Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Productive call with O’Brien (media)
• Kurti: Our democratic progress continues to be recognized internationally (media)
• Svecla: Around 400 extremists are being trained in Serbia near Kosovo border (media)
• Lajcak: Hope we’ll be able to bridge remaining difference on Thursday (media)
• PACE to discuss Kosovo membership on April 16 (Gazeta Express)
• Kurti hosts Apostolic Delegate of Holy See for Kosovo, Jean Marie Speich (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Lajcak: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to continue Thursday (Tanjug, media)
• Dacic: I expect the French MPs in PACE to understand Serbia’s arguments (Tanjug)
• Petkovic: Pristina has no intention of normalizing political relations in the region (RTS, Kosovo Online, Tanjug)
• Dacic: West wants to push Pristina into international organisations (Tanjug, TV Pink)
• Petkovic: We have understood well Western policy of double standards (RTS, Tanjug)
• Grubjesic: Agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe changed, discussion on Kosovo on April 16 (media)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Productive call with O’Brien (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X on Monday that she had a productive call with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Jim O’Brien. “Emphasized the fundamental importance of working together with our U.S allies in defending our freedom, independence, and democracy. We also discussed Kosovo’s strides for Council of Europe membership and the full and swift implementation of the Brussels agreement,” Osmani said.

O’Brien said in a post on X after the call that they “discussed importance of Kosovo implementing monetary regs so as to benefit all Kosovan citizens, including the Serb minority community, and for parties to fulfill all EU Dialogue commitments – for Kosovo this includes the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.”

Kurti: Our democratic progress continues to be recognized internationally (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti shared in a post on X on Monday the Swedish V-Dem’s Democracy Report for 2024 in which Kosovo is ranked at the 62nd position, higher than other countries in the Western Balkans. “Our democratic progress continues to be recognized internationally! The 2024 report by the Swedish-based V Dem Institute has placed Kosova on an improved position and highlighted it as one of the few democracies showing improvement globally. At 62, Kosovo ranks higher than all WB6,” Kurti said.

Svecla: Around 400 extremists are being trained in Serbia near Kosovo border (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in an interview with Albania-based News 24 that around 400 extremists are being trained in Serbia near the border with Kosovo. Svecla said that Kosovo is preparing to prevent any attack but that it does not rule out the possibility of confrontation. “Currently there are around 350-400 extremists that are undergoing training in zones along the border with Kosovo, to be ready for an order from Vucic to reactive and engage in aggressive actions in Kosovo. These groups are certainly active … We are following the situation, we are making preparations to first prevent any kind of scenario and also to confront powerfully and successfully any activity that may threaten the Republic of Kosovo,” he argued.

Commenting on the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulation, Svecla said it is “a normal decision of a country that aspires to join the EU and NATO”. “We are an independent and sovereign state, and we also need to be a normal state. We aspire nothing more than to be a democratic country, where law and order rule, and a state that is equal for all without any difference,” he said.

Lajcak: Hope we’ll be able to bridge remaining difference on Thursday (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a post on Facebook that last week he hosted “Chief negotiators of Kosovo, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, and Serbia, Director Petkovic, in Brussels to continue our discussions on finding a workable solution for the people impacted by the decision of the Kosovo Central Bank. All in all, it’s been a useful meeting. Both Parties had the chance to explain their ideas and positions. In the end, we concluded that another meeting will be needed. The two Parties will be back in Brussels this week and I hope that we will be able to bridge the remaining difference on Thursday.”

PACE to discuss Kosovo membership on April 16 (Gazeta Express)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has changed its agenda for the spring session and on the new agenda the discuss on Kosovo’s membership, which was scheduled to take place on April 18, will be held two days earlier, on April 16.

Kurti hosts Apostolic Delegate of Holy See for Kosovo, Jean Marie Speich (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti hosted in a meeting the Apostolic Delegate of the Holy See for Kosovo, Jean Marie Speich. A press release issued by Kurti’s office notes that he appreciated “the will of the Pope for the deepening of relations between Kosovo and the Vatican. The opening of the Special Mission of the Republic of Kosovo to the Holy See in January of this year, the prime minister singled out as an important development in the further rapprochement of relations between the two countries. He also reiterated the government’s willingness to work closely with the Holy See in promoting human values and peace, alongside bilateral relations.”

Serbian Language Media 

Lajcak: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to continue Thursday (Tanjug, media)

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak confirmed on Monday discussions following Pristina’s decision to ban the Serbian dinar would be continued in Brussels on Thursday, April 4, and expressed the hope “the remaining difference” would be bridged.

“The two Parties will be back in Brussels this week and I hope that we will be able to bridge the remaining difference on Thursday,” Lajcak wrote in a Facebook post.

“On Monday, I hosted the Chief negotiators of Kosovo, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, and Serbia, Director Petkovic, in Brussels to continue our discussions on finding a workable solution for the people impacted by the decision of the Kosovo Central Bank. Overall, it has been a useful meeting. Both Parties had the chance to explain their ideas and positions. In the end, we concluded that another meeting will be needed,” he added.

Dacic: I expect the French MPs in PACE to understand Serbia’s arguments (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, expressed yesterday in a conversation with the head of the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Bertrand Buix in Belgrade, that he expected the French MPs in that institution to be more understanding of Serbia’s arguments at the upcoming session where the draft will be considered on the request for the admission of Kosovo in CoE.

In a conversation with Buix, who is also the chairman of the Committee for Political Affairs and Democracy of the PACE, Dacic expressed his disappointment over the adoption of the draft opinion of the PACE rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis on the request of  Kosovo for membership in the CoE, in which the establishment of the A/CSM and the solution to the issue of expropriations in the north of Kosovo were omitted as conditions for its membership.

He pointed out that Kosovo is a historically important part of Serbia and recalled the centuries-old friendship between Serbia and France during both world wars, as well as the fact that they were always on the right side of history, the relevant ministry announced.

Petkovic: Pristina has no intention of normalizing political relations in the region (RTS, Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, said at the meeting with the French MP and head of the French delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Bertrand Buix, that, despite the constant obstruction of the normalization of the situation on the ground and the escalation of the problem, Pristina was rewarded by opening the perspective for membership in European Council.

Pristina has no intention of participating in the creation of conditions for the normalization of political and inter-ethnic relations in the region, Petkovic said at the meeting, which was also attended by the French ambassador to Serbia, Pierre Cauchard, the Office for KiM announced yesterday.

At the beginning of the conversation, Petkovc pointed to the fact that today has been 4,000 days since Pristina assumed the obligation to fulfill the only obligation from the Brussels Agreement and create the conditions for the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, which it did not do, but, according to him, in that way clearly demonstrated that it has no intention of participating in the creation of conditions for the normalization of political and inter-ethnic relations in the region.

Dacic: West wants to push Pristina into international organisations (Tanjug, TV Pink)

Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic said on Monday Serbia was under great pressure from Western countries, which he noted were trying to push Kosovo into international organisations in any possible way.

When your country is under such pressure, you are “under immediate threat and cannot find words to describe those who are conducting an anti-Serb policy other than to say that they are criminals, villains and liars,” Dacic said on Pink TV.

“The situation our country is in is very serious… It is about continuing a policy of pushing ‘Kosovo’ into international organisations so that it can use various mechanisms international organisations have, as well as to potentially file a lawsuit against us,” he said.

Commenting on announcements Pristina would sue Serbia for war crimes, Dacic said Pristina’s PM Albin Kurti was not competent to talk about that as he was in prison at the time.

“The ‘Kosovo Liberation Army’ was a terrorist organisation until it was taken off the list to support its demands for independence of Kosovo. It seems that everyone has the right to defend their territorial integrity and that only Serbia cannot defend the part of our country where our country was born,” Dacic noted.

He said “the announced April 27 Srebrenica genocide resolution was a disgraceful decision given all the historical facts”.

The West is forgetting that, in 1999, Serbia was targeted by an aggression that no one has been held responsible for and that was declared a “humanitarian intervention” even though it killed civilians, he explained.

“Western countries say there is no need to return to the past, and the Srebrenica issue, which happened before the NATO aggression, is not a return to the past?” he asked.

Petkovic: We have understood well Western policy of double standards (RTS, Tanjug)

The director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Monday Belgrade had understood well the Western policy of double standards after Pristina had not only not been punished for sabotaging the normalisation process but had even been rewarded with prospects of membership in some international organisations.

In a post on the social media network X, Petkovic wrote Pristina’s commitment to establish a Community of Serb Municipalities was 4,000 days old and that Belgrade had received firm guarantees that would be done.

“They lied about everything! (Pristina’s PM Albin) Kurti consistently makes it known to the Serbs that their disenfranchisement is permanent and to Belgrade that they (Pristina) are not ready for normalisation on the ground,” Petkovic noted.

Grubjesic: Agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe changed, discussion on Kosovo on April 16 (media)

Ambassador and permanent representative of Serbia in the Council of Europe, Suzana Grubjesic, told Euronews Serbia that the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of that organization begins on April 15 and will last until April 19.

She stated that the agenda had been changed. Initially, the draft stated that the report of Dora Bakoyannis and two other rapporteurs from the legal committee concerning Kosovo will be discussed on April 18, but now it has been moved to April 16.

“Obviously, there is a fear that there would not be enough positive MPs in the hall on April 18 because they will be leaving Strasbourg at that time. Therefore, on April 16, there will be a presentation of the report and a discussion and vote on it,” Grubjesic  told Euronews Serbia.

She points out that she announced this so that it would be seen that these details are taken care of and that nothing is left to chance.

“The quorum for decision-making in the Parliamentary Assembly is a third of the deputies present. Of those two-thirds, two thirds majority is required, which is easily feasible. I have no doubt that it could be easily feasible on the Kosovo issue, that is, on the issue of further forwarding the opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Committee of Ministers, which alone can decide on the admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe,” said Suzana Grubjesic.

She adds that the meeting of the Committee of Ministers is scheduled for May 16 and 17 and that the preliminary agenda has already been published.

Otherwise, the decision of the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to give Kosovo the green light for full membership in that organization represents a precedent and a violation of the organization’s statute, according to Serbian officials and Sers in Kosovo, while the Kosovo side claims that Kosovo meets all the conditions for membership.