Albanian Language Media:

• Council of Europe approves report on Kosovo’s membership (media)
• Ahmeti: Kosovo’s membership in CoE without any additional preconditions (media)
• Kurti: Kosovo has fulfilled all prerequisites for Council of Europe (RTK)
• Gervalla: Today’s vote confirms that Kosovo fulfills the conditions for CoE (media)
• Osmani received member of German Bundestag, Florian Hahn (RTK)
• Plenkovic: Croatia will support Kosovo in all international organizations (media)
• Serwer: I fear USA has promised Serbia the Association (media)
• Krasniqi introduces Hamza as candidate for prime minister (RTK)
• Hoxha: Serb criminal groups are preparing an attack in the north (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• PACE committee recommends Kosovo be invited to become CoE member (N1, FoNet)
• Dacic slams decision to accept recommendation for CoE membership for Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Grubjesic: CoE undermines its own integrity, becoming political organization more and more (Tanjug, media)
• Aleksic: Vucic’s disastrous policy lead Kosovo to Council of Europe (Danas, FoNet)
• Gogic: Vote in PACE Committee sends message that precedents are being set again because of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Djukanovic sends protest letter to NATO PA president (Tanjug, media)
• Von Cramon: VV digital army limits freedom of speech (KoSSev)

International Media:

• Kosovo Edges Closer to Council of Europe Membership (Balkan Insight)
• Serbia Uses ‘Amber Alert’ for First Time After Girl Disappears (Balkan Insight)
• Kosovo Guerrilla Leadership Didn’t Order Abductions, US Diplomat Testifies (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Council of Europe approves report on Kosovo’s membership (media) 

With 31 votes for, 4 against and 1 abstention, the Committee for Political Affairs approved on Wednesday the opinion of the rapporteur for Kosovo, Dora Bakoyannis, who recommends the Council of Europe to invite Kosovo to become a member. The issue now goes to the Parliamentary Assembly, which will meet in April. If the opinion passes in this instance as well, then the final decision-making remains with the Council of Ministers of the member countries that will meet in May of this year. The commission has assessed the implementation of the decision on the properties of Decan Monastery as a great achievement, while the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority, is described as a “commitment after membership” 

Serbian media have reported that there were two votes against Kosovo from Serbia, one from Montenegro, one from Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the representative from Greece abstained.

According to the announcement, the Political Affairs Commission has welcomed the list of written commitments from the Kosovo authorities, noting that “membership would lead to the strengthening of human rights standards by providing access to the European Court of Human Rights for all those who are under the jurisdiction of Kosovo”. 

“Membership in the Council of Europe will be a catalyst for Kosovo to continue to make progress in strengthening human rights, democracy, the rule of law and address unresolved challenges and issues of concern,”, says also the report of Bakoyannis. 

Issues such as the gap between normative standards and their effective implementation, the need to improve the protection of the rights of non-majority communities and to promote a favorable climate for trust, reconciliation and inclusion are mentioned in the announcement.  

And regarding the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority, according to the Commission, it should be a “commitment after membership, which would help guarantee the protection of the rights of Kosovo Serbs”. 

“It is clear that the establishment of an Association of municipalities is not a requirement within the standards of the Council of Europe. However, in the case of Kosovo, the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is a necessary historical moment towards the normalization of relations between Pristina and Belgrade, an international obligation and a way to increase the democratic participation of Kosovo Serbs and a guarantee for the protection of their rights”, reads Bakoyannis’ opinion. 

“The lack of progress towards the creation of an Association of Serb-majority municipalities has been a major source of discontent and mistrust among the Kosovo Serb community, especially in the north.” 

As for expropriations in the north, according to the report, they must be carried out respecting the law and in full compliance with the Ahtisaari Plan. The report also mentions concerns about the security situation in the northern municipalities. 

“Noting the deterioration of the security situation in the northern municipalities of Kosovo, the commission noted that ‘the risk of open violence in Kosovo is very real’, and that security depends on the protection of the rights of the Serb community, de-escalation of tensions and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia”, it is written in the report.

Accepting the “unprecedented circumstances” of the application and bearing in mind that some member countries of the Council of Europe do not recognize Kosovo as a state, the Commission has called for “diplomacy, dialogue and compromise” while inviting the Council of Ministers to ensure that Kosovo’s membership should be “without prejudice to the positions of individual member states regarding Kosovo’s statehood”. 

The Commission has also recommended that a monitoring procedure be initiated for Kosovo, to ensure compliance with commitments and obligations since its membership.

Ahmeti: Kosovo’s membership in CoE without any additional preconditions (media)

Kosovo has passed the vote in the Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Kreshnik Ahmeti wrote on Facebook that the opinion of rapporteur Bakoyannis has been approved in the Committee for Political Affairs and Democracy.

“This opinion recommends Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe without any additional preconditions. None of the commitments that Kosovo must undertake are required to be fulfilled before membership. Even in point 11 it is clearly stated that the pledge must be addressed after membership. All the proposals to set new preconditions have been rejected by the majority of the Committee members, which shows that Kosovo should become a member in May of this year and the new preconditions would be unfair”, Ahmeti wrote. 

Furthermore, Ahmeti added, the opinion requires the removal of the footnote from the denomination of Kosovo, which has been used since 2008 in every report and communication on and with Kosovo. “Also, it is recommended that Kosovo be invited as a state, according to Article 4 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, and not as a country, according to Article 5. Today’s success paves the way for the vote of opinion in the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which will be held in Strasbourg on April 15. After the successful voting there, the opinion will be sent to the Committee of Ministers who must vote for the membership of Kosovo in the next ministerial meeting that will be held in May this year”, added the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Media reported that there were 31 votes in favor of Kosovo’s membership, 4 against and 1 abstention. 

President Vjosa Osmani has described this step as successful. “We will continue to work with allies to ensure that all our citizens have access to the instruments of the Council of Europe through the full membership of Kosovo”, she wrote on the X social network.

Kurti: Kosovo has fulfilled all prerequisites for Council of Europe (RTK) 

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has commented on the decision of the Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to approve the report on Kosovo on Wednesday, paving the way for the next steps towards membership in this Council.

“Today the Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has taken an important step forward for Kosovo. The opinion confirms the fulfillment of all prerequisites for membership of Kosovo and recommends that Kosovo be invited to join the Council of Europe as a member state. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will vote on the Opinion in April”, Prime Minister Kurti wrote in “X”.

Gervalla: Today’s vote confirms that Kosovo fulfills the conditions for CoE (media)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, has assessed the approval of the report of the rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis in the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as a very important step.

“Today’s step was important because it is a confirmation that Kosovo is prepared and meets all the conditions to join the Council of Europe. However, we have not yet reached the end of the road, because it is very important to continue our work and lobbying, not only in the Parliamentary Assembly but also in the Ministerial Council, in order to be crowned with full CoE membership in May”, Gervalla told the public television. 

She further emphasized that if new conditions arise in the future, then it would be unfair. “…because they were not foreseen at all in the reports of eminent jurists or other reporters. We consider that no state since the accessions of the 90s has been more willing and embraced more democratic values and principles than the Republic of Kosovo”, Gervalla added.  

In the question of whether the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority will be a condition for membership, the minister said that no type of association is a prerequisite for membership in the Council of Europe. “This is the clear language of the report of the reporter Dora Bakoyannis and it is what the Political Committee of the Council of Europe voted for today. We will see the developments in April, and then when we have the vote in the Parliamentary Assembly, we will also need a new wave of intensive talks, so that we can become a member of the Council of Europe in May”, underlined Gervalla.

Osmani received member of German Bundestag, Florian Hahn (RTK)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, received on Wednesday the MP and spokesperson for the Defense Policy of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, Mr. Florian Hahn, accompanied by the German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde.

They discussed the current political and security situation in Kosovo. 

According to the announcement of the Presidency, Osmani emphasized the need to deepen the cooperation with Germany in the field of defense and security, as well as the united position against the destabilizing tendencies towards Kosovo, but also the region and beyond.

Plenkovic: Croatia will support Kosovo in all international organizations (media) 

The Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, has welcomed the decision of the Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe made on Wednesday, where it is recommended that Kosovo has fulfilled the conditions to become a full member of the Council of Europe. 

“I welcome today’s decision of the Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to recommend Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe. Croatia will continue to support Kosovo in all international organizations”, he wrote on the X platform.

Serwer: I fear USA has promised Serbia the Association (media)

The expert on developments in the Balkan region, Daniel Serwer, has said that he is afraid that the United States of America has promised Belgrade the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority.

“I fair the Americans have promised the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to Belgrade and don’t want to fall on their swards. The U.S. is not the Council of Europe, but its influence will be strong among some of the Europeans, including France,” he wrote. 

Serwer reacted to a post by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, who wrote on X after Kosovo passed the first challenge to become a member of the Council of Europe, that he hopes that the Association will not be a condition for membership. 

“Kosovo passed an important standard with 90% of the votes. Much more than needed. The next step is a full vote on PACE. The last, most important step is the vote by the European ministers. We hope that the Association will not be a difficult condition for this final vote, despite the current mood in the USA and France”, Selimi wrote.

Krasniqi introduces Hamza as candidate for prime minister (RTK) 

Bedri Hamza, the mayor of the municipality of South Mitrovica, will be the candidate of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) for prime minister in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The chairman of the party, Memli Krasniqi, confirmed this in a press conference. He said that Hamza is their answer to the well-being of the citizens. 

“Today, I have nominated Bedri Hamza as a candidate of the Democratic Party of Kosovo for prime minister of our country. As a proven personality, Bedri is our answer to the citizens’ calls for life, well-being and a better and safer future”, Krasniqi said.

Krasniqi has also proposed to the prime minister, Albin Kurti, that the date of the next elections be June 9.

“I am giving a proposal today for the first time. I think that we should come to an agreement by going to the elections on June 9”, Krasniqi told T7 broadcaster..

Hoxha: Serb criminal groups are preparing an attack in the north (RTK)

Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha, said in an interview with RTK on Wednesday, that they have information that Serb criminal groups are being prepared and trained in Serbian military barracks for another attack against Kosovo Police. He said that Kosovo Police are ready and have the capacities to respond effectively. “They can be groups similar to the groups in Banjska, perhaps in smaller numbers, but they can be more professionally prepared, they can be experts in certain fields that can attack the Kosovo Police for their own interests in the north of the country. Whether there will be an invasion or aggression from Serbia in Kosovo’s territory, this is an issue that should be discussed at other levels. We, as the police, have our capacities and professional means to respond to any attack by these criminal groups,” he said.

Commenting on the movements of the Serbian military near the border with Kosovo, Hoxha said that the Serbian army was opening routes for “terrorists that want to destabilize the country”. “We have alarmed KFOR, and we were in contact with KFOR about their presence [of the Serbian army]. In the last couple of weeks, we made maximal preparations about a possible deployment of criminal forces, or an operation by certain groups of Serbia’s security institutions,” he said. 

Serbian Language Media 

PACE committee recommends Kosovo be invited to become CoE member (N1, FoNet)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Political Affairs Committee meeting in Paris recommended that Kosovo be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe (CoE), N1 reported.

In a statement published on official PACE website it was said that “the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has recommended that Kosovo* be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe. 

Approving a draft Opinion during a meeting held today in Paris, based on a report by Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD), the committee welcomed an extensive list of commitments made in writing by the Kosovo authorities and pointed out that “membership would lead to the strengthening of human rights standards by ensuring access to the European Court of Human Rights for all those who are under Kosovo’s jurisdiction”.

The full Assembly – bringing together parliamentarians from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe – is due to debate the committee’s recommendation on Thursday 18th April˚ during its forthcoming spring plenary session, when it will vote on a final Opinion on Kosovo’s application for membership. The final decision on membership is taken by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers”.

Read the full statement at: https://shorturl.at/kGNS2

Draft Opinion is available at: https://shorturl.at/iwSVX

Dacic slams decision to accept recommendation for CoE membership for Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister in technical mandate Ivica Dacic slammed on Wednesday as “disgraceful and scandalous” a decision by the Committee on Political Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to accept a recommendation to invite Kosovo to membership in the CoE, Tanjug news agency reported.

In a statement released by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dacic said the decision destroyed “all the principles the CoE rests upon because admission of a territory that is not a UN member and is not internationally recognised has been proposed for the first time”. He added that the decision jeopardized the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and was “another proof of a headlong demise and the end of international law”.

At a meeting in Paris this afternoon, the PACE committee passed the recommendation by 31 votes in favor, four votes against and one abstention. The representatives of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maja Vukicevic and Snjezana Novakovic, as well as Serbia’s Biljana Pantic Pilja and Dunja Simonovic Bratic voted against, while the representative of Greece abstained.

The vote was preceded by a report of PACE rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis, who set three conditions for Pristina, of which it met only one – the return of land to the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Decani. On its official X account, the CoE said the next step was an April 18 plenary debate at which the PACE was due to vote on the issue. 

Grubjesic: CoE undermines its own integrity, becoming political organization more and more (Tanjug, media)

Permanent Representative of Serbia to the Council of Europe (CoE) Suzana Grubjesic said last night that this organization undermined its own integrity, by allowing procedure without precedent to admit Kosovo into its membership, adding that Council of Europe is turning into a political organization more and more, Tanjug news agency reported.

“Instead of upholding its initial mission, and it is to safeguard human rights, rights of national minorities, to have rule of law and democracy as its crucial areas, all those principles and all those values that we have build into Serbia for the last 20 years, in our legislation, and our society”, she said.

Head of the Serbian Parliament Permanent Delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Biljana Pantic Pilja said yesterday that adoption of recommendation for membership of Kosovo to CoE was done contrary to all procedures and rules, and by this norms of international laws have also been trampled upon.

She told Tanjug news agency that Serbian delegation presented its stance and told the rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis that what she did was “hypocritical”, adding the status of Kosovo is clearly regulated by UN SC Resolution 1244 by which Kosovo is part of Serbia and will always remain part of it. She also said that Bakoyannis presented her report online. 

Aleksic: Vucic’s disastrous policy lead Kosovo to Council of Europe (Danas, FoNet)

Leader of Peoples’ Movement of Serbia (NPS) and opposition MP, Miroslav Aleksic said yesterday that “disastrous policy of Aleksandar Vucic lead Kosovo to the Council of Europe”, that United Nations are left only, and “the turn has come to the Serbian Orthodox Church and holy shrines”, Danas daily reported.

“For ten years already Vucic is scaring us with difficult days ahead of Serbia which is only a reflection of his incapabilities and direct responsibility for what is happening in Kosovo and Metohija over the last 12 years”, Aleksic said.  

“Abolition of Serbian institutions and the dinar was the final act in shutting down the state and expelling Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija all with the agreement of Aleksandar Vucic and his coalition partner Albin Kurti”, he added.  

Deputy president of opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) Borko Stefanovic told Nova TV that the decision on giving green light for Kosovo membership in Council of Europe would not have happened if there were no “disastrous acts” by Serbian authorities.

“These are the people who were saying our standing has never been better, we had never had better partnership relations, that we are winning 5:0 (…), Stefanovic said. He added that Kosovo for years had two-third majority in the Council of Europe, but that this would not have happened “if there was no ruining of Serbian international position by Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and that (Aleksandar) Vucic did not accept the Brussels and Ohrid agreements, whose point 4 enables all this in essence”.

Gogic: Vote in PACE Committee sends message that precedents are being set again because of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic believes that Kosovo still faces a long road to membership in the Council of Europe following a positive vote in the Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, indicating that precedents are continually being set because of Kosovo. He noted that countries pushing for Kosovo membership in the Council of Europe will exert pressure on Serbia to accept that membership, providing a response to both those members “who do not consider Kosovo being a state” and “those who have recognized Kosovo independence” but are not in favor of its membership in the CoE.

“This situation demonstrates that precedents are being set because of Kosovo, and decisions are being made for Kosovo that are incomparable to other situations”, Gogic said.

He recalled that a report by eminent legal experts was published in the Council of Europe at the end of last year, highlighting deficiencies Kosovo has in meeting the criteria for membership in the Council of Europe. The report clearly points out that there are issues with the rule of law and respect for human rights in Kosovo, which prevent Kosovo from becoming a member of the Council of Europe until this situation improves.

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

Djukanovic sends protest letter to NATO PA president (Tanjug, media)

The head of Serbia’s standing delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Vladimir Djukanovic has sent a letter of protest to the body’s President Michal Szczerba following announcements the status of Kosovo assembly in the NATO PA could be promoted from observer to associate member, and noted that the Serbian parliament could reassess the purposefulness of further participation in the organization’s work unless the decision was reconsidered, Tanjug news agency reported.

“It is with great disappointment and concern that we have received the news that promoting the status of the so-called ‘Kosovo Assembly’ in the NATO PA from observer to associate member was considered at a recent meeting of the NATO PA Standing Committee in Tallinn, so we ask you for an explanation of this decision, which, to us, is completely unexpected and groundless”, Djukanovic wrote in the letter.

According to a statement released by the Serbian Parliament, Djukanovic noted that “the so-called Kosovo was not an independent state and that the move not only created a precedent within the organization but also directly breached UNSCR 1244”.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/IKWZ4

Von Cramon: VV digital army limits freedom of speech (KoSSev)

The topic of Kosovo government-organized bots was brought to the fore following another smear campaign on social networks in early March against a staff member of the European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, more specifically, her new advisor for the Western Balkans, Djordje Bojovic, KoSSev portal reported.

“For those who wonder why Viola is often so out of touch when it comes to Kosovo? Did you know that her main parliamentary assistant, a Serb, is the one who organizes her meetings with Russian spies, her trips to Mitrovica where she meets with Serbian criminals?” – reads the March 8th tweet of an X user “Kosovo is Dardania” marking an attack on the staff of the European Rapporteur for Kosovo.

The campaign on social networks then spread to such an extent that the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, numerous international officials, as well as public figures from Pristina, reacted, blaming alleged “government bots“ for what they interpreted as orchestrated attacks from various accounts. Viola von Cramon herself agreed with this assessment, as did the former Kosovo president.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/fFP89.

International Media 

Kosovo Edges Closer to Council of Europe Membership (Balkan Insight)

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy voted to recommend that Kosovo join the international human rights organization, despite Serbia’s strong opposition.

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy voted on Wednesday to adopt a ‘statutory opinion’ recommending that Kosovo’s application for membership of the human rights organization should be accepted.

Kosovo delegation members confirmed that 31 Council of Europe states voted in favor, four against and one abstained.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/qNZ78

Serbia Uses ‘Amber Alert’ for First Time After Girl Disappears (Balkan Insight)

The Serbian version of Amber Alert, introduced in the country last year, was activated on Tuesday for the first time after a two-year-old girl disappeared in the town of Bor.

The “Pronadji me” [Find me] system, the Serbian version of the Amber Alert, a system of dissemination and publication of information of cases of missing children, was activated on Tuesday for the first time in Serbia after a two-year-old girl went missing in the town of Bor.

TV and radio stations interrupted their programs to publish a notice on the missing girl and information on the time and place of her disappearance, her clothes and age. Citizens also received SMSs with the notice, but not at the same time, over intervals of several hours. There were also notices on the information tables on highways across the country.

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

Kosovo Guerrilla Leadership Didn’t Order Abductions, US Diplomat Testifies (Prishtina Insight)

The former head of the US Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission, Shaun Byrnes, told the war crimes trial of ex-President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army officers that he never had evidence that they ordered abductions.

Shaun Byrnes, who led the US Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission during the Kosovo war, told the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of Hashim Thaci and his three co-defendants at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers this week that he had no information about that General Staff of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA ordered their opponents to be seized. 

“We never had any evidence that showed that the General Staff of the KLA – Thaci, [Jakup] Krasniqi, Rame Buja, Xhavit [Haliti] and others – gave orders or instructions to take hostages, abduct Serbian journalists or LDK [Democratic League of Kosovo party] activists… or any civilian,” Byrnes, who headed the US mission from August 1998 until July 1999, told the court on Wednesday.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4338js7x