something political in her translation work as well. She sees it as “transmitting Kosovo authors’ ideas and the questions they’re asking to a wider audience.”  She recently translated Enver Dugolli’s memoir, which focuses on his time as a political prisoner during the Milošević regime. The book was published in English in May 2021.

Read full interview at: https://bit.ly/3uG2B7R

COVID-19: 14 new cases, no deaths (media)

14 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said. 26 persons recovered during this time. There are 497 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

“Hate speech used by politicians is a big problem – reaction needed” (KiM radio)

KiM radio wrote that the issue of security is a priority for the Serb community in Kosovo, even two decades after the end of the armed conflict. Why this is so is perhaps best confirmed by the fact that in the period of two years ago, close to 200 incidents were recorded in Kosovo, and only since the beginning of 2022, close to 30 were registered. Bekim Blakaj from the Kosovo Humanitarian Law Center says this information does not reach the majority of Albanians in Kosovo at all, reported KiM radio. 

The portal says that ethnic tensions in Kosovo exist despite the passage of time and most often are encouraged by politicians with their inflammatory statements directed towards Serbia and the Serbian people, agreed the participants of the “Past, Present, the Future Forum” held in North Mitrovica, organized by the NGO Aktiv. 

Conflicts, such as those in the north in October last year, further fueled mistrust between the two peoples, as well as in institutions. That is why politicians are the most responsible ones.

“They encourage tension to be created, they encourage further incidents, that the situation does not calm down, but that more gasoline is poured on the fire. So, the situation here is very bad, let’s not lie. Both politically and security-wise. Someone who comes here asks ‘What do you miss, everything is normal here. You don’t pay for electricity, you don’t pay for water, garbage. It is great for you. What are you missing?’. So, come and live here, to see what it’s like when it’s not just ROSU that comes. We have incidents every day, some attacks on someone … Therefore, no political elite, neither in Belgrade, nor in Pristina, is working to calm the passions,” says Dusan Radakovic, director of the Center for Advocacy of Democratic Initiative (ACDC). 

“Hate speech used by politicians is a big problem,” said Bekim Blakaj, director of the Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo.

“I cannot understand why political elites do not have the will to solve this political problem and solve the everyday problems of their citizens. Peace is not guaranteed, and we can see it in Ukraine today. So, people lived in peace and after a few days that peace was disturbed,” says Blakaj.

“In order to build peace, a lot needs to be invested in all social aspects. We need to accept what happened in the past, to accept these incidents that happened and not to dispute them, but to try to bring justice to the victims,” he said.

Aferdita Shehu from Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) agrees with Blakaj.

“Representatives of Belgrade and Pristina always speak in high tones, threatening, and that affects the population. I follow that and I am always in some fear that something will happen in Mitrovica when they threaten each other. Not only does this bring the citizens closer, but it divides them even more,” she says.

Igor Markovic, senior researcher, and project manager of NGO Aktiv says that it is especially worrying that the inflammatory statements of politicians, but also the campaign against Serbian products, and the video that presents the Serbian community as criminals are not criticized by the journalists’ association or representatives of institutions.  

”That institutional reaction is missing, because if there was an institutional reaction for once, there would be at least partial trust among people in institutions, and then if such people were punished (those who spread hatred). Because simply there are laws that say that endangering the public interest is punishable, then it would not happen again,” believes Igor Markovic.

Dusan Radakovic emphasizes that the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, is at the forefront of inflammatory rhetoric.

“To me, a par exelence example is the president of Kosovo, with an everyday statement that ‘genocidal Serbian people, genocidal Serbs’ … She is the president of all citizens. She is not the president of the Albanians only. I haven’t heard not a single statement from the day she became president that she said anything positive about the Serbian community, except that it is ‘a genocidal creation’, that we are ‘a genocidal people’, that ‘we killed’,” says Radakovic.

On the other hand, Bekim Blakaj from the Humanitarian Law Center points out that politicians in Kosovo use the story of genocide and the announcement of a lawsuit against Serbia exclusively for daily politics.

“So far, we have not seen any concrete actions by the government or any institution that has started collecting evidence for genocide. One principle we have is not to use hate speech, and when we talk about the past to stay true to the facts. We don’t know whether it can be called genocide, what happened or not until the court confirms or brings a judgement that genocide happened, then we must not use that term,” says Blakaj.

At the same time, the denial of crimes and the unresolved fate of the missing further affect the peace of Serbs and Albanians.

“Albanians think that only Serbs committed crimes, while on the other hand Serbs think that only Albanians committed crimes, and in fact there were victims on both sides. Crimes have happened and only someone should be held accountable,” said Aferdita Shehu.

Igor Markovic believes that full reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo can only come with the full application of transitional justice. Unfortunately, as he points out, only representatives of civil society deal with that, reported KiM radio.

Brnabic: All options open for Serbian Oil Industry (N1)

Outgoing Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Wednesday that the government is talking to its partners about the majority Russian-owned Serbian Oil Industry (NIS), N1 reports.

She told reporters at the opening of the new Belgrade University Organization Science Faculty building that every option is on the table to deal with the possible problems with oil supplies following the European Union sanctions imposed on Russia over its attack on Ukraine. “We are in constant contact and communicating with our partners in Gazprom about NIS. There are different possible scenarios and we discussed all options”, she said.

According to Brnabic the NIS could remain majority-owned by Gazprom or the Azerbaijan company Sokar could take over its shares, adding that other options are possible.

“We haven’t finished the talks and we don’t know how the sanctions situation will develop”, she said. Brnabic added she does not expect NIS and Gazprom to be included in a new sanctions package.

Pribicevic: Time to discuss Serbia’s EU membership (Tanjug)

The time has come to discuss the subject of Serbia joining the EU – not in three or five years, but much sooner, says former Serbian ambassador to Germany and the UK Ognjen Pribicevic.

Commenting on a recent statement by German FM Annalena Baerbock that Serbia should align its foreign policy with the EU – which she said must also include sanctions on Russia – Pribicevic told Tanjug that raising the issue of aligning Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU was unrealistic without raising the issue of the country’s membership in the bloc.

“Now is the time to discuss membership. Geographically, economically, and culturally, Serbia belongs in Europe very clearly, so the two issues should be raised simultaneously. Serbia belongs in the EU and should join it together with Kosovo as an integral part of its territory, and then we would see how things develop,” Pribicevic said.

He noted that the two issues go hand in hand together and procrastination has led to a decline of public support for EU membership from 70 pct to 46 pct, reported Tanjug. 

Zakharova: Serbia says that we are its friend – we always support our friends (Sputnik, N1, FoNet)

Official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that Russia counted on Serbia’s consistent position towards Russia within international organisations, cited N1. 

”We note the statements of Serbian politicians about the pressure being exerted on them. We also noted the statements of the Serbian side that Russia is their friend. Maybe we have different views on friendship. We always support our friends in difficult times,” she said.

She stated that Russia understood that many countries that want to pursue an independent, balanced policy were under strong pressure, primarily by the United States, and that they must compromise.

”If it was about those who declare themselves our friends, then it is impossible to understand. We start from the fact that our traditional partners in their activities within international organisations on various multilateral platforms will consistently adhere to attitudes that reflect their true national interests and true friendly attitude towards us,” Zakharova concluded, reported N1.

Petkovic: Basic political rights of Serbs endangered (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met with Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and discussed the political and security situation in Kosovo, as well as the course of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Radio KIM reports.

During the talks Petkovic noted that “a constant campaign of pressure and repression against Serbian people” is ongoing in Kosovo and warned of “open attempts of Pristina to endanger and revoke all political and civic rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”, the press statement reads.

He added that Pristina’s recent decision to ban holding of Serbian elections in Kosovo runs contrary to the clear and unequivocal stance of Quint states and that this “additionally endangers basic political and democratic rights of Serbs in Kosovo”.

Petkovic also noted the refusal of Pristina to implement an agreement on establishing a Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, and violations of the agreements in the fields of energy and judiciary, lack of cooperation on missing persons issue and lack of respect of provisions relating to the freedom of movement and official visits.

At the end, Petkovic thanked Botsan-Kharchenko for consistent support of Russia to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, adding Serbia is committed to peaceful resolution of disputes with Pristina and creation of conditions for safe and prosperous lives of people in Kosovo. He emphasised “that lasting and sustainable solution can be exclusively sought within UN SC Resolution 1244”. 

Visoki Decani Monastery: Absurd statements that Serbs in Kosovo destroyed their own churches (Kosovo-online)

Statements by some Albanian politicians in Kosovo that Serbs destroyed their own churches were absurd and immoral, Visoki Decani Monastery wrote on Twitter, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Statements by some K/Albanian politicians that Serbs destroyed their own churches are absurd & immoral. 150 #Serbian #Orthodox #churches in #Kosovo were destroyed by K/Albanian ultranationalists & many of these vandals acts were video recorded. No one answered for these crimes”, Monastery wrote along with a video recording displaying damage caused to the church in Podujevo. 

Hearing of B.B on allegations relating to Ivanovic’s murder postponed (Radio KIM)

Serbian Organized Crime Prosecution has postponed the hearing of B.B. regarding allegations he made in an interview with KRIK investigative portal relating to the murder of leader of the Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice Oliver Ivanovic in Mitrovica North, Radio KIM reports.

The initial hearing was supposed to take place on April 15, and it has now been rescheduled on April 20. B.B. is requested to provide necessary information regarding a criminal act of terrorism.

B.B. in an interview with KRIK named alleged perpetrator and organizers of Ivanovic’s murder and linked it with an organized crime group in Belgrade and influential businessmen in northern Kosovo. 

Giaufret says Serbia did a lot to align with EU (N1)

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret said Thursday that Belgrade has done a lot to align with the measures introduced by the Union following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, N1 reports.

Giaufret told a conference at the French Embassy in Belgrade that candidate countries have to gradually align with the EU common foreign and security policy. According to him, Serbia has taken a lot of steps in international forums in terms of aligning with the measures the EU has taken over the attack.

He also said that the European Commission could be debating new sanctions, adding that the EU wants to see Serbia involved because it is an important partner with a permanent dialogue in place with its authorities.

Petkovic met Cyprus Ambassador; warns of pressure on Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, in a conversation with the Ambassador of Cyprus to Serbia, Demetrios A. Theophylactou, pointed out that the Serbian people in Kosovo are exposed to daily attacks and pressures, reported KiM radio.

As Petkovic says, the number of 169 attacks on Serbs, their property, churches, and monasteries, which have taken place since the beginning of last year, speaks for itself.

“The recent decision of Pristina to ban the referendum, and immediately after the election of the Republic of Serbia on the territory of the province, went a step further and annulled the basic civil, political and democratic rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija in the roughest possible way,” Petkovic said.

Speaking about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the director of the Office for KiM emphasized that ”Belgrade has so far shown constant constructiveness in talks with Pristina, implementing all obligations arising from the Brussels dialogue, while on the other side a key agreement, on formation of Communities of Serbian municipalities, was not implemented”.

“Belgrade remains consistently determined to resolve all open issues through talks, but along with insisting on the implementation of all agreements reached so far, related to justice, energy, missing persons, respect for freedom of movement and visits of officials to the province, and above all the formation of the CSM. Only this way the dialogue could continue in the right direction, “Petkovic concluded.

Petkovic thanked for the consistent support that the Republic of Cyprus provides to Serbia’s policy on the issue of Kosovo, reported KiM radio.

Epidemiologist: Six active cases of Covid-19 in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio kontakt plus)

There are six active cases of Covid-19 in the Serbian areas in Kosovo and Metohija, an epidemiologist of Mitrovica North Public Health Institute, doctor Desanka Novakovic told Radio kontakt plus.

According to Novakovic, from April 4 to 14, six new cases of Covid-19 were registered in the Serb-populated areas – three in Mitrovica North, and one each in Zvecan, Gracanica and Priluzje.

Doctor Milos Mirkovic said that six patients are hospitalised at the Clinical Health Center in Mitrovica North, and neither of them was on a ventilator or in need of oxygen support.

The testing is performed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and according to Mirkovic, out of 12 samples tested yesterday none was positive for Covid-19.   

Opinion

Vejvoda: Difficult to maintain Serbia’s policy of neutrality in a long run (NMagazin, N1, FoNet)

The director of the European Future Project, Ivan Vejvoda, said in an interview with portal NMagazin, that Serbia’s policy of neutrality was difficult to maintain in the long run, but that the policy of sitting on more chairs will no longer pass and that this was shown through Belgrade’s vote for UN resolutions on the war in Ukraine, reported N1.

“There has been military neutrality in Austria since 1955, which does not mean political neutrality. Serbia can be militarily neutral, like Austria, Sweden, or Finland. Although the story about the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO has now been actualized, we shall see what will happen,” said Vejvoda.

According to Vejvoda, regardless of the composition of the coalition at the republic level and the sympathy or favourable opinion of the majority of Serbian citizens about Russia, Belgrade cannot move towards the East. 

Serbia has never historically moved towards the East, but has turned to Europe, and today lives off economic relations with the West, said Vejvoda.

Asked whether Belgrade would join the sanctions against Russia, Vejvoda answered that, if it happens, the procedure will take place gradually, but that Belgrade must not allow itself to be unaware of the change at the world level, as in 1989.

After the vote in the UN for the resolution condemning the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, we witnessed that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was called by numerous Western leaders, who spoke positively about the vote and stressed that they appreciated Serbia’s move. The move could be seen as Serbia’s readiness to impose sanctions on Russia at some point, but it is a gradual process, Vejvoda said.

Asked whether joining the sanctions would indicate Serbia’s readiness to recognize Kosovo’s independence, Vejvoda said it was a simplified understanding of the problem, and that it was a long way to Kosovo’s independence, “i.e., a seat in the UN”.

Five European Union members – Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania – do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Numerous things need to happen for this issue to be discussed in the UN Security Council. The issue of Russia and their veto in the Security Council in that sense is far away, said Vejvoda.

He assessed that the most important thing for Serbia was to move towards the solution of relations with Kosovo, because it was not in its interest for the problem to remain unresolved. If Serbia wants to be part of the EU, that means it must move towards normalisation of relations. The key question was what Serbia wants, in what way and how quickly to resolve the Kosovo issue, said Vejvoda, reported N1, citing NMagazin.

He expressed confidence that there would be no serious destabilisation of the Western Balkans due to the war in Ukraine but stated that everyone must be careful.

In Serbia’s Electoral Simulation, the Leader Outstrips the Party (Balkan Insight)

Elections in Serbia are all about the Leader, the “boss.” The Party comes a distant second.

Basking in the glow of another election win on April 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbs he was “the proudest man in the county.”

The reason for such pride was the 59.3 per cent he notched up in the presidential election, or roughly 800,000 more than all the other candidates combined.

Vucic’s party, the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, also won, taking 42.9 per cent of the vote in a parliamentary election the same day. That’s also a convincing win, but the disparity between president and party raising questions about their respective ratings.

Running for president, Vucic won roughly half a million more votes than his party colleagues combined in the parliamentary race.

Vucic is brimming with pride as a way to divert attention from his party’s own disappointing result. The Progressives, in fact, performed worse than in 2016, when, unlike in 2020, the whole opposition took part. Then, they took 131 of parliament’s 250 seats. Now they will have 120 – not enough to form a government on their own.

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

Humanitarian/Development

Detainees of Mitrovica Correctional Center to clean up cemeteries on both sides (KoSSev)

On the occasion of the upcoming religious holiday, detainees of the Mitrovica Correctional Center will clean up the Orthodox cemetery in the south and Islamic cemetery in the north of Mitrovica, KoSSev portal reports.

This activity is implemented as part of the project to support all religious communities in northern and southern Mitrovica, and is supported by Kosovo Correctional Service.The statement also said such activity was implemented last year as well.

“The aim is that people deprived of freedom through adequate re-socialization activities feel they are important for the community and do positive and human activities for it”, the statement added.