• Kurti: Self-management will not be self-government (TV Klan)
• Osmani: Integrated Kosovo, stability for the region (media)
• Hovenier: Part of agreement has already started to be implemented (Reporteri)
• Vela: Serbia is violating the Brussels agreement (Reporteri)
• US ambassador to Serbia pushes for Ohrid Agreement (Albanian Daily News)
• Spain welcomes Kosovo-Serbia agreement; “don’t miss opportunity” (Telegrafi)
• Krasniqi: This is not about Association at all, but about autonomy (KTV)
• Haradinaj: Ohrid agreement paves way to Kosovo’s NATO membership (media)
• Time for Kosovo to Show Its Full Potential (The Geopolitics)
• Kosovo Albanians skeptical about Hague trial of liberation fighters (BIRN)
• Hate speech and disinformation fuel digital rights abuses in Balkans (BIRN)
• BIRN, NGOs, win court battle against ministry on power plant construction (BIRN)
• Over 65% Serbs don’t believe Kosovo can return under Serbian rule (media)

Kurti: Self-management will not be self-government (TV Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with TV Klan on Thursday that the two years of his governing are incomparable to the governments in the past. He further spoke about the successes of the current government.

Asked about the agreement reached with Serbia in Brussels and Ohrid, Kurti said that the agreement exists, and it is legally binding.

“This agreement was also adopted by the EU, not only by mediators Borrell and Lajcak, who concluded that this is an agreement, but unfortunately there is no signature due to the other party. While we are completely fine. The lack of signature becomes a judgment for Serbia, but it does not affect the existence of the agreement,” he said

Asked about the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, Kurti said that the agreement which foresaw the Association prior to the verdict of the Constitutional Court, would have resulted in a Republika Srpska in Kosovo.

He said that he has some ideas that have not yet been elaborated on how self-management, will not only not mean self-government, but will be completely in the framework of the agreement for the protection of national minorities.

“It is not good to say ‘the association is being made’. The association is located inside the sack and article 10 says to implement all the agreements, which are valid and binding.”

“We have a good case, I didn’t want to go deeper. The 2013 agreement has three parts, two of which Serbia violated. The one of 2015 was overturned in the Constitutional Court,” Kurti said.

Further, he said that there is no theory that Articles 9 and 10 will pass the Strasbourg Court. “One says that the commander of the four municipalities in the north will be a Serb, and the other says that the majority in the Court of Appeal will be Serbs, there is no chance,” he said.

Further, Kurti said that several plans have failed for Serbia, where according to him, “plan A” was for the Association to be a prerequisite for the beginning of the talks, another one for the Association to be placed in the preamble, has failed and so did the plan C to place it in article one or two… “Today you have the French-German plan transformed into an agreement between us, where the Association is one of the 39 agreements in Article 10. That’s all I was able to do,” Kurti said.

Kurti said that he has not changed his position on Open Balkans. “As far as I know, there is not even a website. So, it is an initiative that has neither a platform nor a basic contract, it has neither a strategy nor an action plan. It is not according to the rules of the European Union, it does not have the funding of the European Union and I cannot support such an initiative,” he said.

He was also asked about the statement of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic that he will visit Kosovo.

“I have not received any request for such a visit and of course given the situation, the circumstances in which we are, he would not be a desired person in Kosovo and maybe that is the reason why for more than two years he has not made this request.”

“The person who says ‘the massacre of Recak is a fabrication’ and never changed this (position), I don’t think he should come to the Republic of Kosovo. Of course, I won’t give him the permission,” Kurti said.

Osmani: Integrated Kosovo, stability for the region (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu in a debate organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policies, as well as the Embassy of Kosovo in Austria, in front of various diplomats, held a lecture on the current political situation in Western Balkans and in particular in Kosovo.

As for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, she said that there are two Serbias: “One Serbia is the one that pledges and signs agreements, and the other Serbia is the one that does not implement the agreements.”

“The agreement is less about bilateral relations between Kosovo and Serbia and more about the pledges we received from the allies that there will be a new powerful push for Kosovo to become a merited and equal member of the international community, especially in the organizations where we have no seats,” she said.

She added that Kosovo’s membership at international organization would lead to even greater stability in the Western Balkans.

At this point, she said that when Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro joined NATO, stability in the Western Balkans has increased to a great extent. “If Kosovo becomes a member, then there would be even more stability.”

Furthermore, she stated that Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe would help increase the protection of human rights for all communities in Kosovo.

“Integration in Interpol would make the fight against organized crime more effective, then membership in UNESCO would mean more protection for cultural monuments, while membership in the World Health Organization would mean that there would be more help and more services for citizens in terms of health”.

“The last one, membership in the UN, would mean the closing of a chapter for the Western Balkans and would ultimately give the entire region the opportunity to look forward to a better future for the new generations and everyone in the region,” Osmani said. “And also, for our children not to go through what we went through.”

Osmani said that Kosovo is a story of success and not only Kosovars, but the entire international community should be proud of it.

Hovenier: Part of agreement has already started to be implemented (Reporteri)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said on Thursday that the Ohrid agreement has begun to be implemented. “First of all, I would say that part of the agreement is already being implemented and of course it is a process to implement the whole agreement. The United States strongly believes that the agreement should be implemented urgently, and we have also heard the same thing said by the Prime Minister of Kosovo,” Hovenier told T7.

Hovenier said that the next step in the implementation of the agreement is the April 4 meeting, at the level of chief negotiators.

“The next step is the meeting on April 4. You know that Miroslav Lajcak’s dialogue is a new facilitated dialogue that is attracting the chief negotiators to talk about exactly those issues and we expect a successful meeting in order to move forward with the implementation of the agreement,” Hovenier added.

Vela: Serbia is violating the Brussels agreement (Reporteri)

Chief of Staff to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Blerim Vela, argued on Thursday that Serbia is again violating the Brussels Agreement agreed between Kosovo and Serbia.

Serbian government’s office for Kosovo is opening six new offices for young people in the territory of Kosovo. Serbian media reported on this, while this has provoked Vela’s reaction. He said that Serbia has promised to close all parallel institutions in Kosovo.

“Serbia’s government minister and Petkovic ‘agreed’ today opening of new illegal institutions in Kosovo. This is another violation of the Brussels agreement, which in fact should result in disbandment of all illegal institutions in Kosovo. Serbia is acting in bad faith to derail implementation of the agreement,” Vela tweeted.

US ambassador to Serbia pushes for Ohrid Agreement (Albanian Daily News)

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, has pushed for the implementation of Pristina-Belgrade agreement, saying that he believes that the Ohrid Agreement will have a positive effect on the entire Balkans.

During his visit to Vranje, Hill said that during the last two days, when he was visiting the south of Serbia, he tried to explain that the Ohrid Agreement is about Kosovo. “Maybe it’s too early to tell. I hope that the Ohrid Agreement will go down in history. On the one hand, as the point from which the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina began and made the borders unite people, and not divide, it will also be a turning point from which we began to deal with economic issues in order to looking at economic cooperation,” said Hill.

“It must be said that this agreement shifts the responsibility to all of us to make efforts to help this region strengthen and prosper through economic development. All countries and residents of the Western Balkans must make efforts to bring the region closer to the EU through mutual cooperation, and this is not a political task, but primarily an economic one.”

Spain welcomes Kosovo-Serbia agreement; “don’t miss opportunity” (Telegrafi)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain said in an answer to TV Dukagjini that they still maintain the position of not recognizing Kosovo’s independence, which they described as unilateral.

“Spain maintains its position of not recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence adopted by Pristina in 2008 and strongly supports a mutually acceptable solution within the framework of the EU Facilitated Dialogue,” the Spanish MFA responded.

In their response, it is also stated that Spain supports the Ohrid agreement, proposed by the EU for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“In this regard, Spain welcomes the recent agreements for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as recognizes and supports the efforts of EU High Representative Borrell and EU Special Representative Lajcak. The implementation of these agreements, alongside the previous agreements, is now essential, as this is an opportunity that should not be lost,” it was noted in the response.

Krasniqi: This is not about Association at all, but about autonomy (KTV)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi, said that the Ohrid agreement is insufficient for Kosovo. “International pressure has increased with the ‘take it or leave it’ approach. This is an insufficient agreement for Kosovo, an agreement that does not meet even in the proximity, the expectations or the demands of Kosovo. ‘Leave’ is very bad, but I would understand if Kurti said ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake on the way’” he said in an interview with KTV.

“You can’t behave with such disregard, with that lack of coordination in relation to the people who supported you and say now we have changed the situation. We are not talking about the Association at all, we are talking about potential political autonomy for the Serb community,” Krasniqi said.

Krasniqi argued that Kurti is not even able to explain what self-management is, and when he is trying “he is becoming ridiculous.”

Haradinaj: Ohrid agreement paves way to Kosovo’s NATO membership (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said on Thursday that Kosovo’s constitutional order is not violated with the latest agreement reached between Kosovo and Serbia in Ohrid.

“We have not received bilateral recognition with Serbia, but we have not been asked for any new compensation outside the constitution or laws of the country. We are not absolute winners as we also need bilateral recognition. We have de facto recognition from Serbia, while we also have de jure recognition on the international level, since we are separated from Serbia forever and we have the European and Euro-Atlantic agenda,” Haradinaj told TV Dukagjini.

“Self-management even today can exist within the municipal government in Shterpce, Gracanica or elsewhere. It is also self-management since they self-manage with the municipal responsibilities they have in the municipality, but I don’t see any other risks,” he said.

Haradinaj says that AAK opposed the Association until the decision of the Constitutional Court.

“The court has framed how the Association will be. After that day, we did not object as we said that the Association should be established according to the Court’s decision. Going against the Court’s decision is like going against your country,” Haradinaj said further.

During this interview, Haradinaj said that he supported Kurti regarding the dialogue with Serbia, but not on other issues.

“Albin Kurti is a fraudulent prime minister, I have explained it very early on, he has deceived everyone in the best possible way. The deception is succeeding in all aspects of his governance, as a government he is a loser, and this is causing consequences for the country,” he said.

Time for Kosovo to Show Its Full Potential (The Geopolitics)

The latest ‘implementation annex’ agreed in Ohrid could mark a real turning point in Serbia-Kosovo relations. Or it could just as easily be torn apart at the hands of nationalist fervor, following in the path of previous attempts at mediation. Regardless of how well it fares, Kosovo should look to use this moment in the spotlight to highlight its remarkable progress on its journey to the European Union.

With the latest round of talks between Belgrade and Pristina leading to the new ‘implementation annex’ of the agreement to normalize relations, stock must be taken in Brussels of the realistic chances for the two to obtain EU membership in the near future. If both countries have enough political will to fully implement the agreed deal and work towards the creation of normalized relations in the coming years, then EU membership could realistically be back on the table.

In any case, it is time for Kosovo to be able to fully realize its potential and show its strong reformist path to the wider international community. If Pristina can highlight its current pro-EU path, alongside continuing to lead the Balkans in its reform efforts, it could soon look to become a serious contender for EU membership in the coming years.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3nwHgga

Kosovo Albanians skeptical about Hague trial of liberation fighters (BIRN)

Ahead of the war crimes trial of ex-President Hashim Thaci and three other former guerrilla leaders, there is widespread distrust of the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which many Kosovo Albanians see as biased.

Sejdi Zymeri’s house in the village of Likovc/Likovac is close to where the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA used to have its headquarters in the Drenica region, the guerrillas’ wartime heartland.

His house was used as the KLA’s main hospital and Zymeri can’t hide his emotions when he speaks about the wounded fighters who were treated here – “the one who survived the wounds and the others who died”.

Zymeri is furious about the upcoming war crimes trial of four former KLA leaders at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, which was set up to try crimes committed by members of the wartime guerrilla force.

“This court only exists to humour Serbia. It’s just a political creature,” he told BIRN.

“But let’s see what can be proved,” he added.

Posters supporting the accused – Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi – have been put up along the road that leads to Likovc/Likovac.

All four men became senior politicians after the war: Thaci became Kosovo’s president, Veseli became parliamentary speaker and leader of the Kosovo Democratic Party, Krasniqi was chairman of the national council of the Social Democratic Initiative, NISMA party, and Selimi was the head of the Vetevendosje party’s parliamentary group of MPs.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3G7iuJX

Hate speech and disinformation fuel digital rights abuses in Balkans (BIRN)

BIRN’s latest annual report shows how political tensions, culture wars and Russian propaganda have intensified digital human rights abuses in the Balkans.

The Western Balkans has faced ongoing political tensions and “culture wars” that have migrated from the physical world to the digital space, leading to human rights violations in digital environments.

BIRN’s latest annual report, “Distorting the Truth: Hate Speech and Disinformation Fuel Digital Rights Abuses in the Balkans,” covers digital rights in eight countries of the region, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, plus Hungary.

From September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022, BIRN documented 782 digital rights violations in our database. The breakdown of these cases is: Bosnia and Herzegovina (77 cases), Croatia (70), Hungary (146), Kosovo (89), North Macedonia (83), Montenegro (65), Romania (128) and Serbia (124) recorded by the SHARE Foundation.

The report highlights that human rights violations in fragile democracies differ in type, nature, scope, and target, which, combined with rapidly changing technology, has led to violations of human rights in digital environments. Journalists, public officials, human rights activists and the public face different attacks online, including smear campaigns, trolling, and hate speech.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3G7J7ON

BIRN, NGOs, win court battle against ministry on power plant construction (BIRN)

BIRN and KOSID have won their legal battle with the Ministry of Infrastructure regarding the permission it gave Contour Global company to build the third coal-fired power plant in Kosovo.

In March, the decision of the Basic Court of Prishtina became effective, obliging the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, MESPI, to cancel the consent it gave to “Contour Global” company on December 27, 2018, to build a new power plant.

Balkan Investigative Regional Network, BIRN in the framework of the Kosovo Civil Society Consortium for Sustainable Development, KOSID, contested the legality of the decision of the ministry.

Jeta Xharra, director of BIRN, and Labinot Leposhtica, chief lawyer at BIRN, were present at the hearing on January 12 at the  Basic Court of Prishtina, and argued that the court should rule in favour of the citizens in this case.

“Despite the fact that Contour Global is now in an arbitration dispute with Kosovo, the courts of Kosovo should help citizens in such a way that we can use your decision to educate the current and future political powers that they cannot make decisions that harm both our health and our environment by building new coal-fired power plants,” Xharra stated.

According to Xharra, data from the Association of Pulmonologists of Kosovo show that the number of people affected by cancer is five times higher in areas near power plants than in those further away.

Representatives of the State Attorney’s Office, who contested BIRN’s lawsuit in writing, were absent from the court session.

Labinot Leposhtica, BIRN’s chief lawyer, told the court that the MESPI issued its environmental consent without an environmental impact assessment and without conducting a proper public debate with citizens.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3JWS9iU

Over 65% Serbs don’t believe Kosovo can return under Serbian rule (media)

A survey conducted by the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability in Belgrade, has shown that the majority of citizens in Serbia (over 65 percent) do not believe that Kosovo can return under the administration of Serbia.

According to the survey, which was published by “N1”, in the question of what would be the ideal solution for Kosovo, 38 percent of citizens have no answer. The same is the percentage of those who do not know what the actual outcome of the current negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia might be.

“While a third of citizens (34 percent) believe that it would be ideal for Kosovo to remain within Serbia, with a greater or lesser degree of autonomy, every fifth person, 20 percent, believes that the best solution would be the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, partition of the territory 7 percent, or acceptance of the French-German proposal 5 percent,” the survey showed.

The survey was conducted over the phone in a representative sample (1011 respondents) of adult citizens of the Republic of Serbia, in the period from February 25 to March 3, 2023.