Albanian Language Media:

• German Chancellor Scholz in Prishtina tomorrow; will meet only Kurti (RTK)
• European Council President Charles Michel to visit Kosovo next week (RFE)
• Kurti: To have Open Balkan, Serbia needs to open to Kosovo (Zeri/Telegrafi)
• State Department supports all initiatives that economically empower the Balkans (RFE)
• Pacolli urges Kosovo to join Open Balkan (media)
• “Kosovo to consider joining Open Balkan only if given equal status” (Portali D/Telegrafi)
• Former PM Hoti comments on Open Balkan initiative (media)
• Mehaj: We are preparing for our objective, NATO membership (media)
• Kurti meets Irish non-resident ambassador (media)
• LDK to propose resolution on reducing excise duty on fuel products (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic dismisses RFE report (N1)
• Brnabic met Equatorial Guinea President, thanked him for stance on Kosovo (Tanjug)
• State Department without comment on Pristina’s stance on Open Balkan (Radio KIM)
• Open Balkan initiative leaders sign agreements, memoranda in Ohrid (N1, Beta)
• EP report on Serbia: Alignment with EU foreign policy to determine further course of accession negotiations (RTS)
• Borrell: Failure to enable Serbian elections in Kosovo contrary to European values commitment (NMagazin, Beta)
• One year since return of Dragica Gasic to Djakovica (Kosovo-online)
• 23rd anniversary of the Kumanovo Agreement (N1)
• DW: Scholz to focus on blocked issues in Western Balkans (N1)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Reporting news from online portals – social networks and influence on public (media)

Albanian Language Media  

German Chancellor Scholz in Prishtina tomorrow; will meet only Kurti (RTK)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will arrive in Prishtina tomorrow morning and will meet only with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the news website reports citing information from the Press and Information Office of the German Federal Government. Scholz and Kurti will give a joint press briefing after the meeting. Scholz is also scheduled to visit German troops that serve in KFOR.

European Council President Charles Michel to visit Kosovo next week (RFE)

President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is expected to visit Kosovo on 14 and 15 June, Radio Free Europe reports quoting sources from Brussels. 

Michel is also expected to visit North Macedonia and Montenegro on his second leg of the tour to the Western Balkans. In May, he visited Serbia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sources said that Michel is expected to discuss with leaders in the Balkans relations with the EU, the situation in the region following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, as well as a joint meeting between EU and Balkans leaders expected to take place on 23 June in Brussels. The head of the European Council is also expected to use this visit to clarify his idea of a “European geopolitical community” which he said would unite EU countries and European countries that are not in the bloc but which share common values.

Kurti: To have Open Balkan, Serbia needs to open to Kosovo (Zeri/Telegrafi)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said that the Open Balkan initiative cannot be successful if all the region’s countries are not included. He said that to have an Open Balkan, “Serbia needs to first open to Kosovo.”

Kurti said readiness for regional cooperation is expressed by supporting the Berlin Process and the common regional market. “We support the U.S. position that there can be no ‘Open Balkan’ established as an initiative as long as there are no six states.”

“The Western Balkans, which is still not integrated into the EU, consists of six countries but these can not be treated jointly because we have countries that have not condemned or imposed sanctions on Russia. There are countries in the Western Balkans that are on the side of Ukraine and we have countries like our northern neighbour that is on the side of the Russian Federation,” Kurti said today at the launch of new electronic services of the e-Kosova platform. 

State Department supports all initiatives that economically empower the Balkans (RFE)

The U.S. State Department said it supports any regional initiative that is based on European Union rules and that aims economic empowerment of the Western Balkan countries. 

In a statement for Radio Free Europe, a spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on Kosovo’s absence from the recent Open Balkan summit, but said that “closer and more integrated cooperation across the Western Balkans will attract investments in energy, banking, production, services and other sectors in a market of 20 million skilled workers and customers in the heart of Europe.”

“The United States supports these and other complementary initiatives which collectively deepen regional economic cooperation and advance the European path,” the spokesperson noted.  

Pacolli urges Kosovo to join Open Balkan (media)

Behgjet Pacolli, leader of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), said he would have liked to see Kosovo join the Open Balkan initiative.

“I want to see Kosovo in the same club with Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro, strongly supported by the U.S. It is the right time (we have three Albanian prime ministers), only decisions in favour of Kosovo can be taken there, do not be afraid!” Pacolli wrote on Facebook. 

He went on to say that although the United Kingdom was one of the founding members of the European Union, it decided to leave the bloc when it no longer saw fit. “Kosovo can also do the same if it sees that it is being asked for something that is not in its favour,” he said, adding: “Kosovo should not hesitate and prejudge the road to Euro-Atlantic integration supported by the U.S. It needs to be present when bridges, integration and European perspective are discussed.” 

“Kosovo to consider joining Open Balkan only if given equal status” (Portali D/Telegrafi)

Daniel Serwer, U.S. political analyst and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University, said that Kosovo should consider participation at the Open Balkan initiative only if it is treated equal to all other states part of the initiative.

“This, I understand, has not been offered to Kosovo in the Open Balkan therefore the proposal should not be considered at all,” Serwer told Portali D. He noted that the Open Balkan is not the right step for the region as all activities planned within it can be implemented through other initiatives such as the Berlin Process or SEFTA. 

Serwer also commented on the statement of Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, that the idea for the Open Balkan came from Serbia. This statement, according to Serwer, will hinder the creation of the initiative, due to Russia’s negative reputation in the Balkans. “Russia is not a welcomed factor in the Balkans these days, with the exception of Serbia and Republika Srpska,” Serwer said.

Asked whether the Open Balkan initiative is also in the U.S. interest, Serwer said that he personally thinks that it is not but that the U.S. Government does not share the same view. “My opinion is that in the current circumstances, due to the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Open Balkan is a dead paper,” Serwer said. 

Former PM Hoti comments on Open Balkan initiative (media)

Former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti, took to Facebook today to comment on the Open Balkan initiative, saying that Kosovo can join it only in coordination and with guarantees from the United States. He recalls that during a meeting in Washington in September 2020, Kosovo agreed to join the initiative after receiving guarantees from Washington that it would have an equal treatment with other countries. Hoti said the two principles implied that Serbia would have to recognise Kosovo’s state subjectivity and that Serbia could not dominate the regional market. “These two principles and the fact that this initiative is only for economic cooperation, were highlighted clearly by U.S. officials yesterday in Ohrid. In practical terms, the first principle means that Serbia would have to recognize Kosovo’s state subjectivity in regional relations in every aspect as any other country, because the participation of parties would be done in fully equal terms. And the second principle means that Serbia cannot dominate the regional market when all countries of the region are part of the initiative … Every regional initiative is temporary because our orientation is integration in the European Union. Kosovo must coordinate its foreign policy with its strategic partner, the United States, and also with the European Union,” Hoti argued.

Mehaj: We are preparing for our objective, NATO membership (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Armend Mehaj, said today that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is taking part in the EFES-2022 Exercise, one of the largest planned exercises of the Turkish Armed Forces. “Continuous participation in exercises alongside other countries means a well-prepared army ready to meet NATO standards, our long-time objective,” Mehaj wrote in a Facebook post.

Kurti meets Irish non-resident ambassador (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met with the non-resident Ambassador of Ireland to Kosovo in Budapest, Ronan Gargan. They discussed ways to increase economic and trade cooperation as well as that in the field of security.

In a press release issued after the meeting, the Government of Kosovo said that Ireland currently holds the Presidency of the Council of Europe and Prime Minister Kurti emphasised the support that Kosovo needs for successful membership in this very important organisation.  

Ambassador Gargan is also said to have announced a visit of the Irish Minister of European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, to Kosovo on 4 July.

LDK to propose resolution on reducing excise duty on fuel products (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Besian Mustafa told a press conference in Prishtina today that this party will call a parliamentary debate where they will propose a resolution to reduce excise duty on fuel products and to reduce the VAT on essential products as means for overcoming the current crisis. He argued that the LDK has made several suggestions on how to emerge from the economic crisis, but that the Kurti-led government has failed to take them into consideration. “The laziness and insecurity of this government is costing the citizens of Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros,” Mustafa said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic dismisses RFE report (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that he cannot be bothered by the claims in the allegedly classified document published by Radio Free Europe, N1 reports.

Radio Free Europe said on Tuesday that it was granted access to a classified European Commission document which predicts possible steps that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic could take to continue his political balancing act. “European intelligence services drew up an analysis which said that President Vucic is trying to take steps on the domestic and international scene to postpone his break with Russia and has continued winning concessions from the West”, RFE said.

Vucic said that the alleged document is offensive to the people mentioned in it. RFE said that the document mentioned opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) leader Dragan Djilas in the context of his alleged “behind the scenes cooperation with Vucic and his role as a Trojan Horse bringing discord to the opposition and weakening them”.

“This shows their attitude towards the opposition”, Vucic told reporters in Ohrid where he is taking part in the Open Balkan Initiative summit. He said that those reports should not be trusted completely.

The Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) sent EU High Representative Josep Borrell a note requesting confirmation of the authenticity of the report that RFE claims to have seen.

Brnabic met Equatorial Guinea President, thanked him for stance on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday agriculture and defence were the key fields of cooperation between Serbia and Equatorial Guinea and announced that the two countries would sign an agreement on cooperation in defence and the defence industry, Tanjug news agency reports.

After meeting with Equatorial Guinea Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue in Belgrade, Brnabic said talks about the agreement would be completed during the day and that the document would be signed during Mangue’s visit to Serbia.

Brnabic thanked Mangue for his country’s principled support for the preservation of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and noted that, despite great pressure, Equatorial Guinea had stood by its position of full respect of the principles of international law and non-recognition of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence.

“In the world today, that is even more important if you look at what kind of precedent has been set by failure to respect and recognize international law and at what kind of problems that has caused in various countries around the world”, Brnabic told a press conference with Mangue.

She said several agreements had been signed during Serbian FM Nikola Selakovic’s visit to Equatorial Guinea in February and that an agreement on cooperation in agriculture was one of the most significant ones.

State Department without comment on Pristina’s stance on Open Balkan (Radio KIM)

The US State Department supports any regional initiative founded on European principles, which aims at economic empowerment of the Western Balkans, Radio KIM reports citing Radio Free Europe.

This statement came a day after representatives of the three states initiating the Open Balkan (Serbia, Albanian and North Macedonia) signed an agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas and tittles, on cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture, as well as a memorandum on cooperation of tax administrations.

“The US supports those and other initiatives, which deepen regional economic cooperation and advance the European path”, the State Department said.

The State Department Spokesperson didn’t wish to comment for Radio Free Europe on Pristina’s refusal to be part of Open Balkans, and its decision not to attend the meetings of this initiative, but said that “closer and more integrated cooperation across Western Balkans would attract energy investments”. 

Open Balkan initiative leaders sign agreements, memoranda in Ohrid (N1, Beta)

Leaders of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania signed at the Open Balkan summit in Ohrid an agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas and academic titles and memoranda of understanding in the areas of culture, tourism, and economy, reported Beta news agency.

In addition to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski as founders and members of the Open Balkan initiative, the summit was also attended by Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zoran Tegeltija.

Vucic said at a joint news conference that he believed the signed agreements would contribute to the development of relations between the three member countries. He said that all open issues were discussed, adding that trade between the three countries “drastically increased” and that progress has been made in political relations. “Even though I am always dissatisfied with myself, we have achieved quite a lot,” Vucic said.

Vucic said the idea of the Open Balkan Initiative was created by him and the leaders of North Macedonia and Albania. “This idea originated from here, no one else participated,” said Vucic when asked if Russia was involved in any way.

He thanked Albanian PM Edi Rama for standing firm “when there was pressure on us to give up on the idea of the Open Balkan initiative,” adding that “without his commitment, energy and strength, Open Balkan could not survive,” said Vucic.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3H7ADXg

EP report on Serbia: Alignment with EU foreign policy to determine further course of accession negotiations (RTS)

In the amended text of the European Parliament’s report on Serbia, Belgrade was asked to impose sanctions on Russia due to the aggression against Ukraine and to clearly determine whether it was on the European path, reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). 

RTS reported, according to the document that it had insight to, that in addition to the known conditions related to the rule of law and the normalisation of relations with Pristina, the report emphasised that compliance with EU foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia, would determine the further course of accession negotiations.

The text of 40 agreed amendments agreed upon by the leading political groups, especially emphasised the need for harmonisation of Serbia with the EU position towards the war in Ukraine, the area of rule of law, fight against corruption and media freedoms.

The EP stated that it supported Serbia’s membership in the EU, adding that it depended on the political will of the Serbian authorities and readiness for “irreversible reforms, primarily in the rule of law”.

According to RTS, in a number of amendments on relations with Russia, which significantly expanded the initial text of the rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik, MEPs called for “urgent sanctions”, expressing concern because Serbia was “among the few European countries that has not complied with the EU’s position”,  as well as due to the fact that it ranked last in the region in terms of compliance.

“We advocate that new negotiating chapters be opened only when Serbia takes the necessary measures in that regard, including the area of the rule of law,” the report said.

The parliament “regretted the continuous flights between Belgrade and Moscow” at a time when EU airspace was closed to flights from Russia and called on Serbia to “consider its economic cooperation with Russia”.

The EP calls on Serbia to suspend military cooperation with Russia

The EP called on Serbia to suspend military cooperation with Russia, including projects such as the Russian humanitarian centre in Nis.

The parliamentarians were also worried about Serbia’s military cooperation with Russia, Belarus and China and the purchase of military equipment from these countries, which as they said was “70 percent of total purchased equipment” in Serbia, as well as reports of wiretapping of Russian opposition leaders in Belgrade.

The amended text of the report on Serbia criticised “the spread of misinformation about the Russian aggression on Ukraine, including through the media close to the government” and called on the Serbian authorities to take “decisive steps in the fight against the most present false news”.

One of the accepted amendments assessed that there was  “disproportionate visibility of third countries”, while some of the media were “the main source of anti-EU and pro-Russian narratives in Serbia”.

MEPs welcomed Serbia’s engagement in regional co-operation

The EP welcomed Serbia’s participation and engagement in regional cooperation mechanisms, emphasising in particular the decision to donate 600,000 Covid vaccines to 19 countries in the region. The report also welcomed the invitation of the Serbian authorities to the representatives of the Serbs in BiH to participate in the work of the institutions of this country.

A number of new amendments address assessments of insufficient progress in the fight against corruption and media freedom.

“Restrictions on media freedoms and misuse of the media for political purposes negatively affect the democratic process in the country,” said the report, which will be voted on the Foreign Policy Committee session planned for 14 June, reported RTS, adding that the final text of the report on Serbia, in the form of a resolution, would be adopted at the plenary session of the European Parliament in July.

Borrell: Failure to enable Serbian elections in Kosovo contrary to European values commitment (NMagazin, Beta)

The EU believes that Pristina’s decision not to allow Serbian elections in Kosovo was contrary to Kosovo’s commitment to European values and the principle of protecting the democratic rights of its citizens, including non-majority communities, reported NMagazin portal

The EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated this in a written answer to the question of the Member of the European Parliament Jean-Paul Garraud.

Borrell pointed out that the holding of Serbian elections in Kosovo was not agreed within the EU-mediated Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina but recalled a practice that enabled voting in Kosovo, with the support of the OSCE and the EU.

This was the most feasible option for the elections held on April 3, 2022, he stressed, reminding that the EU actively supported the concerted efforts of the international community to find a solution that would enable voters with the right to vote in Kosovo to exercise their democratic rights and participate in Serbia’s parliamentary and presidential elections on April 3, thus he regretted that no consensus was reached.

Asked about Serbia and Turkey’s treatment of sanctions against Russia, Borrell said that in line with their respective negotiating frameworks, Serbia and Turkey were expected to gradually align their policies towards third countries and positions in international organisations with EU policies and positions, including restrictive measures, reported NMagazin.

One year since return of Dragica Gasic to Djakovica (Kosovo-online)

One year ago, Dragica Gasic, the first Serb returnee, came back to her home town of Djakovica and remained there despite threats and pressure she was exposed to, Kosovo-online portal writes today.

She told the portal that today she lives “slightly better than a year ago” when she returned to her home town following 22 years of displacement. She said the local police still take care of her security.

“I still can’t shop in the local shops, that is why I go to the centre of the town, and there I do not have problems. The police still guard me (…)”, Gasic said, adding she is facing less problems today, and sometimes only happens that people knock on her windows.

Turkish members of KFOR visit her every Thursday, while she continues living alone in her apartment. She recalled that she really wanted to return to Djakovica and her wish came true.

“When I came back it was as if I were born again. The most beautiful years of my life were here”, she told the portal.

23rd anniversary of the Kumanovo Agreement (N1)

Thursday marks the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the agreement that ended the NATO bombing of the-then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, N1 reports.

The Military-Technical Kumanovo Agreement between KFOR and the governments of the then FRY and Serbia was signed at the military airport near the city of Kumanovo after 78 days of NATO bombing and five days of negotiations. Following the signing, Yugoslav security forces withdrew from Kosovo.

The Agreement was signed by Yugoslav Army General Svetozar Marjanovic, Serbian Interior Ministry General Obrad Stevanovic and British General Michael Jackson.

Provisions of the Agreement were incorporated into the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which was adopted a day later.

23rd anniversary of the Kumanovo Agreement (N1)

Thursday marks the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the agreement that ended the NATO air campaign against the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, reported N1.

The Military-Technical Kumanovo Agreement between KFOR and the governments of the then FRY and Serbia was signed at the military airport near the city of Kumanovo after 78 days of NATO bombing and five days of negotiations. Following the signing, Yugoslav security forces withdrew from Kosovo.

The Agreement was signed by Yugoslav Army General Svetozar Marjanovic, Serbian Interior Ministry General Obrad Stevanovic and British General Michael Jackson.

Provisions of the Agreement were incorporated into the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which was adopted a day later.

DW: Scholz to focus on blocked issues in Western Balkans (N1)

Deutsche Welle said on Thursday that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ visit to the Western Balkans was intended to get the issues, which have been politically blocked, moving forward, broadcaster N1 cited.

DW said that Scholz wants to focus on resolving the bilateral problems which are hampering the expansion of the European Union to the countries of the region.

The German Chancellor will start his tour of the region in Kosovo before going to Belgrade. “It seems that the process which started long before Scholz’s first official meeting with (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic in Berlin has intensified lately,” it said, referring to the compromises that Belgrade will be forced to agree to if it wants to continue down the path to the EU, reported N1, citing DW.

According to DW, Scholz will insist on the compromises which should lead to a normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. It added that Scholz will discuss reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Humanitarian/Development

Reporting news from online portals – social networks and influence on public (media)

Alongside the project “The Battle Against Misinformation and the Re-Establishment of Citizens’ Trust in the Media”, a conference was held with the topic: Reporting news from online portals – social networks and influence on the public, organised by Democracy For Development (D4D), with the support of NDI and USAID in Kosovo.

In this table were presented the main findings of the monitoring of online portals and social networks during the period January 1 – March 31. Participants assessed Kosovo’s media environment is sensitive to a huge number of articles carrying dysregulated information such as hate speech and exaggerated headlines.

The key findings of this research demonstrate that between January and March, there was a considerable amount of news on foreign influence, with the majority of them centered on Russia’s aggressiveness in Ukraine and its regional consequences, particularly between Kosovo and Serbia.

Judita Krasniqi-Hajdari, researcher and project manager, stressed that the D4D Institute is committed to strengthening Democracy in Kosovo as part of civil society by believing in its mission and working hard to promote the work and independence of the media as a democratic indicator. Meanwhile, project manager Drenusha Canolli, emphasized that, as in previous reports, the general difficulty remains the widespread distribution of articles and postings containing false information based on hate speech, insults, and slander.

Xhemajl Rexha from the Association of Journalists in Kosovo (AGK), expressed that while it is concerning that there is a lot of disinformation on our social media portals that affect diverse groups of people, the media should be able to self-regulate public information. Whereas Mergim Lushtaku, Deputy Chairman of the Media Commission, stated that the Independent Media Commission (IMC) will have to manage the issue of internet portals and media in general.

The full monitoring report of online portals and social networks for the period January – March 2022, will be published soon, which will include the recommendations from the report.