Albanian Language Media:

• Assembly Speaker Konjufca to visit former KLA leaders in Hague (media)
• Hoxhaj meets Slovakia’s foreign minister on sidelines of GLOBSEC forum (media)
• Konjufca: Recognition of Kosovo, strategic investment for the future (Zeri)
• Serb detained on war crimes charges (Kallxo)
• AKI General Inspector, Burim Ramadani, interviewed by SPO (Koha)
• If Kurti does not form Association, he will be ousted, analysts say (Front Online)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Work on diversification of gas supply underway, the situation regarding Lavrov’s visit becoming more complicated (RTS)
• Zakharova: Lavrov to visit Serbia on June 6-7 (Beta, Tanjug, N1)
• Office for KiM: Caslav Jolic, suspected of war crimes, arrested in Istok (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Eparchy of Raska and Prizren: Fundamental religious and human rights do not apply to Orthodox Serbs (Kontakt plus radio)
• Greek FM Dendias met President Vucic (Tanjug)
• CoE Commissioner Mijatovic ends visit to Kosovo (N1)
• Mayor of Gracanica: CSM (ZSO) would improve the position of Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio, VoA)
• Rosic, Spasojevic and Basara under house arrest from today (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)

International:

• US Warns of Rise in Incidents Targeting Kosovo Religious Sites (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

Assembly Speaker Konjufca to visit former KLA leaders in Hague (Indeksonline)

Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, will soon visit the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are awaiting trial by the Specialist Chambers in the Hague. Konjufca’s chief of staff said today that the visit is expected to take place late this month.

Hoxhaj meets Slovakia’s foreign minister on sidelines of GLOBSEC forum (media)

Enver Hoxhaj, MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and former foreign minister, met on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC 2022 forum Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok.

Hoxhaj said that in the capacity of Kosovo Assembly deputy speaker, he urged Slovakia to support Kosovo joining the Council of Europe. “Kosovo is the most democratic country in the Balkans and belongs in the Council of Europe,” Hoxhaj said on social media.

Konjufca: Recognition of Kosovo, strategic investment for the future (Zeri)

Glauk Konjufca, Kosovo Assembly Speaker, in his remarks at the South East European Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly (SEECP PA) meeting in Greece, called for recognition of Kosovo’s independence and regional cooperation.

Konjufca said that Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine can lead to the worsening of tensions in the Western Balkans region. “With unwavering partnership with NATO and the U.S., we can defend our region from serious destabilising threats that could aim to cause substantial changes to the international order,” he said. 

“The support of all, preceded by recognition of Kosovo, should be viewed as a strategic investment for the future, as a necessary step for preserving peace and stability but also for our common progress,” Konjufca added. 

Serb detained on war crimes charges (Kallxo)

A member of the Serb community has been arrested on war crimes charges committed against the civilian population in Kosovo.

The person arrested, Kallxo reports, is from the municipality of Istog and the crimes he is alleged to have been involved in have been committed in the region of Peja between 1998-1999.

AKI General Inspector, Burim Ramadani, interviewed by SPO (Koha)

Ganimete Musliu, head of the Kosovo Assembly’s committee for oversight of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI), said today that AKI General Inspector Burim Ramadani has concluded his interview as a witness by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in the Hague. “Ramadani has answered in legal and institutional fashion to the Specialist Chambers and has concluded the interviewing process,” Musliu told reporters after the committee’s behind-closed-doors meeting with Ramadani today. 

If Kurti does not form Association, he will be ousted, analysts say (Front Online)

The news website notes that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti recently said that the Association of Serb-majority municipalities cannot be established. “Kosovo has an association of municipalities, and the existing association is enough for me as Prime Minister,” Kurti told a press conference on June 1.

The news website contacted EU officials to comment on Kurti’s remarks, but they were not available for comment.

Asdren Bytyqi, jurist, said in an interview with Front Online that the Association in its current form cannot be formed because it goes against the Constitution of Kosovo. “The state of Kosovo cannot implement an agreement that goes against the Constitution, but the government can renegotiate and draft an amended statute for the Association, which would be in line with the constitutional principles and norms …,” he argued.

Arbnor Sadiku, political commentator, said he is confident that Kosovo cannot avoid the formation of the Association, and that if Prime Minister Kurti does not form it, he will be ousted. “The Association of Serb-majority municipalities is inevitable because it is based on the Ahtisaari Package and it was accepted by former heads of Kosovo institutions, Thaci and Mustafa, on behalf of Kosovo. What the current government can do is renegotiate it [the Association] through the international community and if he does not do this, Kurti will go in the opposition, and a government of unity will be formed consisting of parties that are now in the opposition, and it will be supported by the United States and the European Union,” Sadiku said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Work on diversification of gas supply underway, the situation regarding Lavrov’s visit becoming more complicated (RTS)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, pointed out at the panel dedicated to the relations between the EU and Serbia at the GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava, that Serbia’s priority was membership in the EU, and that diversification of gas supply was underway. He said that the situation regarding the visit of Russian FM Sergei Lavrov to Belgrade was becoming more complicated, reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

Vucic pointed out that it was true that one cannot survive without gas deliveries. “We have always been one hundred percent dependent on Russian gas. There are other EU countries that are in the same position. We are working on the diversification of our supply”, he said, answering the question about the new gas arrangement with Russia.

Vucic said that he talked with the Vice President of the European Commission for Inter-Institutional Relations and Strategic Forecasting, Maroc Sevcovic, about making a joint strategy on obtaining gas from the TAP and TANAP gas pipelines. In that context, he stressed the importance of building a gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Serbia, as well as northern Macedonia and Serbia.

”Only then can we diversify our supply. That will give us the opportunity to get other gas. We have to survive and act rationally. I know that no one wants to hear that at the moment. We have hysteria at the moment during which everyone says the same thing, so it is difficult to lead rational talks,” Vucic emphasized.

“I doubt Bulgaria will get enough LPG from the US”

Vucic pointed out that in southeastern Europe there are Serbia, Hungary, supplied with Russian gas, and added that he hoped that Bulgaria would be able to get enough liquefied petroleum gas, as promised by Washington, but he also expressed some doubts that it would be possible.

“There is no doubt that there is not enough gas for us. Six years ago, I went to Baku and talked to Ilham Aliyev (President of Azerbaijan), but they could not provide us with enough. We are now spending three times more than before, and consumption is constantly growing,” Vucic pointed out.

According to him, through TAP and TANAP, out of the planned ten billion cubic meters, Serbia could receive certain quantities.

Vucic pointed out that the main strategic goal of Serbia was to become an EU member.

On that path, he said, there were specific things that Serbia needed to solve, including Kosovo and Metohija, an issue that Belgrade views differently from some EU members.

Asked about his speech in the Assembly when taking the oath for the second term as President of Serbia, Vucic pointed out that he spoke about the need to reach a compromise with Pristina and that it was important for the path to EU membership.

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the elections

When asked about the elections in Serbia, the impact of the relations between Serbia and Russia and the Ukrainian crisis on their outcome, but also why Belgrade was still an ally of Moscow, Vucic said that such a question gave him the opportunity to tell the truth.

“I think that the citizens spoke in the elections as they wanted,” said Vucic.

He stated that his party did achieve a worse result than in the previous elections, gaining 43 percent of the vote, but also pointed out that the first next force won 12-13 percent, while right-wing parties received great support, precisely because of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Vucic said that Serbia reacted in a responsible way regarding the crisis in Ukraine, and that many voters were angry because the country voted against the Russian aggression in Ukraine at the UNGA.

He explained that this was not because Serbs have something against Ukrainians, on the contrary, we consider them true friends, but because they remember what happened to Serbia in 1999.

“At that time, Serbia was bombed by 19 NATO countries, and its territorial integrity was not considered. Today we hear about it every day, but then the territorial integrity of Serbia was not considered. Sorry for being open,” Vucic said.

He added that Serbia and Russia have traditionally good relations, which were not always easy to explain, but have harmed the party he led on election day.

He believed that at the same time we should act pragmatically, to go towards the EU, which, as he said, he emphasized in his addresses.

“Serbia does not want to lose Russia’s support regarding Kosovo and Metohija”

Vucic said that Serbia was not an ally of Russia, it condemned politically, clearly what was happening in Ukraine, but it did not impose sanctions on Russia.

He pointed out that the political situation must be understood, because Serbia always had the support of Russia and China on the issue of Kosovo, and he did not want to lose that kind of support.

He added that about 42 percent of Serbs think that the war in Ukraine was wrong, but 76 percent of them are against sanctions against Russia.

“Politically, legally, we are behaving in principle, because Serbia is always on the side of Ukrainian territorial integrity, but I ask again today why all those who are loud in preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity did not do so in 1999,” Vucic said.

He added that Serbia has always helped, donated money, medical aid, almost three million euros, along with humanitarian aid.

He also announced that he would visit Ukrainian refugees in Serbia, near Vranje, tomorrow, to whom the state helps a lot

We will not be a part of the war in Ukraine, because we do not want that, said Vucic.

“I do not expect big decisions on the Western Balkans in June, but in December”

According to Vucic, at the upcoming EU-Western Balkans summit, on June 23, he did not expect significant decisions to be made regarding the acceleration of European integration, but rather at the next meeting in December, and he thought of the Brussels, Paris, and Berlin decisions.

He said, at the panel “Serbia and the EU: Strategic Partnership for the Future”, that EU member states and Brussels should show determination and say whether they really count on the countries from the Western Balkans or not.

When asked by the journalist of the British Economist Tim Judah whether Serbia and the countries in the region would use this situation, as Ukraine and Moldova did, to speed up the process of European integration, Vucic said that they might laugh at him, but that he as a political veteran he could say that he has learned political lessons on that issue well.

“When we go to Brussels, and we go often, whoever is from the Western Balkans – the messages are the same – that we need to speed up the integration process and use this and that opportunity. But people are fed up increasingly of these stories, that they have been listening to for 10 or 15 years, because nothing is happening.” 

However, he pointed out that he now expected something to change, as well as that Serbia knows its obligations well.

“We still have a lot to do regarding the rule of law, democracy, media and other issues, and a kind of compromise should be reached between Belgrade and Pristina before we enter the EU,” Vucic said.

“But we must also see that the EU countries are for it, whether you really count on us or not. If the answer is yes, we will accelerate reforms and I hope that could happen,” Vucic said.

He says that Ukraine and Moldova could get good decisions from the EU now, but that he was skeptical on Northern Macedonia and Albania

He pointed out that certainly nothing would happen on the issue of Serbia and Montenegro, but that he had high hopes for December, when the next summit would take place.

Vucic said that the situation in Europe will be much clearer then than now, and that he expected big decisions from Brussels, Paris, and Berlin.

“Peace in Ukraine as soon as possible”

At the panel in Bratislava, Vucic mentioned that we need peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.

On the statement of the moderator of the panel “Serbia and the EU: Strategic Partnership for the Future”, that the leaders of some countries call for a total victory of Ukraine, while others insist on negotiations, Vucic said that some do not expect a total victory of Ukraine, but a total defeat of the other side, which was a difference.

“I do not believe in total victory and total defeat, we need peace as soon as possible,” the President of Serbia emphasized.

As he said, in peace you could “defeat” others much easier than militarily, adding that there was no point in continuing the war, in killing people.

“We can talk, philosophically, thousands of people die daily. I believe that we need peace as soon as possible, and then solve problems in the next 20, 50 years… One day means a lot, which is a thousand survivors,” said Vucic.

Peace is the only solution, the most important thing we must ensure as soon as possible, he reiterated and added that he said the same to Russian President Vladimir Putin when they talked a few days ago.

He said that Putin also said that he has always been for peace, but that he would fulfill his goals. He added that he primarily talked with Putin about other things, which were important for Serbia, which is a small country, while there were many larger ones, which could influence the Russian president, reported RTS.

Vucic: Situation around Lavrov visit getting complicated 

“The situation around Lavrov coming (to Belgrade) is getting complicated in every sense, but I am still not ready to talk about that… We will see,” Vucic said.

Asked if there was a possibility of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz not making an announced visit to Serbia on June 10 in case Lavrov did come to Belgrade and whether that would be bad news for Serbia, Vucic responded it definitely would.

“Is there a chance of something like that happening? Well, there always is, but I hope it will not happen. First, let us see if Lavrov is coming, and then we will see everything else. There are also reactions from other countries,” Vucic said.

Zakharova: Lavrov to visit Serbia on June 6-7 (Beta, Tanjug, N1)

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova announced on Friday Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov would be visiting Serbia on June 6-7 to speak with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other officials, reported N1.

At a press briefing, Zakharova said Lavrov would also meet with the Serbian FM and the parliament speaker, as well as with the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the RIA Novosti agency reported.

She said the discussion topics were expected to include bilateral political and economic cooperation, the situation in the Balkan region as well as current international affairs, reported Serbian media.

Office for KiM: Caslav Jolic, suspected of war crimes, arrested in Istok (Radio Mitrovica sever)

”Members of the Kosovo Police arrested Caslav Jolić (54), a Serb, in Istok yesterday, while he was performing his usual administrative duties, and they suspect him of alleged war crimes in Kosovo, i.e., harassment of a civilian during 1998,” said the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. 

“Caslav is the father of four children residing in central Serbia, who went to Kosovo and Metohija for years and for 23 years had no problem entering or staying in Kosovo and Metohija until yesterday when he was suddenly arrested and taken to Pristina under suspicious excuses and circumstances. He went there to do certain jobs regarding the probate hearing following the death of his father, when he was arrested suddenly and which sheds special light on his case,” the statement said.

The Office for KiM stated that Jolic has been provided with legal protection. 

“The case of Caslav Jolic is the sixth case in a row in which Serbs are accused of alleged war crimes overnight, according to witnesses who appear 20 or more years after the alleged act, and at a time when defendants most often claim their legal rights, and property in Kosovo and Metohija,” the statement concluded.

Eparchy of Raska and Prizren: Fundamental religious and human rights do not apply to Orthodox Serbs (Kontakt plus radio)

Eparchy of Raska and Prizren reacted to the prevention of SOC priests from serving the Holy Liturgy on the occasion of the of Ascension of the Lord, in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina, and expressed their deepest concern and disappointment, reported Kontakt plus radio.

“This act violates basic religious freedoms and the right of access to the property of our Church, since the Church of Christ the Saviour is registered in the cadastre as the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and no one has the right to prevent us from accessing our property. Unfortunately, with the open discriminatory attitude towards the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, Kosovo institutions are constantly sending the message that our people cannot live freely and that fundamental religious and human rights do not apply to Orthodox Serbs,” the statement read.

The Eparchy pointed out that they expected a reaction from international representatives regarding this incident and that the Serbian Orthodox Church will inform all relevant international organizations that monitor religious rights and freedoms.

“This morning, the priests of our Eparchy, together with a group of believers, set out to serve the Holy Liturgy at the temple celebration of Christ the Saviour in Pristina, but a cordon of police prevented them from doing so. First, the priests were asked for identification documents by a police officer who did not want to speak Serbian, and then they were forbidden to unlock and enter the church. Our priests have not been given an answer as to why they are forbidden to hold the service in the church, which according to the Kosovo cadastre is owned by our Church”.

After the Pristina parish priest Stanisa Arsic said that the police did not allow yesterday’s liturgy in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina, the Kosovo Police issued a press release in which it was said that no activities were announced – except for the liturgy in the church in the village of Devet Jugovica near Pristina, the radio recalled. 

Greek FM Dendias met President Vucic (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Greek FM Nikos Dendias today to discuss bilateral relations, regional and multilateral cooperation, European integration, the ongoing energy crisis, the most pressing geopolitical issues, and the war in Ukraine, reported Tanjug agency.

Vucic noted that Serbia attached exceptional significance to its ties with Greece, which he said were based on a firm friendship and a proven history of closeness and solidarity between the two peoples.

“We hope the next meeting of the High Cooperation Council will be held soon. At the same time, we also expect further advancement of economic cooperation and an increase of trade volume with a view to it reaching 1 bln euros, as well as even greater presence of Greek investments in the Serbian market,” Vucic noted.

During the meeting, Vucic and Dendias also discussed regional cooperation.

Vucic said the maintaining of stability and an orientation of all countries in the region to the most intensive cooperation possible in all fields were crucial interests of Serbia because only such a region ensured sustainable development of Serbia itself.

Vucic thanked Greece for its consistent position regarding the respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, as well as for the efforts it was investing during its South-East European Cooperation Process chairmanship and added that Serbia was also highly appreciative of Greece’s continued support for Serbia’s European integration and of its active engagement towards accelerating the process, the presidential press office said in a statement.

CoE Commissioner Mijatovic ends visit to Kosovo (N1)

Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic ended her visit to Kosovo following a meeting with top government and international organization officials in Pristina and Mitrovica North.

A CoE press release said that the May 30-June 3 mission focused on transitional justice and social cohesion, freedom of the media, and major aspects of women’s rights and gender equality.

“The Commissioner addressed some of the challenges to the effective protection of the human rights of all communities in Kosovo, and the progress made in this field since her predecessor’s mission in 2017,” it said and added that her discussions focused on the search for missing persons, the fight against impunity for wartime crimes, access to effective and adequate reparations for victims of war-related sexual violence, the language rights of non-majority communities, and major obstacles to sustainable returns.

“The Commissioner noted with interest Kosovo’s vibrant and diverse media landscape and raised issues concerning the safety of journalists and obstacles to their work, ethical journalism, and public service media. Finally, as regards women’s rights and gender equality, the high rate of unemployment among women, access to education and the protection of victims of domestic violence were among the issues of interest to the Commissioner,” the press release said.

Mayor of Gracanica: CSM (ZSO) would improve the position of Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio, VoA)

The mayor of Gracanica, Ljiljana Subaric, believes that the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) would remove many obstacles that make life difficult for Serbs in Kosovo. In an interview with the Voice of America, she pointed out that her cooperation with the central authorities in Pristina was not at a satisfactory level and that the Albanian political elite is to blame for that, reported KiM radio.

Subaric said that more and more young and family people from the Serbian community are leaving Kosovo and that this is a burning problem in the municipality of Gracanica as well. However, she expects that at the end of her mandate, there will be more Serbs in this municipality than there are now.

“I hope and believe that if we successfully implement all our priorities and set goals, we will reduce the departure of the population from these areas,” she said.

VoA: Why are people leaving?

Subaric: People leave for many reasons. First, I think that it is a matter of insecurity of the people and their dissatisfaction with the issue of security and the political situation, which has never been worse. 

The Gracanica mayor believes that the formation of the CSM would change a lot for the better when it comes to the position of Serbs in Kosovo. She also gave an example in support of that.

“A concrete example, I would say that if the Community was formed, I think, we would not have a problem to implement one of our priorities, and that is to build the Clinical Hospital Center, which is necessary for Gracanica. With the formation of CSM, I think this would be possible.”

VoA: Why is it impossible now? What obstacles do you face?

Subaric: It is simply impossible, because we do not have adequate cooperation and response from the Pristina authorities. We simply do not have good communication with all ministries. The only one with whom we have cooperation is the Ministry of Communities and Returns, where we have Minister Rakic.

Unlike Pristina, the mayor of Gracanica claims that communication and cooperation with Belgrade is at an excellent level.

“That cooperation is reflected through donations, first, money was provided for the Clinical Hospital Center, which is not a small amount at all, six million euros were provided for that project. The construction of a kindergarten is also planned, then all our health institutions are supplied from the Republic of Serbia, with the support of the Republic of Serbia. In addition, we have political, moral and all kinds of support. We have the special support of President Aleksandar Vucic.”

In addition to the authorities in Belgrade, Ljiljana Subaric believes that it would be logical for the Municipality of Gracanica to have the support of the highest representatives of Kosovo institutions.

“It would be normal to have cooperation with the representatives in Pristina, but unfortunately due to the political rhetoric of the current political elite, i.e., the representatives of the authorities in Pristina, they further distance us from each other, the Serbian from the Albanian community.”

According to Subaric, one of her main priorities is the construction of a bypass around Gracanica, which – as she stated – would solve the long-standing problem of traffic jams through this place. The highway Pristina – Gnjilane passes through Gracanica, through which more than 10 thousand cars and hundreds of heavy trucks pass daily, recalled KiM radio.

Rosic, Spasojevic and Basara under house arrest from today (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)

Marko Rosic, Nedeljko Spasojevic and Rade Basara, accused of helping in the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, were placed under house arrest today, reported KiM radio. 

The defendants’ lawyers have repeatedly asked the Trial Chamber to allow Rosic, Spasojevic and Basara to be under house arrest, but Judge Valon Kurtaj has not responded to those requests until today. 

Apart from pronouncing this measure, there was no hearing of witnesses at today’s hearing in the case of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic.

The trial has been postponed due to the death of the Ivanovic family’s lawyer, Milan Bigovic.

As confirmed to RTV Kim, the trial will continue July 21 and 22.

International 

US Warns of Rise in Incidents Targeting Kosovo Religious Sites (BIRN)

A new US State Department report on religious freedom said that incidents in which religious sites in Kosovo were targeted sharply increased in 2021, with over 80 incidents at Muslim and Orthodox Christian sites.

The US State Department’s 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, published on Thursday, said that incidents targeting religious sites in Kosovo increased by more than 50 per cent last year compared to the previous year, citing police figures.

“National police said they received reports of 87 incidents targeting religious sites during the year, compared with 57 incidents in 2020. The incidents targeted 56 Muslim, 30 SOC [Serbian Orthodox Church], and one Roman Catholic property,” the report said.

“Police classified two cases as incitement of discord and intolerance but did not give details. The BIK [Islamic Community of Kosovo] said incidents targeting mosques were likely financially motivated, citing, for example, a cash charity box in the Kacanik Mosque that was robbed several times during the year. According to the BIK, the thefts negatively affected their humanitarian activities,” it added.

The report said that unlike the Islamic Community of Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Church believes that incidents involving its property in the country were religiously and ethnically motivated.

“Because religion and ethnicity are often closely linked, it was sometimes difficult to categorise incidents as solely based on religious identity,” the report said.

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