Albanian Language Media:

• PDK leader meets Lajcak; dialogue to end with mutual recognition (Telegrafi)
• Haradinaj after meeting Lajcak: U.S. involvement in dialogue is needed (media)
• Abdxhiku meets Lajcak, discuss dialogue and visas (media)
• Haxhiu: First efforts for meeting opposition leaders on vetting, very soon (Kosovapress)
• Serbian Church leader: In our birthplace here; we’re brothers with Albanians (Express)
• KLI: The Specialist Chambers work followed by serious irregularities (media)
• New visa roadmap, EU’s attempt to ‘buy time’ (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Patriarch Porfirije on Vidovdan: “In Kosovo and Metohija we are in our own place, called to be brothers to Albanians” (media)
• Lajcak in Belgrade from June 29 to July 1 (media)
• Petkovic calls on Lajcak to address Kosovo entry bans issue (Tanjug, media)
• Kosovo police arrest war crimes suspect; KiM Office: Intimidation (Beta, N1)
• Kosovo police searched premises of Pec Interim Authority in Gorazdevac (Radio KIM)
• US Ambassador calls Serbia to align with EU policies (N1)
• Selakovic thanks President of Romania for support on Kosovo issue (Kosovo Online)
• Giaufret: We want Serbia to demonstrate EU values (N1)
• Vucic, Hill discuss geopolitical situation, investments, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (N1, Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• It’s Time Bosnia Looked Beyond EU Membership (BIRN)

International:

• ‘I Love 3D’: Albanian PM’s Promises Glitter – Realisation Falls Short (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

PDK leader meets Lajcak; dialogue to end with mutual recognition (Telegrafi)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, met today with the Special Representative of the European Union for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak. The meeting focused on the process of dialogue, with Krasniqi saying that it should end with mutual recognition. “Mr. Lajcak informed me about the latest developments in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and the future steps that will be taken. I informed him about the unchanged positions of the PDK about the process of dialogue which must conclude with a final agreement and mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia,” Krasniqi wrote on Facebook after the meeting.

Haradinaj after meeting Lajcak: U.S. involvement in dialogue is needed (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said today that a strategic role by the United States of America is needed in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. “During my meeting with the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo – Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, I reiterated our positions on the dialogue, the need for a strategic role by the United States of America, and our commitment to a legally-binding Comprehensive Agreement with mutual recognition between the two countries,” Haradinaj wrote on Facebook. “I also thanked Lajcak about his and the European Union’s commitment to this important process for Kosovo”.

Abdxhiku meets Lajcak, discuss dialogue and visas (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku received today the Special Representative of the European Union for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and other regional issues of the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak.

They discussed the general political situation in Kosovo, focusing on dialogue process between the Kosovo and Serbia. Abdixhiku stressed the position of the LDK, emphasizing that the dialogue process should end with mutual recognition, full normalization of relations between the two countries, and respecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional order of Kosovo.

He also said that LDK remains a credible partner of international friends in all important and integration processes of Kosovo.

At the end of the meeting, Abdixhiku specifically requested acceleration of the visa liberalization process, which was also addressed in the EPP Resolution, and was voted on earlier this month in Rotterdam. Abdixhiku also demanded full commitment of the EU in the integration processes of the region.

Haxhiu: First efforts for meeting opposition leaders on vetting, very soon (Kosovapress)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu are expected to send invitations this week to opposition leaders for a meeting focusing on the vetting in the judiciary. Haxhiu said in an interview with the news agency that political unity is needed for reforms in the judiciary. “Together with the Prime Minister, we plan to invite the opposition parties to inform them about our plans for the process and to invite them to address any issues they may find important,” she said.

Haxhiu said it is not common practice inviting the opposition parties to give their contribution before the documents are made final, “because they give their contribution in the Kosovo Assembly but given the sensitivity of the process and the need for a successful conclusion, we will invite them to these meetings”.

Serbian Church leader: In our birthplace here; we’re brothers with Albanians (Express)

Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church during his speech at Gracanica monastery today called on Serbs to live together with Albanians and referred to Kosovo as their holy land. “We are called upon to be brothers with Albanians because we live here with them. Only in community can we be on God’s path, we all need one another, no one can live without the other and it is important to understand this, because we have this experience in our past. We should not allow others to teach us about this,” he said.

KLI: The Specialist Chambers work followed by serious irregularities (media)

Kosovo Law Institute (KLI) has presented a report entitled “Special Trials” which is the result of the direct and systematic monitoring that KLI has done to the work of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo.

It has been seven years since the establishment of the court. During this time, the court was followed by serious irregularities, inefficiency of work.

“In the comparison made between the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Specialized Chambers in The Hague, there is a large disproportion of time taken by these two institutions. While in the first, the first indictment was filed one year after the establishment, the SPO took almost five years from the establishment to file the first indictments without counting the time since the establishment of the Special Investigative Task Force that had functioned within the Special Prosecution of Kosovo from 2011. ″

“While in the Special Court the first trial started only on September 15, 2022, six years after its establishment, in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia from 1996 to 2004, so for a period of eight years, has completed eight cases,” it is said among others in the report published by KLI in a press conference.

KLI recommends to the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo and Office of the Specialist Prosecution of Kosovo transparency and accountability, respect of the right of the defendants for effective protection, etc.  

The Specialized Chambers and the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor of Kosovo were established based on an international agreement adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo, a constitutional amendment, as well as on the basis of the Law on SP and SPO.

This court is based in The Hague, the Netherlands. Their staff is international, as are the judges, the Special Prosecutor, and the Administrator.

New visa roadmap, EU’s attempt to ‘buy time’ (RTK)

The European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varheli during a speech in the European Parliament, on Monday, warned of the possibility of defining a new roadmap for visa liberalization for Kosovo. Experts in international relations and the public are seeing this idea as an attempt to “buy time” until EU countries agree on visa liberalization for Kosovo.

As the expectations on the European Union Summit with the countries of the Western Balkans appeared to be vain, European officials are considering imposing additional conditions for liberalization.

Varheli, during a speech in the European Parliament, promoted the idea of ​​defining a new roadmap with additional criteria for the abolition of the visa regime. The additional conditions could be linked to more results in the fight against organized crime, trafficking in human beings and asylum applications, Varheli said.

The eventual issuance of a new roadmap for visa liberalization could be another injustice of the EU towards Kosovo, said university professor Dorajet Imeri.

“If this happens, we are always talking in hypothetical situations, it seems more like an attempt to buy time, in terms of visa liberalization for Kosovo, in order to disable the pressure on the European Union, and thus avoid the fact that the EU is being insincere about such a process with Kosovo. This may be a request of states that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, to buy time,” he said.

Columnist Artan Demhasaj also agrees about the “buying time”.

“Why should the European Union once again impose extra conditions on Kosovo, when Kosovo has met all the provided conditions of the roadmap for visa liberalization? The EU institutions even concluded that Kosovo has met the conditions for liberalization and that only the Council remains to decide,” he said, adding that Kosovo should not accept to receive to extra conditions for liberalization once again, because this has not happened to any country that enjoys visa liberalization,” he said.

Meanwhile, the expert on international relations, Shqiprim Pula said that the European Union is currently in a “war” with itself and lacks seriousness for a decision to remove the visa regime.

Kosovo has met all 95 criteria set by the EU in the roadmap for liberalization years ago. Negotiations for the abolition of visas with the EU began in 2012.

Serbian Language Media

Patriarch Porfirije on Vidovdan: “In Kosovo and Metohija we are in our own place, called to be brothers to Albanians” (media)

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said in Gracanica Monastery that “Serbs without Vidovdan, Gracanica and all of the saints are not who they are”, emphasising that because of their joint life, “they are called to be brothers to Albanians”, cited Serbian media. 

Patriarch Porfirije served the holy liturgy in the mediaeval monastery of Gracanica on the occasion of Vidovdan, and in his sermon he emphasised that just like in the story of the prodigal son, who was lost and found, “when we are here in this place, no matter how far we are from this place, we know that…we have returned to ourselves, because this place is Kosovo and Metohija and it is the place of our birth, we originated from here, we were born here,” said the Patriarch.

He pointed out that “without Gracanica, Vidovdan, without all of the saints, we are not who we are”.

“In Gracanica, Decani, Prizren, in Patriarchate of Pec, we clearly see who we are, those are our eyes, Vidovdan is our eye, Saint Lazarus is our ear, Kosovo-Metohija shrines are our mind. Here we understand our past, our origins, but also our goal, the reason why we are called to this world,” said the Patriarch.

He called for peace and love with Albanians, with whom Serbs have lived together for centuries, reported Radio Television of Serbia.

“We are called to be brothers with Albanians because we live here with them. Only in community can we be on God’s path, that we all need each other, that no one can do without anyone and that it is important to understand that, because we have that experience in our past. Let us not allow others to teach us about it,” Patriarch Porfirije underlined.

After the liturgy in the Gracanica monastery, the Patriarch served a memorial service for the Serbian heroes who died at Gazimestan in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

Orthodox believers celebrate one of the biggest Serbian holidays – Vidovdan. This holiday is associated with Prince Lazar and the Battle of Kosovo on the one hand, and on the other, in a more archaic version, with Saint Vid, wrote Kontakt plus radio.

As a national holiday, it is marked in memory of the Battle of Kosovo, which took place on June 28, 1389, or June 15, according to the old calendar, and represents the memory of those killed in all wars.

A monument erected on Gazimestan in 1953, the work of Aleksandar Derok, is dedicated to the suffering of Serbian soldiers, while the Monument to Kosovo Heroes, unveiled on June 28, 1904 as part of the centenary of the First Serbian Uprising, in the presence of King Peter I Karadjordjevic, represent a symbol of Krusevac and it is a work art of the Serbian sculptor Djordje Jovanovic. 

In all Orthodox churches, a memorial service is held for Serbian soldiers who fell on the battlefields and all the suffered ones to this day, wrote the radio.

Lajcak in Belgrade from June 29 to July 1 (media)

The European Union special envoy for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and other regional issues of the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, will visit Belgrade from June 29 to July 1, the EU Delegation to Serbia announced.

Lajcak is currently on a three-day visit to Pristina, which ends tomorrow.

The European official met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and he visited an exhibition in Pristina dedicated to children killed in the war, and his meeting with the opposition in Kosovo and a visit to the North are expected, reported KoSSev.

The press conference was announced for tomorrow, reported the portal.

Petkovic calls on Lajcak to address Kosovo entry bans issue (Tanjug, media)

The head of the Serbian Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Monday Pristina had banned several Serbian government ministers from entering the territory of Kosovo and noted that the move was a violation of an agreement on freedom of movement and was absolutely impermissible if Belgrade-Pristina relations were to be normalized, reported Tanjug agency.

Minister of Education Branko Ruzic, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social and Veteran Affairs Darija Kisic and Minister of Youth and Sports Vanja Udovicic as well as the head of the Office for IT and eGovernment Mihailo Jovanovic were denied entry to Kosovo.

Speaking to reporters in the north of Mitrovica, Petkovic said he hoped the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak would raise the issue with Pristina officials during his current visit to Pristina.

Petkovic said Belgrade had sent an appropriate request and announced the ministers’ visit pursuant to a valid agreement but that they had been denied entry to Kosovo “without any explanation whatsoever”.

Kosovo Online reported that “with another unilateral move, Pristina has banned Serbian ministers from entering Kosovo-Metohija and from being with their people for the June 28 St Vitus’s Day celebrations”, Tanjug cited. 

Kosovo police arrest war crimes suspect; KiM Office: Intimidation (Beta, N1)

Kosovo police arrested a man suspected of allegedly committing war crimes in Kosovo in 1999, Beta news agency reported.

The Kosovo prosecution said that, following months of investigation by the Kosovo war crimes unit, a man identified by initials M.D. was arrested on suspicion of allegedly committing war crimes against the civilian population in the Pec region of Kosovo in May 1999.

“This concerns an offensive by Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces on May 7, 1999, where it is suspected that nine ethnic Albanians were killed and five other persons went missing”, the prosecution statement said.

The prosecution said the suspect is an ethnic Montenegrin from the village of Vitomirica, Pec municipality and that he is a citizen of Kosovo. On the prosecutor’s orders, the suspect is being held in detention and is to appear before a pre-trial judge.

Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica, who works in Gorazdevac as a registrar, was arrested in Pec yesterday around noon, announced the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija. 

The Office for KiM said the arrest of Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica was continued intimidation of Serbs in Kosovo. As it always does in such cases, the Office has provided a lawyer to Milorad Djokovic and all the necessary free legal aid, said the KiM Office adding that it will express “the strongest protest” to international missions and organisations in Kosovo.

The Office said in a statement that  “strongly condemns the campaign of intimidation of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, which continued with today’s arrest of Milorad Djokovic, from Vitomirica, a returnee who works in Gorazdevac as a registrar”, cited Serbian media.

“Indictments for alleged war crimes are an instrument used to obstruct the return of displaced Serbs and to give usurpers of Serb property open institutional support,” said the KiM Office.

“Since this is an elaborate model for endangering the personal and collective rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the highest representatives of the EU, whose mission is responsible for establishing the rule of law in the province, will be informed in Brussels”, concluded the statement.

Kosovo police searched premises of Pec Interim Authority in Gorazdevac (Radio KIM)

Radio KIM reported late last night that Kosovo police left Gorazdevac after arresting Milorad Djokovic suspected of allegedly committing war crimes and ransacking and searching the offices of Pec Interim Authority located in Gorazdevac village, Radio KIM reports. The centre of the village was blocked and Radio Gorazdevac journalists were unable to access their premises, Radio KIM added.

Radio KIM further reports that Luka Zlaticanin from Gorazdevac village said he was hit several times by the police. President of the Pec Interim Authority Milos Dimitrijevic also commented on police action. 

“We were in the premises as any other day, working. After 14.00, when Djokovic went home he got arrested. They came now and searched our premises, they took some documents and a computer to see what was in there. Unfortunately, by such acts they exert pressure on us, representatives of the Serb community. This is the fourth or fifth time that they storm our premises and find nothing. The police broke the door and wanted to break into a metal cabinet  in which they scattered everything”, Milos Dimitrijevic said.

Luka Zlaticanin claims he was hit several times by the police officers.

“During the arrest of Milorad Djokovic, I came with the vehicle to the yard, and one police officer was there and asked me what I was doing there. When I started talking he hit me in the head. When I told Mici (Milorad) hold on, this will pass too, he hit me one more time. After that I was brought to the police station in Vitomirica”, Zlaticanin said.

He was issued a fine in the amount of EUR 300, although his car was parked in the yard, Radio KIM said. As Zlaticanin further claimed no alcohol-test was performed on him and the police didn’t want to provide medical aid to him. His driver licence was confiscated for the period of nine months.

Radio KIM also said that Kosovo police declined to comment on Zlatnicanin’s claims, and only said that he was intoxicated. 

US Ambassador calls Serbia to align with EU policies (N1)

US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill said on Monday that Serbia should align with European Union policies because it faces a future in the Union, N1 reports.

Speaking in the southern city of Nis, Hill said that everyone should remember what their goals are and added that Serbia should double its efforts to return to Western institutions. He said that Serbia’s future is in the EU “that is the goal and I believe it will get there”.

According to Hill, the road facing Serbia seems to be longer than expected but added that it should draw inspiration and strength from it because the final result is worth the effort.

The US Ambassador visited Nis, Svrljig and Gornja Toponica where three projects are underway with the financial support of the US Army European Command (EUCOM) humanitarian program.

Selakovic thanks President of Romania for support on Kosovo issue (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic met with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis and thanked him for the support Romania extends to Serbia in the process of European integration and on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, Kosovo-Online portal reports.

“FM #Selakovic had a meeting w/ #Romania President @KlausIohannis.#Serbia’s strategic commitment to #EU 🇪🇺 membership emphasised. Gratitude for the support 🇷🇴 provides to 🇷🇸 in the process of 🇪🇺 integration and on the issue of #Kosovo and #Metohija underlined by FM Selakovic”, Serbian Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter. 

Giaufret: We want Serbia to demonstrate EU values (N1)

Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said that, since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, EU members have shown unity and determination to adopt six packages of sanctions against Russia, Fonet news agency reports.

Giaufret added this sometimes came with a high price for European citizens but it had to be done in order to preserve peace, stability and democracy.

We welcome the fact that our partners in the Western Balkans, including Serbia, in international forums joined the EU and clearly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Giaufret told a conference of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP).

He added that they would like to see Serbia demonstrate EU values in these difficult times and to align with EU positions, while this would also be a good opportunity to strengthen ties within the European family. 

Vucic, Hill discuss geopolitical situation, investments, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (N1, Kosovo Online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he openly discussed on Tuesday with US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill the current regional and global geopolitical situation but also practical issues, N1 reports.

“An open talk with Ambassador Hill on the current regional and global geopolitical situation, but also on practical issues such as investments, economic cooperation and energy diversification”, Vucic said in an Instagram post.

Kosovo-Online portal reported that Vucic and Hill also discussed Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and agreed that all the open issues within the dialogue can be resolved under the EU’s auspices in order to find a compromise solution. 

Opinion

It’s Time Bosnia Looked Beyond EU Membership (BIRN)

Opinion piece by Hamza Karcic, associate professor at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo.

The European Council’s decision to bypass Bosnia is both a disappointment and an opportunity to begin a debate about different options.

For almost two decades, European integration has been one of the dominant themes in public discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with the 1992-5 war and its legacy, perhaps no other issue has featured as prominently in everyday lives. Ever since the Thessaloniki Summit of 2003, which offered a European perspective for the Western Balkans, Bosnia has been fixated on joining the EU. 

As a lecturer in Sarajevo, I sat through numerous MA thesis defences on Bosnia’s European integration process. In the media, countless pundits and academics reinvented themselves as EU experts and made the lecture circuit, explaining the benefits of integration. I observed how even former communists who had once been part of a system that repressed human rights now talked up European integration and its liberal values. 

In politics, both nationalists and social democrats took up the mantra of the EU. The pious and the secular likewise looked on the country’s path to Brussels as a panacea. In a relatively small country, with a needlessly large number of political parties, I am hard-pressed to name a single anti-EU party. Politicians of various stripes toed the EU line to such an extent that Bosnia did not have an anti-EU constituency expressed in the form of a political organization. 

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

International 

‘I Love 3D’: Albanian PM’s Promises Glitter – Realisation Falls Short (BIRN)

Edi Rama’s promises look great in 3D, but a BIRN analysis finds many of his imposing-looking infrastructure projects have yet to be built.

On June 8, at a meeting of the Open Balkan initiative in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama unveiled a plan to build a bridge over the Buna River, linking Velipoje in northern Albania with Ulcinj in southern Montenegro.

Delegates were treated to a 3D presentation of the plan, which is projected to cost 9 million euros.

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