Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: We’d like to see dialogue acceleration, implementation of agreements (Koha)
• EU statement on govt decision on land expropriation in north (media)
• Quint ambassadors don’t talk to media after meeting Kurti today (Indeksonline)
• Power: Major political decisions require courage (RTK)
• Krasniqi: We’ll individually schedule sessions with new mayors (Telegrafi)
• Haliti: There could be elections in September, Kurti govt could fall (TeVe1)
• Hoti: Management Team existed since 2013; “Kurti’s work catastrophic” (Klan)
• Waltz calls on non-recognizing countries to recognize Kosovo (media)
• CDHRF: Lajcak is using dialogue for his rise in career (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic after meeting Lajcak: I am concerned over Kosovo, Kurti provoking conflicts (Tanjug, media)
• Petkovic with Lajcak: Talks about the tensions raised by Kurti in the municipalities in the north (RTS, Kosovo Online)
• Kosovo police harassed Serbs in Preoce (KiM radio, medijacentar.info, Kosovo Online)
• Serbian List: ”Police officer who tried to kill Milan Jovanovic released under house arrest, the legal violence continues” (Danas, Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Dacic: Serbia will abstain from voting in the CoE on the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine (NMagazin, Beta)
• A new multi-ethnic center for dialogue “launched” in Pristina – a gathering place for those who share the same values (KoSSev) 
• Gracanica municipality refuses to issue permits for the construction of houses approved by the ministry (medijacentar.info)

International:

• Roma and Sinti Holocaust Victims’ Stories Told in Kosovo Exhibition (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti: We’d like to see dialogue acceleration, implementation of agreements (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, said that Kosovo is constructive and creative in the dialogue with Serbia. Addressing the conference “Balkan Dialogues Initiative”, Kurti said Kosovo would like to see the acceleration of dialogue and the implementation of agreements reached.

“We are investing in efforts to build trust among partners. All countries are entitled to follow the European path. We would like to see the acceleration of dialogue, and the implementation of agreements reached so far. All the work done by Pristina and Belgrade must be noted, they are all key components to achieve stability,” he said.

Kurti also mentioned the May 2 meeting and said that the issue of missing persons was treated with urgency and that they agreed with Serbia on it.

“We are committed and constructive for dialogue. The May 2 meeting concluded on a positive note where we agreed on the Declaration on Missing Persons. We treated this issue with urgency because the families have waited for a long time. Kosovo is making the right steps on its path toward the European Union,” Kurti said.

EU statement on govt decision on land expropriation in north (media)

The EU Office in Kosovo issued the following press release today with regards to the Kosovo government’s decision on the expropriation of land in Leposavic and Zubin Potok. 

The EU takes note of the Government’s preliminary decision on the expropriation of land for public interest in the municipalities of Leposavić/Leposaviq and Zubin Potok. Any expropriation is sensitive by nature, which is why legal procedures foresee steps such as the advanced notification and comprehensive information of property owners, their right to submit comments on the requested expropriation, the possibility of an appropriate legal remedy and their adequate compensation before the process is brought to its conclusion.

The establishment of four Kosovo Police bases on private and socially owned land – in some cases prior to initiating expropriation procedures – raises concerns about property rights in the north of Kosovo and must be adequately addressed by the authorities.

The EU urges Kosovo authorities to strictly adhere to legal procedures in the expropriation of immovable property, to do their utmost to ensure that due process is followed and that the property rights of affected owners and interest holders are fully respected.

Quint ambassadors don’t talk to media after meeting Kurti today (Indeksonline)

The ambassadors of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy in Kosovo did not talk to reporters after their meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti today. 

The news website notes that the meeting took place after the EU Office in Pristina reacted to the Kosovo government’s preliminary decision to expropriate land for public interest in Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

Power: Major political decisions require courage (RTK)

Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, highlighted today the importance of furthering community-based efforts for reconciliation and heard from Albanian and Serb youths about the leadership role of youths and their aspirations for the future of Kosovo. During a walk at Germia park with a group of youths, Power said major political decisions require courage and that she hopes that when they make their decisions the leaders from Kosovo and Serbia will think about new generations that will be leaders in the future.

Krasniqi: We’ll individually schedule sessions with new mayors (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Minister for Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, told the news website today that after the certification of elections for mayors of the northern municipalities and the two municipal assemblies of Leposavic and Zvecan, their constitution is expected to take place in the coming days.

Krasniqi said that in the coming days they will individually schedule all sessions for the constitution of the mayors of the four northern municipalities.

Krasniqi also said that in the meeting with the four new mayors they talked about the coming processes. “We met yesterday with the elected mayors of the four northern municipalities. We talked about the coming processes … We stated once again our institutional obligation as the ministry, and we support these municipal councillors and mayors in the constitution of the assemblies and our cooperation with them. We have agreed that in the coming days we will individually schedule all sessions with the elected mayors,” he said.

Haliti: There could be elections in September, Kurti govt could fall (TeVe1)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, said in an interview with TeVe1 on Thursday that Kosovo could go to early elections in September. “I believe that if Kurti doesn’t sign, he will fall from power. If there is no implementation, there will be new elections. There have been discussions in certain circles that the Kurti government could fall, and elections could happen in September. This happens if you don’t do the work you have been tasked with. We are not that strong to offer this kind of resistance,” he argued.

“The governments of Kosovo have delayed for 10 years the implementation of the agreement signed in Brussels. From what I see, the West is in a hurry, and they want to conclude the agreement as soon as possible. They want to determine relations, and to define the responsibilities,” Haliti said.

Hoti: Management Team existed since 2013; “Kurti’s work catastrophic” (Klan)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Avdullah Hoti, said today that the Management Team for preparing the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities existed since 2013. Hoti, who served as Prime Minister, said that the focus of his government was not on the Association but on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia.

“The [management] team derives from the 2013 agreement and existed in every government. But during my government, the focus was not on the Association. The objective of the dialogue was on the agreement for mutual recognition. I dealt only with the agreement for mutual recognition because only that normalizes relations with Serbia. I worked on this with our international partners,” he said.

Hoti argued that Kurti’s work in the dialogue with Serbia is catastrophic. “He has taken out the dialogue from the tracks that lead to mutual recognition and placed it on tracks that lead to self-management,” he argued.

Waltz calls on non-recognizing countries to recognize Kosovo (media)

Thomas Waltz, member of the European Parliament, called on the five non-recognizing EU member states today to recognize Kosovo. “Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Greece: Kosovo is an independent state. It is time to recognize it. This is vital for peace in the Western Balkans and EU Enlargement,” Waltz tweeted.

CDHRF: Lajcak is using dialogue for his rise in career (Klan)

The Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said in a statement today that the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, is using the dialogue process to improve his CV and for his rise in career. 

According to the Council, Lajcak in his public remarks has often demonstrated extreme paternalism for Serbia by applying pressure on Kosovo and its politicians involved in the process.

Regarding the Iber Bridge, the Council said that the EU envoy has interfered in Kosovo’s internal affairs by asking that the bridge is not opened for citizens and that he goes against a human right and value which is the freedom of movement.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic after meeting Lajcak: I am concerned over Kosovo, Kurti provoking conflicts (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, at the Presidency of Serbia on Friday morning.

Lajcak arrived in Belgrade from Pristina, where he discussed with Pristina’s PM Albin Kurti the work on the statue of a Community of Serb Municipalities.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed media following the meeting and said that he was very concerned over the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, especially in the north of the province, and that he had told EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak that his concerns were due to Pristina PM Albin Kurti’s need to provoke incidents and conflicts.

At a press conference after the meeting, Vucic said Kurti had “an incredible passion in his desire for some kind of war, a conflict in which he would be the great Albanian hero.”

He added that Kurti’s most recent move – seizure of land owned by Kosovo-Metohija Serbs – was contrary to even Pristina’s own regulations.

“All the things they are doing are so bad that I have no words to describe them,” Vucic noted.

He said he was concerned because Pristina believed it could seize offices by force.

He noted that he was particularly concerned over the fact the Quint states were playing naive because sometimes a 3 pct turnout was enough for them to declare elections legitimate, while “sometimes even 50 pct is nowhere near the legitimacy they want.”

“So much for principles,” he said.

He added that he made the decision that Serbia will be represented at the Council of Europe summit in Iceland at a lower level and that he will not go to Reykjavik, because he received signals that Serbia’s amendment on the territorial integrity of all Council of Europe members will not be accepted, and that he is ready to bear the consequences of that decision.

“We submitted an amendment that between two commas is written, when talking about the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia, or Moldova, ‘with all other members of the European Union’, which is a matter of principle, we didn’t ask for anything more. What we realized was, especially at the insistence of Germany in the last 48 hours, that territorial integrity exists only for those countries they recognize, not the UN,” said Vucic. 

Vucic also said that the President of the Serbian Parliament, Vladimir Orlic, is ready to schedule a session to discuss the replacement of ministers, but that he will talk about it another time.

Petkovic with Lajcak: Talks about the tensions raised by Kurti in the municipalities in the north (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic informed the public that today he met with the EU’s Special Representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Mirolsav Lajcak, with whom he discussed the upcoming round of dialogue in Brussels, as well as the political and security situation in Kosovo, with special reference to the tensions raised by Albin Kurti in four municipalities in the north.

Petkovic said in an Instagram post that he expressed his concern about the daily institutional and any other violence perpetrated against the Serbian population by Pristina, as well as the unreasonable, unilateral actions of Albanian politicians that threaten to jeopardize the peace.

“Especially in light of the attempts to forcibly take over the municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, but also the attempts of illegal expropriation and seizure of Serbian land, and also the unilateral dissolution of the Management Team for the CSM (ZSO),” Petkovic wrote.

Belgrade, as he said, neither wants nor takes steps that could lead to tensions and new crises on the ground but will continue to preserve peace and stability as the highest values.

“The sole responsibility for causing crises lies with Pristina. Despite all the challenges, we will keep our people safe in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Petkovic.

Kosovo police harassed Serbs in Preoce (KiM radio, medijacentar.info, Kosovo Online)

KiM radio reported that an unidentified group of police officers with bulletproof vests and weapons harassed Zivojin Rakocevic, professor, long-time journalist, and president of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, and Zarko Milenkovic, professor and poet, editor of literary programs in the Culture Center in Gracanica. According to KiM radio it happened at the roundabout in Preoce village, not far from Gracanica, between 11:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. 

KiM radio reported that Rakocevic and Milenkovic were stopped at the roundabout in Preoce in Borka Filipovic Street by armed police officers. On that occasion, their vehicle fell into a large hole at the end of the road. Minor material damage was caused.

“Seeing what he did, the policeman started shouting in the Albanian language, behaving very aggressively and being very unpleasant. When asked politely if there was anyone who spoke Serbian, he responded with new anger and aggression, took us outside and started to search the car. When asked again why they are doing this and whether we can get their police number, they responded with a very unpleasant, detailed search, leaning against the car, kicking legs,” stated Rakocevic and Milenkovic in a letter to the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo regarding this case.

They pointed out, according to KiM radio, that: “here we pay fees and taxes, so we also pay these policemen who discriminate, humiliate and carry out repression”. However, they added that “they are not asking for any punishments for them, because they are punishing European norms and laws”.

“We ask that you find them and, if possible, stop the repression, open some kind of dialogue and prevent a huge number of people from being discriminated against, humiliated and living in fear. The result of this behavior is confinement in enclaves and losing hope for any democratic progress. All this causes deep mistrust and is in complete contrast to the campaigns and promotions that all citizens have confidence in the Kosovo Police and that it can protect them,” said Rakocevic and Milenkovic.

They did not receive any response to their letter.

At the same time, they reported the unpleasant event to the head of the OSCE in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, and to the ambassadors of the USA and Germany – Geoffrey Hovenier and Jorn Rohde, and asked them several questions:

– Is the use of the Serbian language a trigger for violence by uniformed members of the police and has the Serbian language been removed from official use?

– Can police officers without identification numbers, at their discretion, act aggressively against citizens and anyone who for some reason is suspicious or dislikes them, uses the Serbian language, or demands that the law be respected?

– Are police officers allowed to cause damage to private property when stopping a vehicle, if they do so in an unsafe place?

– Is there any chance that a minimum of laws will be respected in Kosovo, and that ethnicity will be a secondary consideration?

According to KiM Radio, they did not receive an answer to their questions even from international diplomats.

Serbian List: ”Police officer who tried to kill Milan Jovanovic released under house arrest, the legal violence continues” (Danas, Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)

Serbian List announced yesterday afternoon that the Basic Court in Mitrovica decided that the member of the special units, of Albanian nationality, who attempted to kill Milan Jovanovic on the Bistrica Bridge on April 10, and on that occasion inflicted life-threatening injuries on him with an official weapon, should be released from custody, and be placed under house arrest for the next 30 days, reported Danas daily.

With this decision, the legal and institutional violence of Albin Kurti’s regime continues, The Serbian List said in a statement. 

“We remind you that in the same way, Kurti’s judiciary ordered house arrest for a member of the Kosovo Security Forces who attempted to kill Milos and Stefan Stojanovic in the village of Gotovusa on Christmas Day. It is obvious that there is no justice for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and even when in rare cases those who try to kill Serbs are arrested, they are sent to house arrest or released,” the announcement stated.

At the same, added the statement, ”while perpetrators of serious crimes of Albanian nationality are put under house arrest, dozens of Serbs without proven guilt are illegally sitting in casemates, waiting for some kind of trial, even for several years”.

“This shameful decision by Kurti’s regime is a response to the members of the European Parliament who talk about the rule of law in Kosovo and Metohija, but also another proof of impunity for those who commit crimes against Serbs,” Serbian List concluded in a statement.

Dacic: Serbia will abstain from voting in the CoE on the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine (NMagazin, Beta)

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said today that Serbia will most likely abstain from voting on the resolution that should be adopted by the Council of Europe on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.

“Next week, the CoE summit chaired by Iceland will be held, at which a declaration concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will be adopted, and Serbia submitted a proposal to be added that solving the integrity issues of all other CoE members, which bothered them,” said Dacic for TV Pink, reported NMagazin portal.

He reminded that Serbia submitted an amendment to the Council of Europe resolution on respecting the territorial integrity of all other Council of Europe countries.

“We have nothing against their territorial integrity of Ukraine, but now Serbia is forced to abstain during the vote in Reykjavik,” said the Serbian head of diplomacy.

He said, before the meeting of the European Union (EU) special representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, that Belgrade was most interested in the issue of the security of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

“Lajcak did not meet with the newly elected Albanian mayors in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo during his visit to Pristina, there are no irregularities in his approach and work,” Dacic said and added that the silence of Western officials is an obvious violation of the agreement.

He said that tolerating Kosovo PM Albin Kurti’s “absurdity” is a daily threat to peace and stability because it is not known what he will do next.

“Lajcak is not in a position to threaten or show influence on Kurti, he is not a factor that can influence him in an educational manner. Those who can, will not do it, or they did it in doses,” said Dacic and added that it is obvious that whenever the Community of Serbian Municipalities comes to the agenda, some kind of escalation breaks out.

A new multi-ethnic center for dialogue was “launched” in Pristina – a gathering place for those who share the same values (KoSSev, media) 

“Barabar Center” was presented in Pristina yesterday – a joint project of the non-governmental organization Integra (Pristina) and the Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA) from the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, which was supported by UNMIK, reported portal KoSSev. It is a new center, a multi-ethnic space for dialogue, it was announced from the UN mission which organized yesterday an event dedicated to building trust in Kosovo.

“The Barabar Center is a multi-ethnic space for dialogue for civil society and communities, where they can gather and host events and discussions that enable dialogue between communities on issues of common interest in an accessible, safe and constructive environment,” stated UNMIK.

Barabar inauguration was announced at the event “Confidence Building in Kosovo: Supporting the Community for a Better Future” which was attended by, as it was stated, by “Kosovo’s champions of confidence building”, international peace and confidence building experts and top UN officials, including the Under-Secretary-General for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UNMIK Caroline Ziadeh.

This center was created and run by two non-governmental organizations – NGO Integra from Pristina and NGO CASA from the northern part of Mitrovica, with the support of UNMIK.

Together, they presented the “Barabar principles of trust building”, that is, as stated by UNMIK, a set of guiding concepts “that will light the way to greater trust in Kosovo, both between communities and between communities and their institutions”.

“The idea of Barabar is to have an open platform, an open gathering center for everyone who shares the same values and principles,” said the co-director of Barabar Center and the head of Integra Kushtrim Koliqi. 

In a similar tone, the co-director of the Barabar Center and the representative of the NGO “CASA”, Miodrag Marinkovic, said that this space will serve for genuine exchange.

“This is the place where, together with our partners, we will develop various projects that will bring together… interested parties from all communities in building social cohesion,” he said.

The event was attended by more than 250 guests, while more than 60 non-governmental organizations and individuals were recognized for their contribution to building trust in the search for a better future for all communities.

The event was attended by other international representatives in Kosovo, including several ambassadors, as well as Pristina officials, including the mayor of this city, Perparim Rama.

The event was organized five years after the UN Confidence Building Forum was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia in May 2018.

United Nations Under-Secretary General Lacroix, who arrived in Kosovo for his first official visit, said that trust is an integral part of the functioning of society, institutions, and progress.

“Trust is one of the most powerful human connectors. It has an incredible power to convey, inspire, motivate, and incite action at any level and scale. However, trust is also one of the most fragile things, which is easy to undermine but hard to restore,” he said.

Ziadeh, on the other hand, as stated by UNMIK, encouraged a renewed commitment to bringing people together to face challenges together.

At the same time, she called on those gathered to “redouble efforts to find a common language for a more prosperous future.”

“Through identifying and bridging the gaps, locating commonalities instead of focusing on our differences, together we will be able to shape the future of Kosovo that is both stable and sustainable,” she said.

The mayor of Pristina, Perparim Rama, said at the same event that he is committed to ensuring a “safe and compassionate environment for all communities” and added that he will cast “a strong voice to improve service delivery to all communities, regardless of origin.”

At this event, both local and international experts discussed the process of building trust and how to bridge the gap between aspirations and reality.

The certificate, signed by the head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh, was also handed over to the KoSSev portal.

KoSSev portal had its own stand at this event, as did many other organizations that exhibited their works and programs.

Visitors to the stand of the KoSSev portal were presented with a series of reports “How are you neighbor”, which was realized last year with the donor support of UNMIK, and which dealt with the life of minority communities in the surroundings of Kosovo.

Those present talked to the presenters about the programs and works they presented, and our stand was visited by, among others, the UN Under-Secretary General and the KFOR Commander.

Gracanica municipality refuses to issue permits for the construction of houses approved by the ministry (medijacentar.info)

Valentina Parlic from the village of Dobrotin, Dejan Aksic from Lipljan and single mother Snezana Grbic from Donja Gusterica were recently approved by the Ministry of Communities and Return in the Government of Kosovo to build houses. However, they cannot get construction permits from the Municipality of Gracanica. The Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rasic, believes that it is a violation of the law by the Municipality of Gracanica.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3LX0wvG

International 

Roma and Sinti Holocaust Victims’ Stories Told in Kosovo Exhibition (BIRN)

The exhibition ‘Racial Diagnosis: Gypsy’ opened on Thursday evening at the National Museum of Kosovo in Pristina, telling the story of the “forgotten genocide” of Roma and Sinti people by Germany’s Nazi regime during World War II.

The exhibition includes 100 pictures of victims who died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp as well documents that show how Nazis planned the genocide.

It also includes family pictures that illustrate how Roma and Sinti people were integrated into local life in Germany and German documents and testimonies by Nazis that explain how Roma and Sinti people were systematically dehumanized.

The exhibition was organized by Kosovo NGO Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians in cooperation with the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the Documentation Centre of German Sinti and Roma.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3I8zIaH