Albanian Language Media:

• Solution on license plates, Svecla says Kosovo Police has a plan for any scenario (Koha)
• Kurti: Yesterday’s attack on Polce came from Serbia (Telegrafi)
• Svecla: Attack on Kosovo Police in the north, terrorist act (media)
• Haradinaj: These acts should sound the alarm for all (media)
• Osmani plans to also visit northern municipalities (Klan)
• Dehari family: Evidence sent to Switzerland were tampered with and damaged (Kosovapress)
• Israel deeply appreciates Kosovo opening embassy in Jerusalem (Express)
• LDK: Government should take DASH report seriously, media often violated by government (media)
• COVID-19: 22 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Zakharova forgot Russia’s support to sanctions against the SFRY and the FRY (Danas)
• The EU compass shows a clear direction; the West expects Serbia to choose a “consistent” path (RTS)
• Scepanovic, Odalovic on missing persons, first massive kidnappings of Serb civilians in 1998 (Radio KIM)
• EU Office in Kosovo condemns attack on police in Zubin Potok municipality (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic to meet Dodik (Tanjug)

Albanian Language Media  

Solution on license plates, Svecla says Kosovo Police has a plan for any scenario (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla said he was hopeful that an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on license plates would be achieved. 

“Our team of experts travelled to Brussels for the new round of talks to find a solution or reach an agreement on the issue of mutual recognition of license plates. I am still optimistic that the agreement will be reached, there is a very constructive position on the part of the facilitator too but nevertheless, the Kosovo Police has its plans on how to act in any given situation,” he said at a press conference today.

Kurti: Yesterday’s attack on Polce came from Serbia (Telegrafi)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti has reacted today after the four attacks on the Kosovo Police in the north.

Kurti wrote in a Twitter post that yesterday’s attack was identified as coming from Serbia.

“For three days in a row (April 13–15), Kosova Police officers have been attacked at the border crossing point with Serbia. Yesterday & early today, a hail of bullets & a hand grenade were thrown at our police. Our sources have identified yesterday’s attack as coming from Serbia,” Kurti wrote.

Svecla: Attack on Kosovo Police in the north, terrorist act (media)

Media reported that the attack took place at 07:40 as two Kosovo Police vehicles came under fire in the Municipality of Zubin Potok. No police officer was injured. Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla confirmed the attack.

At a joint press conference with Kosovo Police General Director Samedin Mehmeti, Svecla said that the attack took place as the police officers were travelling to replace the shift at the border crossing points in the north of Kosovo. He said that a hand grenade and AK-47 were used in the attack which he called a terrorist act aimed at indimidating the police and citizens. 

Svecla said that there have been four different attacks in the last three days in the north of Kosovo. “The first attack involved placing metal spikes on the national road at the same time as today’s attack so as to hinder the work of the police and at the same time endanger the lives of police officers. The second attack involved stoning a police car. The third public attack took place last night near the police station which secures obstacles of illegal roads. A direct attack took place today with shots being fired at two vehicles that were transporting police officers to the border crossings,” Svecla said.

Kosovo Police director Samedin Mehmeti said the police were ambushed today and that the recent attacks are all orchestrated. “This makes us believe that we are dealing with an organised group whose aim is to attack and obstruct the work of the Kosovo Police, and in particular our actions against smuggling and other illegal activity taking place in this part of the Kosovo border.”

He added that the police vehicles that came under attack were carrying both Albanian and Serb police officers.

Haradinaj: These acts should sound the alarm for all (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj reacted to today’s attack on the Kosovo Police. 

“Organised crime has attacked the Kosovo Police. These criminal acts should sound the alarm for everyone. Organised crime has no political or ethnic background. It threatens everyone. We should distance ourselves from crime and unite in the uncompromised fight against it,” he wrote on Twitter.

Osmani plans to also visit northern municipalities (Klan)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani visited Mitrovica yesterday as part of her tour of Kosovo municipalities. 

She said after meeting Mitrovica Mayor Bedri Hamza that she plans to visit the north of Kosovo too. “We are planning visits to all other municipalities. Not only in Mitrovica North, but we are also in contact with other northern municipalities led by non-majority communities. Once a date is set that is convenient for the two sides, I will no doubt go there,” she said. 

Dehari family: Evidence sent to Switzerland were tampered with and damaged (Kosovapress)

The attorney for the parents of Astrit Dehari, Vetevendosje activist that died whilst in a detention facility in Prizren in 2016, said that the expertise carried out by a Swiss forensic institute showed that evidence submitted for tests were tampered with and damaged. 

Tome Gashi, legal counsel for the Dehari family, said the statement of the Kosovo Special Prosecution on the findings of the expertise damages the investigation into Dehari’s death. Gashi added that the expertise in fact proves that the police and other authorities involved in the case manipulated the evidence “which would directly lead to what we all know that Astrit Dehari was killed.”

Israel deeply appreciates Kosovo opening embassy in Jerusalem (Express)

Former Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti who has put his signature on the Washington Agreement which resulted with the recognition of Kosovo by Israel, has exchanged letters with the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament Mickey Levy. They spoke about increase of cooperation between the two parliaments, creating Israeli-Kosovo 

Levy used the opportunity to express Israel’s deep appreciation for Kosovo’s decision to open an Embassy in Jerusalem, while saying that they hope that other countries will follow in Kosovo’s footsteps.

“I want to use this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation for your country’s decision to open the Kosovo Embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of eternity for the State of Israel. We hope other countries will follow in your footsteps,” he wrote. 

LDK: Government should take DASH report seriously, media often violated by government (media)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has expressed through a press conference concerns about the latest report of the US State Department (DASH).

The Vice President of the Democratic League of Kosovo Shqipe Mjekiqi said that the biggest concern is the restriction of freedom of expression and media.

“This report starts with the main concerns that we as the Democratic League of Kosovo have presented to the public for a long time now, such as restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, including violence and threats against journalists, serious corruption and impunity. In cases where the government has taken action to sanction the latter – the actions have been largely restricted and inconsistent.” 

Mjekiqi said that freedom of expression has often been violated by the government.

“Freedom of expression must be respected and protected even when they are critical of the government. The media have a tremendous role to play in overseeing the work of government. LDK condemns the practice of attacks on the media. Impunity by the government sets a bad example. The rule of law for 2021 has been characterized by numerous shortcomings and inaction on the part of the government. According to the report, many corrupt officials continue to hold high decision-making positions,” she added.

“LDK demands that the government take the DASH report seriously and not ignore it. If this law-breaking practice continues, future reports will be even more concerning. Regarding the non-transparency of the government, as LDK we have expressed dissatisfaction,” she said.

COVID-19: 22 new cases, no deaths (media)

22 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said. 20 persons recovered during this time. There are 499 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Zakharova forgot Russia’s support to sanctions against the SFRY and the FRY (Danas)

Media reported yesterday that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, asked ‘friends who Russia has always supported’ to advocate the same approaches but ignored the fact that the Russian Federation had repeatedly supported sanctions against Yugoslavia at the United Nations in the 1990s, wrote Belgrade based daily Danas.

Serbia’s refusal to support sanctions against Russia, which was adopted in several packages by the European Union and the United States, and other influential countries apart from China, is one of the most important political issues which put the continuation of Serbia’s accession to the EU to the test. 

Danas wrote that sanctions were also one of the key issues of the recent election campaign, and some now parliamentary parties – primarily the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) as part of the government, and the three right-wing opposition parties DSS, Dveri and Zavetnici – strongly opposed the sanctions, claiming that Russia has always been the protector of Serbia.

The parties also criticised Serbia’s recent decision to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the previous one by which the UN condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, thus directly linking them to Serbia’s possible support for sanctions against Russia, although there were no hints (yet) about such a decision from any official state body. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed understanding for Serbia’s position immediately after the decision to exclude Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, assessing those friendly countries voted for exclusion due to forced Russophobia, while Maria Zaharova’s statement was a condemnation, according to Danas.

UN sanctions against SFRY and FRY, without veto by Russia

It is indisputable that the Russian Federation has repeatedly condemned the bombing of the FRY, the last time in 2019, on the 20th anniversary of the aggression against the FRY, as stated in the text, the Russian Parliament condemned the bombing of the FRY again.

However, during the wars in the former SFRY and FRY in the last decade of the 20th century, the UN Security Council adopted more than 150 resolutions on the breakup of the SFRY and the wars in that area, and a dozen resolutions envisaged punitive measures against the former FR Yugoslavia.

All resolutions were adopted mostly unanimously, and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia did not use the right of veto in any of those cases and prevented the introduction of sanctions, recalled Danas.

The first sanctions related to the ban on arms exports to the former SFRY were introduced on September 26, 1991, and on May 30, 1992, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution adopted Resolution 757 on the FRY, making Serbia and Montenegro the main culprits of the war in BiH, and unprecedented sanctions in the history of the UN were imposed, reported daily.

In late March 1998, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1160 imposing an embargo on arms exports to the FRY in support of peace and stability in Kosovo.

Moscow used its veto power in the UN Security Council only in December 1994, preventing the adoption of a resolution calling for stricter control of the FRY’s borders with Croatia and BiH due to the difficult humanitarian situation in Bihac, and several times had abstained from vote.

Although not directly related to the issue of sanctions, Vladimir Putin’s decision of May 5, 2003, to withdraw Russian peacekeepers from the former Yugoslavia, testifies to the Russian Federation’s attitude towards the FRY, i.e., Serbia.

Before that, Russian soldiers were the first to leave Slatina Airport in Pristina in 1999, reported Danas daily.

The EU compass shows a clear direction; the West expects Serbia to choose a “consistent” path (RTS)

Candidate countries have an obligation to gradually align with the European Union’s foreign and security policy, it could be heard once again from the ambassadors of the member states during the presentation of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defense of the Union, reported Radio Television of Serbia yesterday.

There are no fixed deadlines, there are expectations – that is how the head of the European delegation in Serbia answers the question whether and when Serbia is expected to join the European Union’s sanctions against Russia.

“Serbia has taken numerous steps in international forums, the United Nations, UNESCO and others, when it comes to harmonisation with the Union’s measures against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belgrade has harmonised with the measures after Euromaidan in 2014; as well as with the measures introduced recently against Belarus. And we also expect this to continue,” said Emanuele Giaufret, head of the EU Delegation to Serbia.

Berlin has the same expectations, the German Ambassador told broadcaster N1. 

“Everything is in Serbia’s hands, the European integration process is designed so that the more a candidate country is implementing reforms, the faster progress towards membership is. Germany supports Serbia on that path. If Serbia joins the common foreign and security policy sooner, faster the progress on the road to the EU will be.  And we fully support Serbia,” said German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schieb.

According to Schieb, Germany is aware of Serbia’s energy dependence. It is in the same position itself. In freeing itself from that dependence, Belgrade can count on Berlin’s support, reported RTS.

For the partner countries, including Serbia, to be exempt from the consequences of sanctions, the Union revised the rules. According to the European ambassador, this also applies to the company NIS (Oil Industry of Serbia), which is majority owned by Russia.

“That’s why we decided to adopt a common platform for buying gas. The idea is that, on a voluntary basis, member states can jointly negotiate the price of buying gas. It was decided to expand this platform to the Western Balkans. Any country in the Western Balkans can join this platform that is being considered,” says Emanuele Giaufret.

The European Union is not blackmailing Serbia but asking it to be consistent – for the French ambassador, that means a common view on the situation in Ukraine.

“The Western Balkans is a specific region in at least two dimensions – it is an important partner with which the EU cooperates, including Serbia, on the road to the EU. And secondly – we are committed to monitoring security in the region. Therefore, the Union is involved in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, that is why we are following what is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” points out the Ambassador of France to Serbia Pierre Cochard.

The Strategic Compass also applies to the region. The first pages of the so-called White book on European security were written two years ago, during the German one, and the last during the French presidency of the Union, in the middle of the war in Ukraine.

The compass covers all 360 degrees – safety challenges worldwide. By 2025, an intervention unit of 5,000 soldiers should be ready – mostly from Germany, wrote RTS.

Scepanovic, Odalovic on missing persons, first massive kidnappings of Serb civilians in 1998 (Radio KIM)

President of Association of Families of Kosmet Victims, Natasa Scepanovic recalled that April was a month when first individual and massive forceful kidnappings and murders of the civilians took place in Kosovo and Metohija, 24 years ago, Radio KIM reports.

“In the villages around Decani, Albanian terrorists on April 22 and 23, 1998 started to carry out organized kindappings, torture and mistreatment of innocent civilians of the Serb ethnicity. Despite Serbian state being present at that time at full capacity, they took from door steps and murdered at least seven Serbian civilians in the villages of Gornji Ratis and Dasinovac”, Scepanovic told press conference at the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) Press Center in Belgrade, Radio KIM reports.

According to her, crimes continued to happen across Kosovo and the victims included Serbs, Roma, Gorani, Turks, but also Albanians “who didn’t want to take part in those crimes”.

Talking about missing persons issue, she said she is convinced “if there would be a true political willingness of the officials in Belgrade and Pristina, and particularly of Pristina, with the help of international community, the number of missing persons would get significantly smaller (their destinies would be revealed)”.

She also said the Association requests searches to be carried out at all locations believed to contain mortal remains of missing persons, results of the signed agreements, declarations and resolutions, as well as to enable erecting a memorial on the places where crimes took place.

Serbian Government Missing Persons Commission Chairman, Veljko Odalovic said that in 1998 in addition to seven Serb civilians kidnapped in Gornji Ratis, 10 persons were murdered or went missing in Klecka, around 40 of them in Orahovac, while destiny of ten miners kidnapped at Belacevac mine  still remains unkonw.

“This is the year when we had many individual victims and kidnappings, and many of these persons are still among 1.621 persons listed as missing in Kosovo”, Odalovic said.

He added that Pristina lately refuses to act on requests of the Office for Missing persons, respectively, to carry out searches at ten locations in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. . 

EU Office in Kosovo condemns attack on police in Zubin Potok municipality (Kosovo-online)

The Office of the European Union in Pristina in the strongest terms condemned the attack on Kosovo police that took place this morning in Zubin Potok municipality, Kosovo-online portal reports.

The EU Office also said that Kosovo police is “a main provider of the security and any use of force against its members is unacceptable.”

They also called to avoid unnecessary speculations that could increase the tensions, stressing that the relevant law enforcement agencies will investigate the case. 

Vucic to meet Dodik (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet with the Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Presidency Milorad Dodik on Friday, Tanjug learns. 

According to an Radio-Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) report, Vucic and Dodik will discuss the cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska, many joint projects as well as political affairs.

The topics will include Vucic’s meeting with international High Representative for BiH Christian Schmidt on Thursday. According to a statement released by the presidential press office after the meeting, Vucic and Schmidt analysed the situation in the region, in particular in the BiH.