Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani talks with French envoy about Kosovo’s membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions (Koha)
• Gervalla: No tension in Kosovo’s relations with the United States (VoA in Albanian)
• Konjufca: Kosovo unwavering in efforts for European integration, democracy and equality (Klan)
• Association and elections in U.S. possible catalysts of early elections (RFE)
• Maqedonci: Javelin missiles will arrive soon; payment is being done (Koha)
• LDK denies meeting between Konjufca and Abdixhiku (media)
• Government allocates over 31,000 euros to Albanians of the Valley (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Surlic: Through Postal Savings Bank, material security for Serbs can be institutionally ensured (media)
• Botsan-Kharchenko: West hysterically blocked UNSC session on NATO attack against Yugoslavia (Tanjug, media)
• Russia requests new session of UNSC on NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Kosovo Online)
• Drecun: Support for Kosovo aimed at getting it into NATO (Tanjug, media)
• NATO Parliamentary Assembly: Final decision on Kosovo associate membership expected by end of May (Kosovo Online)
• SRSG Ziadeh met new British Ambassador, reaffirmed support to EU-facilitated dialogue (Kosovo Online, social media)
• British Ambassador visited Gracanica Monastery (Radio KIM, social media)
• French diplomats visited Visoki Decani Monastery, Pec Patriarchate and Gorazdevac village (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, social media)
• Orlic: New government to be formed within legal timeframe (media)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani talks with French envoy about Kosovo’s membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani received on Tuesday the special envoy of France for the Western Balkans, Rene Troccaz. The Office of the Presidency has announced that the cooperation between Kosovo and France and Kosovo’s membership in the Euro-Atlantic institutions were discussed in this meeting.

It is further said that developments in the field of security were also discussed, for which Osmani expressed Kosovo’s commitment to continuous cooperation with France.

“President Osmani and Mr. Troccaz also talked about Kosovo’s efforts for membership in the Euro-Atlantic institutions, where she emphasized the importance of France’s continued support”, the announcement further states.

Gervalla: No tension in Kosovo’s relations with the United States (VoA in Albanian)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, said in an interview with the Voice of America in Albanian that Kosovo has very good relations with the United States of America, although they don’t fully agree on some topics.

While U.S. diplomats say that the lack of coordination on the issue of the Serbian Dinar has damaged the partnership with the Kosovo Government, Gervalla said “there are some topics where we don’t agree 100 percent in the technical aspect” and that “questioning Kosovo’s relations with the United States of America has never happened”.

On the lack of progress in the EU-facilitated talks between Kosovo and Serbia, Gervalla said: “if everything that we do in Brussels with the mediation of our European partners, has an expiry time until Serbia withdraws, then we need to ask ourselves is it worth it to spend so much time in Brussels on an agreement for which they don’t oblige Serbia to respect”.

Asked on the possibility of Montenegro voting against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, Gervalla said “it would certainly be a major regress in our bilateral relations, therefore, I don’t believe that Montenegro would make such a decision”.

Konjufca: Kosovo unwavering in efforts for European integration, democracy and equality (Klan)

Kosovo Assembly President Glauk Konjufca said in his address to the parliamentary committee on Stabilization-Association between the EU and Kosovo, that the EU has a major role in encouraging regional cooperation, promoting economic growth, and supporting the rule of law and human rights. “We have confirmed our commitment to strengthen democratic governance and to make sure that our institutions are transparent, responsible, and inclusive. The EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is an important component of our regional cooperation. We are committed to working together to resolve outstanding issues and to promote peace and stability in the region. We believe that mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia is the crucial part of a final and comprehensive agreement, as a necessary precondition for both countries to advance in their European paths,” he said.

Konjufca also said that Kosovo remains unwavering in its efforts for European integration, democracy, and equality. “We believe that the EU is not complete without the Western Balkans and we call on EU member states to prioritize enlargement and to give the promised benefits after the conditions are met,” he said.

Association and elections in U.S. possible catalysts of early elections (RFE)

Avoiding international pressure to adopt the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities and also the fear from the results of the presidential elections in the United States, are two reasons why the Kosovo Government supports the idea of early parliamentary elections, Arton Demhasaj from the Cohu organization in Pristina told the news website in an interview. “If the ruling party would not want to go to elections, it would obstruct any possible alternative to send the country to elections,” he said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with Radio Free Europe on March that it is the same for his party if Kosovo goes to early elections or not. “I don’t have any problems with any option … If the opposition wants early elections, the Assembly needs to be dissolved,” he said. Kurti repeated the same in an interview with the Radio Television of Kosovo, saying that for the dissolution of the Assembly, the Vetevendosje Movement can help the opposition get the required number of votes.

The opposition on the other hand has called for early elections for a long time now, because of what it calls continuous failures of the government both domestically and in foreign policy. However, the opposition has no consensus about the way to go early elections.

Maqedonci: Javelin missiles will arrive soon; payment is being done (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with KTV on Tuesday, that the Javelin missiles will arrive in Kosovo on time and that Kosovo has already started making payments of millions for the missiles. “We are currently in the process of purchasing these systems. They will arrive in Kosovo on time, and they will be part of the inventory of the Kosovo Security Force. We are now discussing the timelines, and we are making the first payments for these systems,” he said.

Maqedonci said that the U.S. is an irreplaceable partner in the eyes of the Kosovo Government. “Political disagreements can often have consequences, but the U.S. has always been and remains the main supporter of building the capacities of the Kosovo Security Force. We as a government and a ministry consider the U.S. to be an irreplaceable partner,” he said.

LDK denies meeting between Konjufca and Abdixhiku (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) official Berat Rukiqi reacted to a claim by a reporter that there was a meeting between LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku and Kosovo Assembly President Glauk Konjufca on going to early elections. Rukiqi said the information is not accurate and that the position of the LDK on elections are public and clear. He also called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to resign and said that the LDK is ready for elections.

Government allocates over 31,000 euros to Albanians of the Valley (media)

The Kosovo government informed through a press release on Tuesday about the decision to allocate budget funds to support the Albanian National Council and the representatives of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanovc, in the amount of €31,530.00. According to the press release, the funds were allocated in order to support advocacy activities for the issue of the Albanian people of the Presheva Valley, Medveja and Bujanovac, in front of the institutions of the European Union, and the compensation of the funds reduced by the government of Serbia through the budget allocation for the Albanian National Council.

Serbian Language Media 

Surlic: Through Postal Savings Bank, material security for Serbs can be institutionally ensured (media)

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences Stefan Surlic said a solution for financing Serbian institutions in Kosovo can be found if international actors genuinely wanted to make progress in the dialogue. In his assessment, at Monday’s round of dialogue in Brussels, Belgrade had a very constructive proposal on how to preserve the normal functioning of the Serbs and Serbian institutions because the existence of the Postal Savings Bank “is an institutional way to ensure financial, or rather, material security for the Serbs in Kosovo”.

The Postal Savings Bank, as he explained, would have to have a license from Kosovo Central Bank, but it would enable all entities in the Serbian system to be legal and for payment transactions to function normally.

“Here, it’s not just about the currency, but whether someone is a legal entity in Kosovo. How can the healthcare and education systems operate normally with the budget when Pristina not only bans the dinar but also prohibits them from existing as legal entities and having accounts in banks? This is a much bigger issue than the one constantly reiterated by Pristina: just exchange dinars for euros. It’s about whether institutions within the Serbian system will survive and whether the Serbs will function normally or not”, he added.

Botsan-Kharchenko: West hysterically blocked UNSC session on NATO attack against Yugoslavia (Tanjug, media)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said on Tuesday Western states had blocked the holding of a UN Security Council session requested by Russia to mark 25 years since the start of the 1999 NATO attacks against the-then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) because they were “afraid of the truth”, Tanjug news agency reported.

“The West hysterically blocked the holding of a UNSC session to mark 25 years since the start of the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia. That says it all by itself and explains more than dozens of speeches would. Just how they are afraid of the truth”, Botsan-Kharchenko wrote in a post on the social media network X.

Following a vote in the UNSC, a debate on the 25th anniversary of the NATO attacks was not put on the agenda of the top UN body on Monday. Russia, China and Algeria voted in favor of a debate but twelve UNSC members – France, the UK, the US, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland – abstained, and there were no votes against.

Russia requests new session of UNSC on NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Kosovo Online)

Russia has requested new session of the UN Security Council on NATO bombing of the-then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ) and is waiting for a chairman’s response, the First Deputy of the Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy said, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“Yesterday (March 25), in an official letter, Russia has requested the Japanese Mission which presides over the Council to convene a session of the UN Security Council in the near future on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia. We are expecting an official replay”, he said.

The UN Security Council session on March 25 did not include the Russia-put proposal to discuss the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the FRY. The country has now again requested a new session on this topic.

Drecun: Support for Kosovo aimed at getting it into NATO (Tanjug, media)

Serbian MP Milovan Drecun said on Tuesday an announced Council of Europe (CoE) debate on Kosovo admission to the organization and Monday’s UN Security Council vote that had not backed a Russia-proposed discussion on the 25th anniversary of the 1999 NATO attacks on the-then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia represented support “for the false state of Kosovo that was aimed at launching the process of it joining NATO”, Tanjug news agency reported.

“That would probably be the end of the story as far as they are concerned because, if you are in NATO, then Article 5 is invoked if needed, which is a message to Serbia that it (Kosovo and Metohija) is a forever-lost territory for us and that we cannot count on it becoming a part of our state again one day”, Drecun told Pink TV.

He added that NATO’s position was that, since Kosovo is not internationally recognised, there was no discussion at all about it joining the Partnership for Peace programme, but that the leading NATO member state seemed to have other plans. “The US is openly saying it will do everything in its power to back NATO membership for Kosovo because, as its (the US’) representatives say, it believes that would help regional stability and security”, Drecun said, noting that US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar had said Washington fully supported Pristina’s aspirations to join NATO, the UN and the EU.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly: Final decision on Kosovo associate membership expected by end of May (Kosovo Online)

The status of an associate member in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly would provide Kosovo with “additional benefits”, according to officials from the organization speaking to Kosovo Online portal. They emphasized that the final decision on Kosovo associate membership in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is expected at the next meeting during the plenary session in Sofia, Bulgaria, scheduled for late May, the portal added.

“As an associate member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the Kosovo Assembly would be granted additional benefits. This would include an additional representative for the Kosovo Assembly Delegation to the NATO PA, as well as the right to speak automatically in NATO PA procedures (rather than at the discretion of the chair), to propose amendments to draft resolutions of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and, under certain circumstances, to participate in NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee visits to other countries”, reads the written response to the portal’s media inquiry.

It was also noted that the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is “independent from NATO” but “provides a link between NATO and the parliaments of member countries”.

SRSG Ziadeh met new British Ambassador, reaffirmed support to EU-facilitated dialogue (Kosovo Online, social media)

Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and Head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh met the newly appointed British Ambassador in Pristina, Jonathan Hargreaves and discussed with him trust-building between communities and support to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“SRSG Ziadeh welcomed the new British Ambassador to Kosovo Ambassador Jonathan Hargreaves @jonhargreaves67 at UNMIK today. They discussed ways of collaboration, including initiatives of trust-building between #Kosovo communities & reaffirming support to EU-facilitated dialogue”, UNMIK said in a post on X social platform on Tuesday. 

British Ambassador visited Gracanica Monastery (Radio KIM, social media)

New UK Ambassador in Pristina, Jonathan Hargreaves visited Gracanica Monastery yesterday and met with Raska-Prizren Diocese Bishop Teodosije, Radio KIM reported.

“The Serbian Orthodox Church is an important part of Kosovo’s rich cultural heritage. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Bishop Teodosije and to pay a visit to the magnificient Gracanica monastery”, Hargreaves wrote in a post on Facebook. 

French diplomats visited Visoki Decani Monastery, Pec Patriarchate and Gorazdevac village (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, social media)

Special Envoy of the French Foreign Ministry Rene Troccaz and French Ambassador in Pristina Olivier Guerot visited Visoki Decani Monastery yesterday, Kosovo Online portal reported. In a post published on X social network, the Monastery said that the two diplomats visited Pec Patriarchate and Gorazdevac village as well.

“This morning, we welcomed Mr. René Troccaz, the Special Envoy of the French Foreign Ministry for the Western #Balkans, and Mr. Olivier Guerot, the French Ambassador in Priština, to the Visoki Dečani #Monastery. During the day, the French diplomats also visited the Peć Patriarchate Monastery, the historical centre of the #Serbian #Orthodox #Church and Goraždevac village, where they met with a group of #Kosovo #Serb villagers @troccazrene”, Visoki Decani Monastery said in a post on X social network on Tuesday.

Orlic: New government to be formed within legal timeframe (media)

Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Vladimir Orlic said on Tuesday the new Serbian government would be formed within the legal timeframe and that, in globally challenging times, Serbia needed stability, security, patience and wisdom.

Speaking to Pink TV, Orlic said Serbians had placed their trust in the SNS due to the results it had achieved in the past, and noted that the party would continue on the same path in the future. Asked if he saw himself as a member of the next cabinet, Orlic said one’s post was less important than the policy being pursued.