Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo Government approves initiative for membership in CoE (media)
• Rama on CoE membership bid: We are sorry for Serbia, we support Kosovo (Klan)
• Gervalla’s announcement after Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo’s membership in NATO, security for the region (RTK)
• Defence Minister Mehaj travels to U.S. (Zeri)
• Opposition welcomes Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe (Koha)
• COVID-19: 22 new cases (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic says Belgrade prepared for Kosovo CoE application (N1, RTS, Blic)
• Member of the SNS presidency: “I do not want to be ominous, but I think that Kosovo will join the Council of Europe” (Beta, Danas, NMagazin, TV Pink)
• Djordjevic: Accession of Pristina to Council of Europe agreement of Vucic and West (Danas)
• Antonijevic: Pristina violates Washington agreement, there will be consequences on dialogue (Kosovo-online)
• Civil society organisations present report on human rights in Kosovo, note numerous problems (Radio KIM)
• Brussels: Leaders of the Western Balkans reaffirmed commitment to EU path (RTS, Tanjug)
• EU Council President Charles Michel in Serbia next week (RTS)
• Kosovo Assembly elects Kabasic and Miletic members of Judicial Council (Radio KIM)
• FM Selakovic says fighting terrorism is Serbia’s priority (N1)

Opinion:

• Prpa: This is not our game; if we opt in a divided world, we will be losers (NMagazin, N1, Danas)

International:

• Kosovo hopes to join Council of Europe after Russia’s exit (Reuters)
• BIRN Fact-Check: Is Kosovo Set to Join the Council of Europe? (BIRN)
• Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and the comeback of the Washington Agreement (EWB)
• ‘This game is up’: Serbia urged to take a stand on Ukraine’s war (AlJazeera)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kosovo choking in garbage (DW, KiM radio)

Albanian Language Media  

Kosovo Government approves initiative for membership in CoE (media)

The Kosovo Government approved today the initiative for the membership bid in the Council of Europe. A statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister notes: “The Council of Europe is the oldest intergovernmental organization in Europe whose main purpose is to ensure cooperation and unity among its members in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Human rights and fundamental freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, which incorporates Council of Europe conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. and Elementary Freedoms and its Protocols. The decision adopted today obliges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to conduct all membership procedures based on the legislation in force.”

At a joint press conference with her Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda today, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani thanked Lithuania for supporting Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and NATO. “The crossroads we are in now will define Europe for years to come. Mr. President, today we discussed Kosovo’s membership in CoE, NATO and EU, and I want to thank you for your support. We are also grateful for your support to Kosovo’s state-building process,” Osmani said.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca was asked by reporters today to confirm the application. “I cannot confirm Kosovo’s application at the Council of Europe. We will inform you about everything in due time,” he said. Asked if Kosovo has secured enough votes, Konjufca said: “we have a permanent delegation there that attends the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on a regular basis. Great work has been done this past year, but a lot of work has been done earlier too. When I was in the opposition, I was part of Kosovo’s delegation there. We worked together, regardless of political parties. This is Kosovo’s success and not the success of any specific party.”

Most Kosovo news websites quote Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as saying that with the membership bid “Prishtina has violated another agreement it signed, the Washington Agreement. They have brutally violated it”.

Rama on CoE membership bid: We are sorry for Serbia, we support Kosovo (Klan)

Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, commented on Kosovo’s Council of Europe membership bid saying that Albania supports Kosovo joining the organisation.

Speaking from Brussels, Rama said: “This requires no discussion. We are very clear. There is no equivocation. We stand in absolute support of Kosovo every step of the way and on everything that links Kosovo, Albania and the international community.” He added: “Serbia is of course in its right to think otherwise, we are sorry for Serbia in this case, but we will support Kosovo.”

Gervalla’s announcement after Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe (media)

Kosovo has officially applied for membership in the Council of Europe. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, stated that the formal part of the application has already been completed.

She said she had a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

In the video distributed by the MFA, Gervalla states that a new chapter opens for Kosovo today. 

“We have applied for membership in the Council of Europe. Today we opened a new chapter for Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, today begins the procedure for reviewing our application, which will pass to the various instances of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly and finally the Ministerial Council. Kosovo is the most democratic country in the region, Kosovo is the most pro-European country in the region and is the most optimistic country in the region. Therefore, Kosovo deserves to be a member of the Council of Europe as soon as possible. This procedure that we have initiated today will end with the full membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe and with this with the strengthening of the rights of the citizens of Kosovo and their access to European instances,” Gervalla said. 

CoE spokesman Daniel Holgten said in a written response that the application had been accepted and was being sent to the Committee of Ministers in accordance with the statute of the Council of Europe.

Osmani: Kosovo’s membership in NATO, security for the region (RTK)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today during her visit to Lithuania that membership in NATO should be seen as part of greater security and that all peace-loving countries deserve to be part of the alliance. “Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina need an accelerated process of membership in NATO. NATO stopped the genocide in Kosovo in 1999. Today we are faced with an absurd situation where Serbia and Belarus are part of the NATO Partnership for Peace, both countries are against NATO, whereas we haven’t received an invitation yet. We will work with our allies so that we can all join the alliance one day,” Osmani said.

Most news websites cover Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement today in reference to Kosovo’s membership bid at the Council of Europe. “The Washington agreement has been violated,” Vucic is quoted as saying.

Defence Minister Mehaj travels to the U.S. (Zeri)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Armend Mehaj, has travelled for a two-day official visit to the United States. A press release issued by the Ministry of Defence notes that Mehaj, together with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, will meet the highest political and military authorities in Iowa. “The Republic of Kosovo and the State of Iowa foster a close inter-state partnership for over a decade now and the visit is in the function of further strengthening this partnership,” the statement notes.

Opposition welcomes Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe (Koha)

The opposition has welcomed Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe and expressed support for the process.

Ramush Haradinaj, chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said in a Facebook post that this is good news for the country.

He wrote that Kosovo’s European perspective is without alternative.

“As a country, we have moved forward towards meeting the criteria set by the EU and we have received the highest marks in the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement for many years now. Kosovo’s application today to the Council of Europe is good news for the country. It is vital for us that the EU opens the door to Kosovo in the integration process by liberalizing visas first and giving Kosovo candidate status. Kosovo is naturally part of the European family,” he wrote.

Vlora Citaku, deputy chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said that her party will give full support to this process.

“Kosovo today has started the membership procedures in the Council of Europe. With the exclusion of Russia from this institution, a golden opportunity has been created. Necessary votes and required criteria have been fulfilled by Kosovo long time ago. We as PDK will give full support to this process”, she said.

Behgjet Pacolli chair of the Alliance for New Kosovo (AKR) said that he is happy that Kosovo has applied for membership in the Council of Europe.

“A legitimate request which finally opens the door to the citizens of Kosovo legal access to European instances for human rights, development of democracy and rule of law. Serbia does not have to be against this, as Kosovo’s membership does not harm any state, not even Serbia in this case. I see no reason why anyone would oppose this initiative,” he said.

COVID-19: 22 new cases (media)

22 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. There are 352 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic says Belgrade prepared for Kosovo CoE application (N1, RTS, Blic)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Brussels on Wednesday evening that official Belgrade will respond seriously and responsibly if the authorities in Pristina apply to join the Council of Europe (CoE), N1 reports.

Earlier, Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervala said that Pristina will apply for membership in CoE on Thursday.

Speaking before a dinner with EU High Representative Josep Borrell Vucic responded to her statement saying that “some people are obviously investing effort to destabilise the region and Serbia”.

“If they do apply, it’s clear that to them there is no Brussels Agreement, no Washington Agreement, no UN Security Council resolution 1244. They are completely destroying international legal order”, he said, adding that the Serbian authorities will respond responsibly and seriously in order to strongly protect the country.

Vucic also announced that a session of the Serbian National Council will be convened in the coming 36 hours, while Blic daily said it learnt the session will take place on Friday at 11.00.

“A very difficult period awaits us and additional turbulence. Pristina wants to use the Ukrainian situation and by saying that Serbia is an extended hand of Russia, use it against Serbia and score much more, present itself as a great fighter against Russian influence”, Vucic said.

“We will start reacting politically and that is our stance. If someone thinks of blackmailing and breaking Serbia by pressuring it, it won’t go as easy as you thought”, he added.  

Member of the SNS presidency: “I do not want to be ominous, but I think that Kosovo will join the CoE” (Beta, Danas, NMagazin, TV Pink)

Vladimir Djukanovic, a member of the presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), told TV Pink today that “he would not like to be an ominous person, but he thinks that Kosovo will join the Council of Europe (CoE), although he would give all to be wrong”, reported Danas.

“It is a violation of all international principles; they no longer exist. We must protect ourselves; I assume that a number of countries will withdraw their recognition of Kosovo,” Djukanovic told TV Pink, on Pristina’s announcement that it would seek admission to the CoE.

Djordjevic: Accession of Pristina to Council of Europe agreement of Vucic and West (Danas)

President of the Liberation Movement, Mladjan Djordjevic said today’s announcement of Pristina that it will seek to join the Council of Europe was “part of the promises that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic gave to western mentors”, Danas daily reports.

“All this is done with agreement between Vucic and the West and his silent consent, by which he continues betrayal of crucial Serbian national interests (…)”, Djordjevic said, adding he expects no concrete steps of Vucic against this Pristina’s decision.

Rada Trajkovic, President of the Serb European Movement from Kosovo, a few days ago voiced similar remarks, which was refuted by Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic. 

Antonijevic: Pristina violates Washington agreement, there will be consequences on dialogue (Kosovo-online)

Lawyer and former director of Open Society Foundation in Belgrade, Milan Antonijevic said Pristina by its application to join Council of Europe undermines Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, adding this act will give completely different dynamics to the Brussels dialogue that would certainly suffer consequences, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“I do not see reasons for Kosovo to undermine the Brussels dialogue in such a manner at this moment, and what has been recently agreed upon in Berlin and why we moved steps away from the dialogue? I think that all messages heard over the last days from Berlin, Washington and Brussels tell the dialogue is the only way (…)”, Antonijevic said.

He added that Pristina by applying to join the Council of Europe violated the Washington agreement, which although expired is still considered as valid by the US administration.

According to him Pristina made a number of negative steps, and in particular lately considering the application to join the Council of Europe, and all this takes place ahead of the technical dialogue continuation in Brussels.  

Civil society organisations present report on human rights in Kosovo, note numerous problems (Radio KIM)

The state of human rights in Kosovo has deteriorated compared to the period prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Position of non-majority communities is bad, numerous incidents were recorded, some court decisions are still not implemented, property of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) is endangered, while resolving the destiny of the missing persons is stagnating, Radio KIM reports saying these are some of the findings of the report presented by 37 civil society organisations from Kosovo. The report also said Serbs have lost the right to vote in a referendum organised by Serbia.

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights along with 37 non-governmental organisations in Kosovo of different ethnicities prepared the third report about human rights in Kosovo. It incorporated different fields of society and all communities. One of the conclusions was that the human rights in Kosovo were more endangered than in 2020.

Inflammatory rhetoric impacts ethnic distancing and creation of tensions

As far as the Serbian community is concerned it has been evident that concerns over the security situation had increased. According to the report, only in the first half of 2021, 48 incidents were recorded. The personal security of people, thier properties and facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church were often targeted.

The disrespect of the Law on Use of Languages was also noted, but also the decision of Pristina authorities not to allow distribution of the vaccines against Covid-19 from Serbia. The report notes incidents in northern Kosovo, caused by the decision of the Kosovo Government to impose reciprocity on licence plates, and attacks against journalists reporting about those events. It also notes the problems of Dragica Gasic, the first Serb returnee in Djakovica and the “Brezovica” case relating to corruption and arrest.

Milica Radovanovic from New Social Initiative said that Kosovo officials often refer to the “highest possible rights” of non-majority communities on paper, however they “should start implementing on the ground what has been guaranteed by the law”. Commenting on the Serb political representatives she said they should talk more about violation of the rights at the Kosovo Assembly.

Jovana Radosavljevic also from New Social Initiative opined that events from the last year demonstrated increased ethnic distance between communities in Kosovo. According to her this is a result of the attitude representatives of the Kosovo authorities have towards minority communities.

“That attitude coming from representatives of the authorities directly impacts the attitude of an entire population, to the feeling of animosity towards other communities, and lack of public debate on this issue. What I can also see is that the civil society, somehow, is divided along ethnic lines”, she added.

Talking about incidents affecting the Serb community, Aleksandar Rapajic from Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) said the problem is that these incidents are often negated, and mainly described as not having evidence to say these are inter-ethnic incidents. “What one should also mention is that those cases are not resolved. It has become normal in Kosovo to attack property or the Serbs, because there is impunity for it. That it shall not be prosecuted, that police will do nothing (…)”, he said.

During the presentation of the report, an appeal was sent to the representatives of the central level, in particular to the President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti “to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric”.

“Inflammatory rhetoric we hear has an impact on the real lives of people and it is our responsibility as a civil society to fight against it. Also, to point out these problems and work on solutions that could bring about creating a nicer and more normal environment for co-existence of the communities in Kosovo”, Radosavljevic said.

Ombudsman Naim Qelaj said that human rights are often violated by representatives of the institutions and authorities.  

“I think it is the task of the institutions to always find solutions to those shortcomings and “failures” that happen within the system, particularly in terms of respecting the laws and human rights in general. One should take into consideration recommendations of the civil society, but also have in mind that recommendations of the people’s advocate are inadequately implemented by the authorities”, Qalaj said.

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights and civil society organisations that took part in preparation of this report urged representees of the Kosovo institutions, in particular the Government and the Assembly to undertake necessary measures that would contribute to the resolution of the human rights issues. 

The report in English is available at: https://bit.ly/3sv2uL3

Brussels: Leaders of the Western Balkans reaffirmed commitment to EU path (RTS, Tanjug)

EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell reiterated at a working dinner he organized in Brussels for leaders from the Western Balkans that the harmonization of the common foreign and security policy “as a central element of the European path” is important, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said, Tanjug reported. 

Western Balkan leaders have reaffirmed their strategic commitment to European integration and support for regional co-operation, according to the EEAS.

The focus of the working dinner was on “the global and regional impact of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine and its people”, and on how the EU and Western Balkan partners can “work together to address the harmful effects of this war on food and energy prices and regional and global stability”, reported Tanjug, citing the statement. 

“High Representative Borrell welcomed the full support of Western Balkan partners in the UN General Assembly for resolutions on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The High Representative briefed leaders on the EU’s response in support of Ukraine, including restrictive EU measures aimed at limiting the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war. He reiterated the importance of coordinating the common foreign and security policy as a central element of the European path,” the EEAS said in a statement.

The EU adds that a meeting on the situation in the region and an informal exchange of views with the foreign ministers of the Western Balkans will be held at the meeting of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs, which will be held on May 13 in Brussels.

EU Council President, Charles Michel in Serbia next week (RTS)

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will pay an official visit to Serbia on Thursday, May 19, announced the Council’s website, reported Radio Television of Serbia.

Charles Michel will start his Balkan tour by visiting Serbia.

The President of the European Council will travel from Belgrade to Albania on May 20, and then to BiH, reported RTS.

Kosovo Assembly elects Kabasic and Miletic members of Judicial Council (Radio KIM)

Kosovo MPs elected two members of the Kosovo Judicial Council in a session yesterday from Serb community, Radio KIM reports.

Nikola Kabasic is elected member of the Kosovo Judicial Council from the ranks of the Serbian community, while Andrijana Miletic was elected non-judicial member of the Council.

At the same session a member of the RTK Steering Board from other non-majority communities was elected.

Birol Urcan, elected member of the RTK Steering Board received support from 48 MPs, while his opponent Artin Shabani won 33 votes.

The election of the RTK Steering Board member was done by secret voting, while six votes were dismissed as invalid. 

FM Selakovic says fighting terrorism is Serbia’s priority (N1)

Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Wednesday that the fight against terrorism, radicalism and extremism is a priority for Serbia, N1 reports.

A ministry press release quoted him as telling a ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Marrakesh that Serbia is actively involved in battling challenges and threats locally, regionally and globally.

He said that Serbia has met all international commitments in implementing UN Security Council resolutions on arms embargoes and has signed 15 international conventions to battle terrorism. He said that Serbia has contributed to maintaining regional and global security by taking part in UN and European Union peace operations and that it has developed strategic cooperation with EUROPOL.

According to him, Serbia is contributing to international efforts to battle ISIS primarily through donations of military equipment and munitions and training Iraqi security forces. 

Selakovic recalled that Serbian law bans and sanctions its citizens organizing or taking part in conflicts outside the country.

Opinion

Prpa: This is not our game; if we opt in a divided world, we will be losers (NMagazin, N1, Danas)

Historian Branka Prpa stated that there is a danger of the Third World War, and that Serbia should not decide in a divided world – it should not say either that Russia is right, or Ukraine is right, reported N1, citing NMagazin.

“This is not our game, if we decide, we will be losers,” said Prpa, adding that Josip Broz is the real paradigm of balancing in the world of the great and powerful – you have to have good relations with both, but you do not decide. The non-alignment arose based on this, which had a great influence in the Cold War era.

“We should not enter into this conflict, nor should we say that Russia is right, nor is Ukraine right. Citizens can think what they want, but state policy must be serious and aware of the consequences,” Prpa said in an interview with Novi Magazin.

Stating that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that the majority of citizens are against Serbia’s entry into the EU, but that he will not please the public but will make decisions that are best for the country, Prpa asked if he is smarter than seven million people that enabled him to be where he is.

“He is not sovereign, he is like any politician, a consumer good, and the people are sovereign. So, a referendum must be called to join the EU, or a terrible crisis will arise. Personally, I think now is not the time to enter, the EU is like a ship in a rough sea, with a mad helmsman, drunken sailors, and vomiting passengers,” Prpa said.

Asked if she feared a bigger conflict than the current one on Ukrainian soil, she said that anything was possible and pointed out that there were no serious proposals for negotiations, only new sanctions, and new arms deliveries, in fact, only stimulating conflict and war.

“We, in Europe, live in the Matrix, without awareness of reality, and we are in danger from the third world war, because this warming of the atmosphere can lead to a serious incident, nonsense after which there will be no more war outcome,” said Branka Prpa.

As she stated, diplomacy has been abolished, orders are issued and transmitted, Blinken says that America is establishing order even though there are other states, sovereignty, the world is multicultural, multinational, multi-confessional, one order cannot be imposed.

“Europe, as I experienced it before, represented the unity of diversity, now there is no diversity, only imposed unity, the same model for all. We know from the experience of former Yugoslavia, especially the Kingdom, how dangerous it is when you want to level space, impose the sameness,” she said. 

She pointed out that Europe and NATO violated all agreements reached with Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall, primarily on demilitarization and expansion of the Alliance to the East and the agreement in Minsk, adding that you cannot put a security system for yourself by endangering others.

“Ukraine is an unfortunate example of how you end up between the great powers. They knew, not only them, that Russia would attack them in Donbas, where they shoot and arm themselves for years. Not to mention introducing the neo-Nazi spirit into the army and politics elite, which is frightening,” said Prpa.

On the remark that today the conflicting parties, not only Russia and Ukraine but all direct and indirect participants, call each other fascists on Victory Day, Prpa pointed out that she would not say that Russians can be called fascists and Nazis, and that there are serious signs of Nazification in Ukraine. 

“But that process was started by Europe when it equated Nazism with communism as totalitarian systems, which is impossible; communism was a totalitarian system, but Nazism is much more than that, they are two dimensions and equating them is the rehabilitation of Nazism,” said Prpa.

International 

Kosovo hopes to join Council of Europe after Russia’s exit (Reuters)

Kosovo government said on Thursday it will apply for membership at the European rights watchdog the Council of Europe, seizing an opportunity after Russia quit the body in mid-March.

Russia left the body hours before a vote on its expulsion in the Council of Europe’s assembly on March 15, three weeks after it started its attack on Ukraine.

Being accepted into the organisation requires a two-thirds vote by members, and with Russia not recognising Kosovo as an independent state, there had been a risk any previous application would fail.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3ytDK9L

BIRN Fact-Check: Is Kosovo Set to Join the Council of Europe? (BIRN)

At Europe’s leading human rights watchdog, Russia’s loss may be Kosovo’s gain.

In Russia’s departure from the Council of Europe, Kosovo sees an opportunity.

Last month, President Vjosa Osmani announced she had requested that all necessary arrangements be made for an application to join Europe’s leading human rights watchdog this year.

The move reflects the sense of momentum building to consolidate stability in the Western Balkans in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s decision to quit the Council in mid-March, pre-empting a decision to exclude it, removed another potential obstacle to Kosovo’s accession, but experts say doubts at home and abroad over the desirability of membership remain.

It has already drawn an angry response from Serbia, which does not recognise its former southern province as independent.

Gezim Visoka, a Kosovo-born associate professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Dublin City University, said Kosovo’s chances were good.

“This year, the circumstances have changed, and Kosovo has good chances of securing sufficient support for membership,” he told BIRN, “but that requires active lobbying, serious preparation of the membership application, and investment in maintaining the positive momentum created after the expulsion of the Russian Federation from the CoE.”

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

Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and the comeback of the Washington Agreement (EWB)

Following the expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe, the calls for the admission of Kosovo to this international organization began circulating. With the formal application pending, Serbia has described the attempt as a breach of the 2020 Washington Agreement.

After the informal dinner with the High Representative of the Union Josep Borrell and other Western Balkan leaders on Wednesday, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić said that the Foreign Minister of Kosovo Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz had confirmed that the application would be submitted on Thursday, 12 May. Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the application on Thursday was likely.

Vučić described the move as a “violation, not only of all principles of international law but also of the direct norms of certain agreements, from Resolution 1244 to the Washington Agreement”. He announced a session of the National Security Council of Serbia within the next 36 hours.

The support of two-thirds of the members of the Council of Europe – 31 out of the current 46 – is necessary for membership. The optimism for Kosovo lies in the fact that 34 members have recognised it so far.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3l61ZCM

‘This game is up’: Serbia urged to take a stand on Ukraine’s war (AlJazeera)

Belgrade enjoys warm ties with Moscow but in recent weeks, pro-government tabloids have turned on Putin.

“Ukraine attacks Russia!” and “Putin checkmates Ukraine,” were among the headlines run by Serbia’s pro-government tabloids at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Putin is sending his army to unite Serbia and [Bosnia’s Republika] Srpska,” read another.

In Europe, Russia-friendly Serbia is in the minority, having refrained from slapping sanctions on Moscow.

The country’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, has for years claimed to follow a “neutral” policy, balancing ties among Moscow, Beijing, Brussels and Washington.

On February 25, the day after Russia launched its war, he said Serbia has its “vital national and state interests and respects traditional friendships” as he rejected calls by Western nations to sanction Moscow.

“This is Serbia’s choice, to pursue an independent policy,” he told media last week.

Although Serbia backed a UN resolution in March demanding Russia to stop its offensive and “unconditionally withdraw” from Ukraine, officials in the West have decried Serbia for sitting on the fence.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3w8PNaZ

Humanitarian/Development

Kosovo choking in garbage (DW, KiM radio)

With 259 kilograms of garbage per capita, Kosovo exceeds by far the average amount of waste in Europe. Garbage ends up everywhere on streets, rivers, and even in private yards, KiM reported, citing DW.

After each heavy rain, the yard of Zihraje Alija becomes a garbage dump. She lives in the village of Vojinovce in Kosovo, right next to the Sitnica River. Every time after heavy rains, the rivers bring piles of garbage, mostly plastic.

“The water level rises and brings wheels, dead cows, dogs, plastic, garbage, trees to our yard,” Zihraje told DW.

Her case is not alone, and Sitnica is not the only river that serves citizens as a warehouse for plastics, rubber, shoes, furniture, styrofoam … According to Eurostat, in 2020 Kosovo produced as much as 259 kilograms of waste per person, which is a significant above the European Union average.

Unlike the EU, which has banned the use of single-use plastic products since July 2021, Kosovo does not have any regulations related to plastics, and has not even introduced measures to reduce the use of plastic bags.

Plastic bags widely shared  

Plastic bags are still widely shared in Kosovo. And after the few minutes it takes to transport groceries from the supermarket to the house, their decomposition takes hundreds of years.

However, even Zihraje, who is struggling until noon to clean up her own yard from the bags brought by the river, has been walking with hands full of plastic since noon.

“Wherever we go to buy groceries, sellers always give us plastic bags. We have no choice but to use plastic bags and that is why there is a large amount of waste. People always carry plastic bags from stores, but they don’t throw them in containers but on the streets.”

Collecting plastic is not an attractive business, because collectors get only a few cents for one kilogram. In addition, there is no deposit for bottles and cans in Kosovo. People are not offered any incentive to dispose of waste carefully. That is why they simply throw garbage wherever they are: to rivers, forests, on the street or in the very center of Pristina.

“It is our carelessness. We take care of our house being clean, but when we go out, we do not care much about the environment,” says Pristina resident Venera Sadikaj.

However, her fellow citizen with reservations accepts the thesis about the exclusive guilt of the citizens.

“Waste disposal sites are not available in every part of the city. There are trash cans here in the square, but they are not everywhere. People are tired of all that and throw garbage wherever they can, and they really do not care,” he said.

Self-organization, the only way

That is why green activists took matters into their own hands. Luan Hasanaj organized many cleaning actions with his organization “Kosovo, let’s do it”. In the last three years, they have collected about 20,000 tons of plastic waste.

“Establishing a waste management system, caring for the environment and rivers – all this is the job of the state. So, the state must take steps to stop garbage throwing in places like this here,” Hasanaj told DW.

“But the problem is that Kosovo institutions largely do not implement the laws and regulations they have adopted,” he added.

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning did not want to talk to DW about environmental regulations in Kosovo. That is why people like Zihraja Alija, and Luan Hasanaj have only to roll up their sleeves, reported DW.