Albanian Language Media:

• Hovenier: Kurti did meet the National Security Advisor at White House (media)
• Von Cramon urges Kosovo to make environmental protection a priority (media)
• AAK launches initiative for amendment of law on pensions (media)
• The EU and CoE support the establishment of the Confiscation Fund in Kosovo (media)
• Abdixhiku urges European People’s Party to support Kosovo joining CoE (media)
• Kosovo government explains what will happen to Afghans who have been denied entry to U.S. (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic sworn in for second term as president (N1)
• Vucic: Government by the end of July, we will have to deal with sanctions (N1)
• Serbia will not allow Kosovo to be part of EUSAIR (Hina, N1)
• Escobar hopes that Serbia will join sanctions against Russia after the formation of the government (NMagazin)
• Petkovic: ”Osmani does not miss the opportunity to attack Vucic because of his commitment to peace” (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Osmani’s and Abazovic polemic about “Open Balkans” (KiM radio)
• Visoki Decani tag moved again from Google map, then returned (KiM radio, KoSSev)
• AP: Serbian president promises a European course, hints sanctions against Russia (Beta, Danas, N1)

International:

• Serbia secures gas deal with Putin, as West boycotts Russia (AlJazeera)
• Putin, Vučić agree on new gas supply contract for Serbia (balkangreenenergynews.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Help Wanted (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media  

Hovenier: Kurti did meet the National Security Advisor at White House (media)

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier commented in a series of Twitter posts reports that Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti did not meet with the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House but rather at an informal setting. 

Hovenier called such reports “inaccurate” and “misleading”. “The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is part of the Whitehouse complex and senior-level meetings, including with the President, Vice President, and National Security Advisor are routinely held there,” he wrote, adding: “As one example: in 2010, I was present for a meeting between then-Vice President Biden and then-Prime Minister Hashim Thaci in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.”

Von Cramon urges Kosovo to make environmental protection a priority (media)

Coal, in addition to killing citizens, also kills the economies of a country, so environmental protection should be made a priority for Kosovo, said on Tuesday in Pristina, the rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon.

She said the time has come for an energy strategy that would open the door to renewable energy.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, stressed that by the end of 2022 the energy strategy will be finalized, which, as he said, envisages the decarbonisation of energy and the creation of opportunities for renewable energy.

At the conference “Week for Sustainable Development in Kosovo”, which is being held in Pristina, Bislimi said that the government has approved draft laws related to environmental protection.

MP Eliza Hoxha said that as an MP she has no knowledge about the energy plan and strategy.

At the conference, the rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon, also said that Kosovo has scarce water resources, for which she asked the Kosovo authorities for better management of these resources.

 AAK launches initiative for amendment of law on pensions (media)

Shemsedin Dreshaj, MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), has called on the Kosovo Assembly to support the initiative for amending the law on pensions.

Speaking at a press conference today, Dreshaj said that the proposed changes include the scraping off of the requirement for pensioners to have 15 years of work experience before 1999 in order to be recognised as contributory pensioners.

Dreshaj said such a requirement is “discriminatory” and that while the AAK proposed the changes in the past, they were unable to see the initiative through due to Kosovo heading for early parliamentary elections. Dreshaj said there are many pensioners that were sacked from their workplaces by the Serbian regime in the 90s and as a result cannot achieve the right to enjoy contributory pensions.

The EU and CoE support the establishment of the Confiscation Fund in Kosovo (media)

The European Union and the Council of Europe, through a jointly funded project against economic crime – PECK III, on May 30 organized a roundtable discussion on the establishment of the Confiscation Fund in Kosovo.

This event was used to discuss the draft concept document for the establishment of the fund, prepared by the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo, which presents the best international practices and to give recommendations in this area.

“Although the total value of confiscated assets in Kosovo is marginal, the work to establish the Confiscation Fund is a step in the right direction and an obligation stemming from Kosovo’s European Reform Agenda II.”

“The establishment of the Fund is important because it will enable the assets obtained illegally and then confiscated to be used for the benefit of society. The EU and the Council of Europe look forward to working with Kosovo institutions to establish this Fund, “said Jarmo Helppikangas, Head of the Rule of Law, Human Rights and Legal Affairs Section at the EU Office in Kosovo.

In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers of Kosovo, the Agency for Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets, law enforcement agencies, civil society, the debate was attended by international partners.

Abdixhiku urges European People’s Party to support Kosovo joining CoE (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku met the European People’s Party President Donald Tusk in Rotterdam which will host the EPP Congress on 31 May and 1 June. 

“With President Tusk, a continuous supporter of Kosovo’s state aspirations, we discussed political developments in the country, LDK’s processes, as well as the necessity of Kosovo moving toward Euro-Atlantic family,” Abdixhiku said on Facebook. He said he particularly asked the European People’s Party, as the largest political group in the EU, “to unreservedly support and help Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.”

Kosovo government explains what will happen to Afghans who have been denied entry to U.S. (media)

Afghans sheltered in Kosovo who do nor meet the criteria to enter the U.S. will be transported to third countries. This is the response given by Kosovo government to Euronews Albania regarding the refusal of some Afghans to take refuge in the U.S.

“The United States government has assured us that if Afghans in Lyia (Camp) are unable to meet the verification criteria, the United States will work to identify countries willing to accept them based on the preferences of Afghan citizens,” the government of Kosovo said.

Authorities also explain that if any Afghan citizen wants to return to Afghanistan voluntarily, the United States will assist in fulfilling such request.

According to the Kosovo government, 600 Afghans have left the ‘Lyia Camp’ for the United States so far.

“Our American partners are working diligently to meet all the medical and safety criteria for the small number of guests remaining in this camp, within the 365-day timeframe for which we have agreed.”

Serbian Language Media

Vucic sworn in for second term as president (N1)

President Aleksandar Vucic sworn in on Tuesday for a second term as Serbia’s head of state, pledging to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity including Kosovo, reported N1.

“I swear to devote all my powers to protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, including Kosovo and Metohija (the official name of what the constitution says is Serbia’s southern province) as its integral part, as well as achieving human and minority rights and liberties, respect and defense of the Constitution and laws, preserving peace and the well-being of all citizens of the Republic of Serbia and to conscientiously and responsibly fulfil all my duties. So, help me God,” Vucic said at a special session of parliament, winning ovations from MPs and guests.

The special session of parliament was attended by former President Tomislav Nikolic (founder of Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party – SNS), the Serbian member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska President Zeljka Cvijanovic, members of the diplomatic corps and senior Christian and Muslim clergy.

Vucic won a second term in office at the April 3 elections, winning 59 percent of the vote to beat his main rival retired General Zdravko Ponos.

He was sworn in for his first term on May 31, 2017, and was the first president of Serbia to swear his oath on the constitution and the Miroslav Gospel, an illuminated Cyrillic manuscript considered to be one of the oldest surviving documents in Serbian Church Slavonic.

Under Serbian law, the president can only serve two terms in office and cannot hold any other professional position while in office.

Vucic: Government by the end of July, we will have to deal with sanctions (N1)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated that the next Government of Serbia should be formed by the end of July, and announced that “we will have to deal with sanctions”, reported N1.

“We have to deal with new sanctions and miracles, in which we can be damaged again, so we will ask our European partners to help us,” Vucic said in the Serbian Parliament after taking the oath of office for a new presidential term.

He said that the Government of Serbia should be formed by the end of July and announced that he would start with consultations as soon as the new parliament is formed.

He expressed hope that as many members of minorities as possible would be included in the government.

Vucic said that the formation of the new Government was “crucial” and that he was looking forward to the formation of a new parliament soon.

Addressing the deputies and guests, he said that “there is no greater honor, greater obligation, no greater pride than the fact that you lead your own country”. 

He said that his priorities in his work will be “peace, stability, independence in decision-making, freedom of Serbia, security, health, Europe, work, work and work”.

Vucic said that ”other interests have always intersected over Serbia”. 

“To concretize things – the world before our eyes is changing dramatically on a daily basis. The attack on Ukraine is a turning point in international relations,” the president said.

According to him, Russia wanted to end the domination of Western power, and the West to preserve world domination and protect international law.

Although it is true that the attack on Ukraine violated international law, it has happened dozens of times and it has often been done by Western powers, Vucic said and recalled that FR Yugoslavia was “attacked without a decision of the UN Security Council” in 1999, reported N1. 

Vucic said that he was proud of Serbia, which behaves in accordance with the principles of international public law, and which can condemn it unequivocally and clearly, but he was also proud of the fact that in Serbia, as he stated, there is no Russophobia or anti-Western behaviours.

Serbia will not allow Kosovo to be part of EUSAIR (Hina, N1)

Serbia said on Monday that it “would not allow Kosovo to be part of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) as an independent country”, reported N1, citing Croatian agency Hina.

EUSAIR is a forum bringing together Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and San Marino, launched in 2014 by the European Commission to help candidate countries and potential candidates draw closer to EU membership.

The ten countries are Adriatic or Ionian countries or are in the hinterland of the two seas, and they gathered in Tirana for an annual conference on 16-18 May.

A Kosovo delegation led by Local Government Minister Elbert Krasniqi visited Tirana but did not attend the conference, however, the delegation met with European Commission officials, requesting accession to EUSAIR.

For a country to be admitted to EUSAIR it needs to have the consent of all ten member countries.

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

Escobar hopes that Serbia will join sanctions against Russia after the formation of the government (NMagazin)

The Special Envoy of the United States of America (USA) for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, expressed hope that Serbia would join other countries in the Western Balkans and impose sanctions on Russia after the formation of the new government, reported NMagazin portal.

”Almost all Western Balkan countries have agreed to make Russia pay the price for this (invasion) through sanctions, through support for Ukraine and its people. I hope that Serbia will join that group and will comply with sanctions when it forms the government,” Escobar said in an online address yesterday at the Southeast European Democracy Summit in Budva.

The topic of the gathering, which gathered officials from the EU, the USA, Great Britain, and the region, was: “War in Europe: Impact in the Balkans”.

Serbia is the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia, although it has agreed with United Nations (UN) resolutions and European Union declarations condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and official Belgrade justifies such an attitude by “protecting the country’s vital interests.”

The American envoy for the Balkans welcomed the fact that both the EU and NATO reaffirmed the “open door policy”.

“I think it is important that the EU reaffirmed its open-door policy. And that policy does not only apply to Ukraine and other countries at risk, but also reminds us of six more countries in line before Ukraine,” Escobar pointed out.

He pointed out that the countries of the Western Balkans have made “enormous progress” and “impressive reforms” and expressed hope that Europe will put into practice what it says today when it comes to the European integration of the Western Balkans.

Petkovic: ”Osmani does not miss the opportunity to attack Vucic because of his commitment to peace” (Radio Mitrovica sever)

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, announced on his Twitter profile that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani does not miss the opportunity to attack Aleksandar Vucic, due to, as he stated, his commitment to peace and regional cooperation.

“Vjosa Osmani does not miss the opportunity to attack Aleksandar Vucic because of his commitment to peace and regional cooperation. Those words are unknown in Pristina, they only know about the language of hatred there. Therefore it is not surprising that they are against the concept of ‘Open Balkans’,” Petkovic wrote.

“Let Vjosa Osmani take a closer look at the biographies of Pristina politicians who are being tried in The Hague for the most horrific crimes, because President Vucic can teach her lessons on how to keep the peace,” said Petkovic, reported Radio Mitrovica sever.

Osmani’s and Abazovic polemic about “Open Balkans” (KiM radio)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic exchanged views on the Open Balkans regional initiative.

During a panel discussion at the Southeast European Democracy Summit in Montenegro, Abazovic said that part of Montenegrin society opposes the “Open Balkans” because of Serbia’s role in the initiative, reported KiM radio.

The Montenegrin leader said earlier that he would attend the next “Open Balkans” meeting, which will be held in Ohrid, in northern Macedonia, which is why he was facing great criticism.

“In my opinion, a part of Montenegrin society opposes (the Open Balkans) only because it is against everything that Serbia is. They do not have a problem with the initiative, but they have a personal problem,” said Abazovic and added that, in his opinion, “personal problems in politics often do not provide an opportunity for any vision”, reported KiM radio.

“I am not committed to the ‘Open Balkans’, the ‘Berlin Process’ or any other initiative. I am in favor of regional cooperation. So, every initiative that aims at regional cooperation, all that we can use for cooperation, is a success,” said Abazovic.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani reacted to Abazovic’s comment.

“Whether a leader is elected in a democratic way, who believes in the values of the rule of law, human rights and democracy, and whether someone is a former Minister of Propaganda (of the former leader of Yugoslavia) Milosevic that should be important. Otherwise, the message we are sending is that it does not matter if you are (President of Ukraine) Zelensky or (President of Russia) Putin,” Osmani said.

Kosovo opposes the Open Balkans initiative, insisting that Kosovo should be represented as an equal, i.e., independent state in any process, including the Open Balkans initiative.

Osmani added that “if we do not learn this lesson from the past, we will not be able to go on the right path, at a time when we are facing the war in Ukraine”, wrote KiM radio.

She pointed out that Kosovo is committed to regional cooperation, but that Kosovo’s disagreement with the “Open Balkans” initiative must be respected, because, as she said, Kosovo has shown commitment “to do everything necessary for regional cooperation to function”. 

“We have extended a hand of cooperation to the country that committed genocide against us, without asking an apology, without seeing remorse on their part, without criminals behind bars or brought to justice. Without about 2,000 missing during the war, and a country sleeping on mass graves. How can we show than in this way to lend a hand of friendship and cooperation?” Osmani said, reported KiM radio.

Responding to the Kosovo president, Abazovic stated that no one is in a position to elect a government in another country.

“How is it possible that you will most likely sit in the Berlin process with the same people who, unfortunately, do not recognize Kosovo, while Ohrid (where the next ‘Open Balkans’ meeting will be held) is a problem? That is what I do not understand,” said Abazovic.

According to him, the only foreign policy goal of his country is full membership in the EU, and he is not looking for alternatives to that goal, saying that he will attend the “Open Balkans” gathering, which will be held on June 7 and 8, as a guest.

The “Open Balkans” initiative is a continuation of the Balkan “mini Schengen”, presented by the leaders of Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Albania in Novi Sad, Serbia, on October 10, 2019, recalled the radio.

Visoki Decani tag moved again from Google map, then returned (KiM radio, KoSSev)

The sign with the name of the monastery Visoki Decani has been moved again on Google maps, it was announced on the Twitter account of Decani monastery, KiM radio reported.

“The tag with the name of Visoki Decani Monastery, one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church and one of the four UNESCO monuments in Kosovo and Metohija, has been deleted again on Google Maps. This is the second case this year. Provocations continue!” the monastery said on Twitter. 

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, assessed that the fact that the label of the monastery Visoki Decani was moved again on Google maps is a new blow to that monastery.

“A new attack on the monastery of Visoki Decani. Instead of returning 24 hectares of land, they are deleting the monastery from the map,” Petkovic wrote on Twitter. 

In mid-February this year, the label of the monastery on the Google Maps application was also deleted, that is, it was moved to the roundabout in Decani, and after the protest, the mistake was corrected, recalled the radio.

KoSSev portal reported that late last night, Visoki Decani was returned much closer to its location. As it is stated, such a thing requires a large number of Google users to report that the object is in the wrong location.

AP: Serbian president promises a European course, hints sanctions against Russia (Beta, Danas, N1)

Today, Aleksandar Vucic took the oath of office for his second term as President of Serbia, promising to keep the country on the path to EU membership, hinting that the new government could consider joining Western sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine, reported Danas daily, citing AP agency. 

Despite voting for three UN resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Serbia is still the only European country that has not joined the sanctions against its ally Moscow, according to the AP.

In his inaugural address to parliament, the agency added, Vucic said Serbia’s priority would be its path to EU membership and that the new government – due to be formed in July – would have to work harder to join the 27-nation bloc and to consider sanctions against Moscow, although he did not specifically mention Russia, Danas cited AP. 

The AP agency assessed that Vucic won convincingly in the presidential elections, mainly on his pro-Russian agenda, and added that he said that in the new mandate he wanted to bring Serbia into the EU.

The agency recalled that Vucic spent the last few years ‘strengthening ties with his longtime ally’, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Danas cited.

On Sunday, Vucic announced that he secured a “very favourable” three-year natural gas agreement with Russia during a telephone conversation with Putin – something largely seen as his determination not to join EU sanctions despite Western pressure but seemed that he eased his pro-Russian stance today, saying Serbia must be firm on the European path, cited Danas daily.

He said today that he would not seek NATO membership and would maintain its military neutrality. “We are not politically neutral because we want membership in the European Union,” Vucic said, AP reported.

International 

Serbia secures gas deal with Putin, as West boycotts Russia (AlJazeera)

Serbian president refuses to explicitly condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine, has not joined Western sanctions on Moscow.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that he has secured an “extremely favourable” three-year natural gas supply deal with Russia, amid efforts by the European Union to phase out Russian energy supplies.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3t9Ox5l

Putin, Vučić agree on new gas supply contract for Serbia (balkangreenenergynews.com)

Serbia has agreed with Russia on a new long-term gas contract as the existing agreement expires on May 31. The agreement drew the attention of global news outlets, considering the sanctions the Western countries imposed on Russia and their intention to stop using Russian gas.

Serbia’s ten-year contract on gas supplies expired in December 2021, so the two sides agreed at the time to extend it for six months. The current price is USD 270 per 1,000 cubic meters, and the new one, in the upcoming three-year contract, should be around USD 340-350, local media quoted Vučić.

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

Humanitarian/Development

Help Wanted (Kosovo 2.0)

It would take around 40,000 days worth of external expertise and approximately 20 million euros for the government to fully handle the problems that have accumulated over the years in a number of ministries, largely due to a lack of in-house professional capacities. This is the conclusion of a preliminary needs-assessment that the Prime Minister’s Office had Kosovo’s 14 ministries carry out last year.

This look into the deep-rooted problems facing Kosovo’s public administration became the first step in establishing the Excellence Fund — a mechanism that the government hopes will assist ministerial staff in implementing public policies and resolving persistent problems by recruiting external, local and international experts and consultants.

“We wanted first to check the pulse,” said Luan Dalipi, chief of staff to the Prime Minister and one of the key promoters of the Excellence Fund, referencing the preliminary mapping. “The ministries have identified enduring problems within their sectors, a lack of professional capacities, the profiles of the needed experts and the approximate duration and seniority of the [needed] expertise.” According to Dalipi, more than 40% of all the requests for expertise came from the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure.

The establishment of an Excellence Fund is part of long-running attempts to reform the state public administration, which civil society organizations have described as highly bureaucratic, politicized, lacking competent staff and which mostly provides undigitized services. Since 2008 there have been three separate pushes for public administration reforms but the situation remains largely the same.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3x0uTuO