Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Serbia can’t be a member of NATO, it still sleeps on massive graves (EO)
• Hovenier on Vucic’s threat: Neither we, nor people of Kosovo should stay sleepless about this – NATO is ready and prepared (Klan)
• Monastery of Decan registers ownership of 24 hectares of land (Koha)
• Bislimi: Kosovo has little control over outcome of dialogue process (Albanian Post)
• Robertson: Being tough with Serbia pays off (media)
• Cliff: What is EU doing with Kosovo report on Banjska attack? (Albanian Post)
• EU to present soon mandatory roadmap for implementation of Basic Agreement (Albanian Post)
• Osmani: When girls and women are excluded from decision-making processes, entire society is limited (Klan)
• Kosovo Police prevents two cases of smuggling in the north (Albanian Post)

Serbian Language Media:

• Hill on NATO membership: It is up to Serbia to decide (RTS, Kosovo Online, N1)
• Visoki Decani Monastery land registered in Kosovo cadastre, special thanks to Ms Bakoyannis (Raska-Prizren Diocese, media, social media)
• Hovenier: I have not heard Pristina’s proposal to resolve issue with dinars (Kosovo Online)
• Mushkolaj: Kurti’s stories on independence of CBK ‘fairytales for children’ (Kosovo Online)
• How is Brussels dialogue viewed on the ground: “We have the impression that the agreement is to not to agree on anything” (KoSSev, N1)
• Mijacic: Modality on dinar issue is sought, each has technical difficulties and political consequences (Kosovo Online)
• Dacic: UNSC session on 1999 bombing of FR Yugoslavia still uncertain (Tanjug)
• Serbian List: The competent institutions to arrest Radomirovic, and conduct criminal proceedings (KiM radio)

International:

• Kosovo Court Ruling Awarding Serb Monastery Disputed Land Implemented (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

Osmani: Serbia can’t be a member of NATO, it still sleeps on massive graves (EO)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that Serbia cannot become a member of NATO while it has violated the founding values of the Alliance. She argued that “Serbia is a country that sleeps on massive graves” and that “if someone considers it an ally of NATO, it insults not only the member states of the Alliance, but also all the victims of Milosevic’s Serbia”. Osmani made these remarks after her address at the second day of the “Women’s Week 2024” conference in Pristina.

The Albanian Post notes in its coverage that Osmani’s remarks came after U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, said in an interview with the Radio Television of Serbia, that Serbia is a closer partner with NATO than Kosovo.

Hovenier on Vucic’s threat: Neither we, nor people of Kosovo should stay sleepless about this – NATO is ready and prepared (Klan)

The U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has reacted after the threats that the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, has made towards Kosovo. He said that the United States of America is committed to Kosovo’s security and that even the people of Kosovo should not lose sleep as NATO has a strong presence and is ready to do what is necessary.

“The USA has stood firm for the peace of the people in Kosovo. I can say that we are committed to the security of Kosovo, we do not lose sleep at night worrying about that threat because we believe that NATO is ready and prepared”, he said.

“And I don’t think that even the people of Kosovo should remain sleepless because the most successful military alliance in history has a powerful presence and is ready to do what is necessary,” said Hovenier.

“The USA supports the people of Kosovo and the KSF, as a multi-ethnic force for territorial defense. Kosovo faces a challenge with several NATO members. We want to see the future of Kosovo in NATO. We expect Kosovo to be a member of NATO. We will do everything to support this. The USA has invested a lot of energy and committed a lot to support Kosovo and KSF in its transition. Kosovo faces the challenge that some NATO countries do not recognize it as the USA and some partners do. We want to see this change. We want to see Kosovo’s future advance in NATO. Kosovo is very good with NATO in terms of values and institutions. There are problems and issues that need to be resolved,”

Ambassador Hovenier met with the first deputy prime minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, with whom he talked about the latest developments in the dialogue. Ambassador Hovenier said that at the meeting of the chief negotiators in Brussels there were “some positive signs” to resolve the dinar issue.

He emphasized that they respect the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo, but reiterated that they are concerned about the impact that the new regulation may have on the Serbian community.

“We are concerned that this may affect the vulnerable population, especially the Kosovo Serb community, and I think it is important to change the way of implementation and our talks on this matter continue”, he stated.

Hovenier has emphasized that there is a possibility to find a solution. “It is good to see that there is a possibility that both parties offer solutions on how this can be done, as well as the responsibilities of Mr. Lajcak”, he said. Hovenier said that he did not make any proposal to the Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi for the solution of the dinar issue, but as he stated “the government is working in this direction”.

Monastery of Decan registers ownership of 24 hectares of land (Koha)

The Diocese of Rashka and Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo on Wednesday confirmed that the Monastery of Decan has registered 24 hectares of land in its name at the Cadastral Agency of Kosovo.

The decision of the Cadastral Agency comes after Prime Minister Albin Kurti on March 13 ordered that the 24 hectares be registered to the Monastery of Decan.

“On the basis of the cadastral extract, we can confirm that the decision of the Constitutional Court of 2016 has been implemented and the Monastery is also recognized in the cadaster as the owner of the disputed land earlier. With this, we can conclude that the long-standing legal process that has developed around 24 hectares of land of the Decan Monastery has finally been resolved”, says the announcement of the Raska-Prizren Diocese on Wednesday.

Bislimi: Kosovo has little control over outcome of dialogue process (Albanian Post)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, in an interview with Euronews in the Greek language, emphasized that Kosovo has little control over the outcome of the dialogue process. During the interview, Bislimi admitted that Kosovo has not yet made any progress with the application for membership in the EU since December 2022, when it submitted the necessary documentation for the application.

“This does not prevent Kosovo from doing its duty to further align our policies and reforms with the standards of the EU”, emphasized Bislimi.

“Our internal obstacles are almost similar to the barriers faced by other neighbors in the region (…) However, compared to other countries we have some additional obstacles. We are the only country that does not yet have candidate status. We are still fighting for recognition by five EU members, and we are still in the dialogue process. We have little control over the outcome of this process”, he emphasized.

Among other things, Bislimi has considered that the membership of the Western Balkans in the EU should happen at the same time, or they will all remain outside the bloc.

Robertson: Being tough with Serbia pays off (media)

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament discussed on Tuesday developments in Kosovo and Serbia, including the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year. Former NATO Secretary General George Robertson said in his remarks that “being tough with Serbia pays off. People in that part of the world respect force”. Committee chair Alicia Kearns intervened saying that “I cannot think of an example where in the last 4 years we have shown strength”. Roberton continued saying that “this is what we need to do, a strong message that you can take is that we need to be strong. We can be flexible, and we need to engage especially with the Serbian opposition”.

Cliff: What is EU doing with Kosovo report on Banjska attack? (Albanian Post)

The former ambassador of Great Britain in Kosovo, Ian Cliff, at the session of the Committee for Foreign Affairs on the tense situation in the Western Balkans, requested an answer from the European Union (EU) for the report submitted by Kosovo on the terrorist attack by Serbian paramilitaries in the village Banjska of Zvecan.

“We should ask our friends in the EU what they have done with the Kosovo government’s report. It was delivered to Brussels in January, while now we are in the middle of March. What are they doing about it? I haven’t seen the report. But I think that we should take a very firm position on this”, said the British diplomat who served in Kosovo between 2011-2015.

The Government of Kosovo has said that they have provided the European institutions with sufficient evidence and evidence for the involvement of Serbia in the September 24 terrorist attack in the north under the leadership of the former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, but no move has been made in this direction yet.

The EU has reiterated that the European institutions have not yet received the final report prepared by the Kosovar authorities on the terrorist attack by Serbian paramilitaries, where one Kosovar policeman was killed and two others were injured. The bloc has repeatedly emphasized that its position on the event remains unchanged until they accept the report.

EU to present soon mandatory roadmap for implementation of Basic Agreement (Albanian Post)

The news website reports that faced with essential obstructions on implementation of the Annex of the Basic Agreement, the EU has initiated the formal process to integrate the implementation of the Basic Agreement as a formal condition in the European integration process for both parties. The moment when the EU formalizes the implementation of the basic agreement as a formal condition for the European integration of Serbia and Kosovo, the situation changes both in essence and in form, Albanian Post reports. .

After the formalization of this step, the EU will come up with a roadmap of several points on the implementation of the Basic Agreement and the Implementation Annex. Essentially, with this guide, the European Union will clarify in concrete terms what the EU considers satisfactory implementation of the Basic Agreement and the Implementing Annex. Furthermore, the EU will make it clear that without the fulfillment of this roadmap, there can be no progress on the further European path, nor access to development funds for the Western Balkans.

To make it more clear, therefore, the EU will no longer negotiate with the parties about the implementation of what has been agreed, nor will it be influenced by the imposed rhetoric that implementation by one party depends on the implementation by the other party, or whatever declaration that the parties can make. The EU will present the list of what needs to be done and close any possibility of discussion.

Kosovo and Serbia will be evaluated separately from each other for the implementation of the guide. Consequently, if Serbia does its part, Serbia may be rewarded while Kosovo penalized further.

The EU initiated this guide based on the principle that it is Serbia and Kosovo that aim for EU membership and not the other way around, therefore it is the EU that determines the terms of integration itself. So, the EU will categorically reject any conditionality from the parties. And, based on the fact that the parties have already agreed on the Basic Agreement, in terms of this Agreement, but also of the agreements reached earlier, the EU will move from the role of facilitator and mediator to the role of implementer.

Osmani: When girls and women are excluded from decision-making processes, entire society is limited (Klan)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, said today at the “Women’s Week” conference, that throughout the history of mankind, societies have made progress only when they have fully embraced diversity and empowered every voice. During her speech at this conference with the theme “advancement of inclusive leadership as a strategic necessity in addressing the challenges of the 21st century”, she further stated that inclusive leadership is a source of strength and a tool that enables the positive transformation of our societies.

“Wherever there is inclusive leadership, there is progress, there is prosperity and democracy flourishes at its best. We all know that the challenges before us are large and complex. We live in an extraordinary time, a period of global transformation and a period of unprecedented challenges. From climate change to artificial intelligence, from armed conflicts to hybrid wars, as well as from economic inequalities to global pandemics, the problems every country faces, no matter how small or large, require bold solutions and different approaches as it was intended in the past”.

“When we exclude girls and women, entire communities fail, when we exclude them from the decision-making process, when we marginalize certain groups based on race, gender or religion, we limit our collective capacity, our society as a whole. It is not enough to talk about diversity and inclusion, we must work tirelessly and every day to remove the barriers that prevent all individuals from fully participating in our democracy and economy. The change starts from us, from each of us, we start the change with a work, with a lesson, with a project and even with a speech. It is remarkable what we can achieve and do with small deeds. I don’t believe that there are small works, there are small ones with a big impact, because each work offers us closer to inclusiveness as a goal. Don’t hesitate no matter how difficult it may seem, don’t hesitate to raise your voice, don’t hesitate to protest, and react, and demand your rights. In your journey, never let them put you down, make you change direction, no one knows your ability and potential better than you. To commit to inclusiveness and gender equality, diversity is our greatest strength and wealth”, Osmani said among other things.

Kosovo Police prevents two cases of smuggling in the north (Albanian Post)

Kosovo Police prevented two cases of smuggling with goods at border crossings with Serbia, the news website reports. The first case happened in Mitrovica North around 18:50 and the other case also happened in Mitrovica North around 19:50.

Serbian Language Media

Hill on NATO membership: It is up to Serbia to decide (RTS, Kosovo Online, N1)

The US Ambassador to Belgrade, Christopher Hill said in an interview with Serbian public broadcaster RTS that Serbia was currently closer to being a NATO partner than Kosovo, reiterating that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities must be established, expressing confidence that it would happen.

Hill told RTS, speaking about the events of 1998 and 1999 before the bombing of Yugoslavia, and when asked how the status of the KLA changed from a terrorist organization as the State Department initially labeled it, to an acceptable partner, that Serbia was currently closer to being a NATO partner than Kosovo.

“If you look at who is a NATO partner, Serbia is much closer to NATO than Kosovo. Currently, yes. That is very true now. We work with the Serbian army every day, we’ve had exercises, training, a range of things with the Serbian army (…)”, Hill said.

He added that he understood the question of whether calls to discuss the future meant forgetting crimes against the Serbs, and that the past decades had been a difficult period in history, with many crimes considered in various tribunals, including those against the Serbs.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/FN469

Visoki Decani Monastery land registered in Kosovo cadastre, special thanks to Ms Bakoyannis (Raska-Prizren Diocese, media, social media)

“The Raška-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church confirms that the authorized representative of the Visoki Dečani Monastery today obtained an official cadastral extract from the Central Cadastre of Kosovo in Pristina, including all properties of the Dečani Monastery, encompassing the 24 hectares recognized to the monastery by the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2016”, reads the statement published on Diocese’s website.

“Based on the cadastral extract, we can confirm that the decision of the Constitutional Court from 2016 has been executed and that in the Cadastre, the monastery is recognized as the owner of the property that was previously disputed.

We can conclude that the long-standing legal process surrounding the 24 hectares of land of the Visoki Dečani Monastery has finally been resolved”, the statement added.

Visoki Decani Monastery writes in a separate X post in English that “the Diocese and the monastery are especially grateful to Ms Dora Bakoyannis for her kind help in returning the property”, reported Kosovo Online.

Hovenier: I have not heard Pristina’s proposal to resolve issue with dinars (Kosovo Online)

US Ambassador in Pristina, Jeff Hovenier said he had not heard Pristina’s proposal to resolve the issue with dinars, adding he believes Kosovo Government is still working on it, Kosovo Online portal reported. He said the stance of the US on Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) regulation is clear and it is not about dinar, but rather about the manner of its implementation and how it affects the Serbian community, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“We respect the authority of the Central Bank of Kosovo, we understand that it has the responsibility to govern and determine monetary politics in the entire territory of Kosovo”, Hovernier told the media after meeting Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.

He also said US concerns do not relate to dinar, but to the manner of CBK’s regulation implementation.

“We are concerned, as my colleague Gabriel Escobar said last week, that manner of implementation may affect vulnerable groups, primarily, but not solely the Serbian community in Kosovo”, Hovenier siad, adding he hopes that implementation of the regulation would be changed to address those concerns and that talks about that continue.

He also said Bislimi did not show him Pristina’s proposal on dinar, adding he thinks that the government still works on it.

Mushkolaj: Kurti’s stories on independence of CBK ‘fairytales for children’ (Kosovo Online)

Analyst Imer Mushkolaj said he thinks that Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) regulation on banning dinar in payment transactions, which was the reason for Pristina and Belgrade chief negotiators meeting in Brussels yesterday, was made under the influence of Kosovo Government and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Kosovo Online portal reported.

According to Mushkolaj, Kurti “captured” the Central Bank of Kosovo and his statements that he does not interfere in CBK’s decisions are “fairytales for small children”.

“Four out of five members of CBK board, including the governor, are either people from Self-determination or close to Self-determination. Who believes in fairytales it was CBK that made the decision on dinar? How come dinar has become an issue at this moment”? he asked.

As he added, since CBK establishment, the issue of dinar has not changed.

How is Brussels dialogue viewed on the ground: “We have the impression that the agreement is to not to agree on anything” (KoSSev, N1)

Darko Dimitrijevic, the Radio Gorazdevac editor, said in N1’s ”Dan Uzivo”, that people have the impression that “the agreement is not to agree on anything”, referring to yesterday’s new round of talks in Brussels. Political scientist Ognjen Gogic believes that “the government in Pristina sees its interest in radicalization”, reported portal KoSSev.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic, speaking about the meeting in Brussels, says that “for the first time, the two parties are invited to submit some papers where they would state their proposals” regarding the situation with dinars.

“I don’t know what was awaited for such a call to be made. US representatives said they would send technical support. I think that the issue here is not that there is no mechanism, but that there is no will to agree on its implementation. No one can be brought before the finished act, but it is necessary to suspend the implementation of the decision of the Central Bank to prevent the use of dinars in KiM,” says Gogic.

According to him, it would be expected that some period would be given, and then a decision would be made, as was the case with the vehicle plates.

“It is about unilateral moves without coordination, without agreement, and that we are performing before the fait accompli. Pristina used to find a foothold in the agreements around vehicle plates, identity cards; now this came completely out of nowhere, without grounds and unilaterally imposed,” he says.

He adds that “such a move radicalizes the other side”.

“It makes this situation more difficult; the international community is saying the same, that no decision in politics can be made and catch people off guard and place them before a fait accompli. The authorities in Pristina see their interest in radicalization, I think it has something to do with this agreement that did not give Pristina what it expected to receive, new recognitions,” he says.

The editor of Radio Gorazdevac, Darko Dimitrijevic, says that people have the impression that the agreement is not to agree on anything.

“This is what both Serbs and Albanians feel on the field. An ordinary person does not have any great benefits when it comes to negotiations in Brussels, this is hardly felt on the ground, it can be said that the Serbian side has recently accepted some things without asking for anything in return,” he says.

Dimitrijevic says that unemployment continues to be the biggest problem in Gorazdevac.

“Because even those who have a job or receive pensions, Gorazdevac is the only place where the Post of Serbia does not function, because the Kosovo police confiscated the money that was supposed to be paid to people. To this day, people cannot withdraw even those minimum amounts, as they can in other places in KiM,” according to Dimitrijevic.

He adds that the series of problems continues through all this.

“Extremely radical government in Pristina, dangerous narrative, one year after the Ohrid Agreement, 20 years since the March pogrom, the government is trying to modify the facts in their favor, not the way they actually happened, that is what is dangerous and has huge consequences and for the political and security and economic life of the people here. Almost no one talks anymore about the fact that it is not possible to import goods from central Serbia and that not only people who are used to using products of Serbian origin are affected, but also Albanian businesspeople and companies owned by Albanian neighbors, to whom the raw materials from Serbia are the cheapest. All these people are victims of a bad political system, a radical environment that tends to be even more radical in the context of negotiations. Tensions are constantly rising, in the sense that there is no relaxation of the situation. What is crucial and most important is that we who live here do not see any will of the authorities in Pristina to deal with democracy and the rule of human rights,” says Dimitrijevic.

There are, he adds, a lot of problems in real life.

“And it seems to me that there is currently no political will to change anything. And even when it comes to the last round of dialogue, I don’t think that any proposal from Belgrade or Pristina will bring anything new, because both sides turned a deaf ear,” he says.

Mijacic: Modality on dinar issue is sought, each has technical difficulties and political consequences (Kosovo Online)

Coordinator of the National Convent on EU Working Group for Chapter 35 Dragisa Mijacic said in relation to yesterday’s round of talks between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, which discussed decision of Kosovo Central Bank to abolish dinar in payment transactions, that short-term and long-term solutions would be sought for this issue, adding the short-term solution would remain in place most probably until Community of Serbian Municipalities is established, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Speaking about short-term solution he said it would either be implemented what Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic was saying that Postal Saving Bank should continue functioning in Kosovo in order to carry out payments for citizens and institutions, or what international representatives were saying and this somehow was heard also from Pristina officials that it should be an agreement between some of the commercial banks licenced in Kosovo and National Bank of Serbia, so the payments would go through Kosovo banks in euros.

He added the modality between those two proposals are being sought, and that each has technical difficulties and political consequences. Asked if a short-term option would include Serbs in Kosovo receiving dinars or euros, Mijacic said it is the most important to ensure unimpeded functioning of Serbian institutions and it is the most important that people receive their wages and allowances regardless of currency.

He also said that a short-term solution could be implemented swiftly but it takes political will as well.

“We see there is no (political will) for a long time, nor the trust between the two sides in the process of dialogue. However, this is now a matter of lives and functionality of not only the Serbian community but also of all other communities receiving payments in dinars. That is why I believe international pressure is strong and would yield results so both sides would turn to the solutions that would enable people to live normal lives”, he said.

Dacic: UNSC session on 1999 bombing of FR Yugoslavia still uncertain (Tanjug)

Serbian caretaker Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday it was still uncertain whether a March 25 UN Security Council session that would mark 25 years since the 1999 NATO bombing of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) would take place, Tanjug news agency reported.

The session has been requested by Russia.

“We do not know whether the session will be held at all because there will be a vote before it to see procedurally whether it should be held or not”, Dacic told Pink TV, adding that a negative outcome of the vote would “inflict some harm on Russia”. He said he would be representing Serbia at the session, if held. The NATO bombing of the FRY began on March 24, 1999.

Serbian List: The competent institutions to arrest Radomirovic, and conduct criminal proceedings (KiM radio)

The Serbian list issued a statement after the audio recording of alleged Radoica Radomirovic’s confession that his team was responsible for setting fire to a car in the north of Kosovo, specifically the car of the then deputy mayor Dragana Miletic, was released, and on that occasion called on the competent institutions to immediately arrest Radomirovic and carry out appropriate criminal procedure, reported KiM radio.

”If we know that the Kosovo police did nothing to arrest those responsible for using opiates during working hours in the municipal building, in addition to Kurti’s special forces and the fake mayor, we call on the international community to put pressure on Kosovo’s institutions and prosecute those responsible for the wrongdoings, for which Kurti’s comrades-in-arms raced to accuse Serbian List and the state of Serbia,” read the Serbian List announcement.

They point out that the pressure of the international community is necessary because some embassies also condemned the burning of the car and demanded the discovery and punishment of those responsible.

“We want to believe that the sympathy and support that Radoica Radomirovic has from Albin Kurti will not prevent the competent authorities from investigating Radomirovic and establishing responsibility,” it added.

The SL statement concludes that the rule of law implies that there are no untouchables and that the law applies to everyone regardless of the sympathies of the prime minister, ministers, or something similar. The citizens of Leposavic, especially the injured, must know who the arsonist is, who destroys the property of other citizens, and that those responsible must be punished and compensated for the damage.

International 

Kosovo Court Ruling Awarding Serb Monastery Disputed Land Implemented (Balkan Insight)

Almost eight years after the Constitutional Court ruled that 24 contested hectares of land in western Kosovo belong to the Serbian Orthodox Visoki Decani Monastery, the ownership was officially registered after Council of Europe pressure on Pristina.

The Raska-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church confirmed on Wednesday that the 24 hectares of land that have long been the subject of dispute have been officially registered in Kosovo’s Central Cadastre as the property of Visoki Decani Monastery.

The diocese said it received an official cadastral extract “including all properties of the Decani Monastery, encompassing the 24 hectares recognised [as belonging] to the monastery by the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2016”.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/pzLS8