Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti reveals the achievements for the support of non-majority communities (RTK)
• Stano: Association establishment, a long-standing requirement and obligation (media)
• Osmani: Burning the children of Kosovo alive, the truth of Serbia (RTK)
• Kurti pays tribute in Gjakova: Killing of children and elderly proves Serbian genocide (media)
• KFOR talks about the security situation in Kosovo (Kallxo)
• Krasniqi on KLA leaders: You can imprison them, but you cannot deny their presence (media)
• Abazovic: EU should be more concrete in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Stano: Urgently form the A/CSM, that is one of the conditions and topics of every meeting (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)
• The UNSC session, addressing the UNMIK report, scheduled for April 22 (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTS)
• Deadline for registration of voters outside Kosovo until April 3, complicated CEC procedure in Pristina (Tanjug)
• Gasic to Svecla: Whatever you say is a lie, the attack on Vucic announces new violence and pressure on Serbs (KoSSev, media)
• O’Brien to Osmani: Important to form CSM, it is a dialogue commitment (N1)
• Danijela Vujicic at the head of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija (KoSSev)
• Anatomy of a bot campaign (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti reveals the achievements for the support of non-majority communities (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has revealed the measures taken by the government to support non-majority communities during the last three years. He mentioned the creation of a special fund for non-majority communities, worth 3 million euros.

“Through it, we financed 259 grants for farmers, young entrepreneurs and NGOs in order to promote employment in these communities. A year earlier, we supported 123 projects for small businesses and entrepreneurs from all communities. And this year we launched the special employment measure for 2,000 jobseekers living in the municipalities of Leposaviq, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and North Mitrovica. We have already opened Employment Offices and Business Registration Agency Offices there. In the latter, more than 50 new businesses were recently registered”, Kurti wrote.

He further said that non-majority communities make up 17% of the Ministry of Economy’s subsidies for efficient equipment, within the framework of energy efficiency measures. According to Kurti, they also make up 9% of paid interns through the program of the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers “Kosova Generation Unlimited”.

“Within the Community Stabilization Program, in cooperation with the European Union, the Ministry of Communities and Return has implemented 415 different projects through which 543 new jobs have been secured, of which 328 are full-time, the rest with part time. In cooperation with the European Union, 116 houses have also been built or renovated, to ensure a sustainable return for non-majority communities. And through the Ministry of Local Government Administration, we have also allocated 3 million euros for the construction and renovation of houses along with another 4 million during the years 2021-2024 for infrastructure projects that benefit especially the members of non-majority communities in the municipalities of our country”. added Kurti.

He also mentioned the establishment of the inter-institutional group for the promotion of the employment of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, as well. As the process of verifying the diplomas of the University of North Mitrovica. Kurti also mentioned the live broadcast of government meetings in the Serbian language, in addition to respecting the law on the use of languages in media releases and announcements from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The republic belongs to all citizens. Our government is for all citizens”, Kurti emphasized.

Stano: Association establishment, a long-standing requirement and obligation (media)

Peter Stano, spokesperson of the European Union, has said that if Kosovo does not start the implementation of the agreement regarding the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority, then this shows that the country is not committed to the process of normalizing relations with Serbia.

Speaking to the journalists at the media conference, the EU spokesperson underlined that the formation of the Association of Serb Municipalities is a long-standing request and obligation from the side of Kosovo.

“So, it is necessary to work on it urgently. This has been repeated several times by the European Union at the highest level and at the level of European leaders. So, if Kosovo fails to realize these, then it will not be seen as a a positive sign of the will to continue on the path of normalization, which is now linked to Kosovo’s progress on its path to EU membership”, he said. 

Referring to the April 4 meeting, Stano underlined that the same will be focused on finding a solution to the dinar issue. “This is mostly related to the issues that were discussed last week and the week before in Brussels, namely mainly the issue of the implications or consequences of the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo on the use of the dinar”, Stano said.

Osmani: Burning the children of Kosovo alive, the truth of Serbia (RTK)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, on the anniversary of the macabre murder in the Vejsa family, remembered the loss of life of the unprotected citizens of Gjakova between April 1 and 2, 1999.

“The names of the martyred children and women of the families: Vejsa, Caka, Haxhiavdija, Nuqi, Hoxha and Gashi from Gjakova, are a permanent memory and testify to the difficult path of our aspirations for freedom and statehood. 25 years ago, the Serbian genocidal regime manifested its cruelty when it killed and then burned in the basement of the Vejsa family’s house the members of these families from the age of 2 to 75 years old,” Osmani wrote.

She also wrote that burning the children of Kosovo alive is the truth of Serbia, which even today continues to protect the criminals who commit these macabre crimes with clear genocidal intent.

‘Keeping their memory alive, we will continue the fight for justice.’

“May the memory be permanent for all those who fell for freedom!”, she emphasized.

Kurti pays tribute in Gjakova: Killing of children and elderly proves Serbian genocide (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid tribute in the village of Kralan of Gjakova and in the city cemetery in Gjakova, honoring the fallen of Kralan from the families the Vejsa, Haxhiavdyli and Caka.

“The killing of children and babies, old men and women, women and defenseless civilians in the spring of 1999, in Kralan and Gjakove, proves the genocide practiced by the Serbian forces against the Albanians in Kosovo”, said on this occasion Prime Minister Kurti.

He further said that dozens and hundreds of order givers were the extended hand of Milosevic, and they must be held accountable.

He added that with the changes of the criminal code “we have made it possible for Serbian criminals to be pursued, judged and punished even in absentia”.

In the Kralan massacre, 80 Albanian civilians were killed and executed, while in the Vejsa, Caka and Haxhiavdyli families over 29 Albanian civilians, including children.

KFOR talks about the security situation in Kosovo (Kallxo)

KFOR, as NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, has reiterated that since May 2023, 1,000 additional troops have been deployed in Kosovo, thus marking the biggest reinforcement of this mission in a decade. This statement of KFOR came as a response to Kallxo.com, after questions about the statement of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, that there are about 400 “extremists” who are being trained near the border with Kosovo. 

KFOR has announced that the Commander of the mission remains in close contact with all his main counterparts. “The Commander of KFOR remains in close contact with all his main counterparts, including the representatives of the security organizations in Kosovo, the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia, EULEX, the UN, the OSCE and the diplomatic corps,” KFOR wrote in response. 

In terms of providing security, KFOR announced that it has increased its presence in the north of Kosovo and has tripled the number of patrols, including those along the ‘administrative border line’. “NATO continues to urge Belgrade and Pristina to engage in EU-facilitated dialogue as the only way to resolve outstanding issues and reach solutions that respect the rights of all communities. This is the key to sustainable security in Kosovo and stability in the region” – wrote in KFOR’s response. 

Krasniqi on KLA leaders: You can imprison them, but you cannot deny their presence (media)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi visited the families of the former KLA leaders who are currently being tried in The Hague.

“There are some personalities, rare throughout history, whose name and activity exceed the ordinary. You can even imprison such people, but you cannot deny their presence. Such are also Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi”, he wrote adding that for all these years the former leaders have belonged more toto the people than their families.

“Their path to freedom, with the fate of a nation on their shoulders, has passed through the valley of death for more than half of their lives,” he continued.

Among other things, he added that it is a duty to continue their state-building mission empowerment, and integration until they return to Kosovo. “This is the greatest respect and honor we can give to their names, their sacrifice, their families. I told this to their respected family members during today’s visits to them”, wrote the chairman of the PDK.

Abazovic: EU should be more concrete in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RTK)

The former prime minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, has stated that the European Union should change its approach in mediating the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. He said in an interview for “Euroactiv” that “the EU should be more concrete”.

“If we always have this kind of very soft policy, we will be talking about the same thing in 10 or 20 years. This is a disaster because we have already lost 20 years,” Abazovic said.

He expressed his belief that Kosovo and Serbia “want to see a final agreement” and “show that we are no longer a region of conflict, but a region of understanding”.

However, Abazovic has admitted that it will not be easy to achieve.

Meanwhile, speaking about Montenegro’s vote against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, in the Committee for Political Affairs and Democracy in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Abazovic emphasized that this development is a ‘new reality’. Abazovic said that the vote against Kosovo in the CoE would be “impossible under his mandate”.

“We were very clear in our foreign policy. It was 100% harmonized with the foreign policy of the European Union”, he said further.

Serbian Language Media 

Stano: Urgently form the A/CSM, that is one of the conditions and topics of every meeting (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)

Pristina must urgently fulfill its obligation to form the Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities (A/CSM), European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said today on the occasion of more than 4,000 days since the Brussels Agreement provided for the formation of the A/CSM, and warned that if it does not do so, it will not be considered a positive sign of readiness to continue on the path of normalizing relations with Belgrade.

At the media briefing in Brussels, when asked by Tanjug what the EU plans to do in order for the A/CSM to be finally formed and whether this issue will be one of the topics of the dialogue at the level of the main negotiators on Thursday in Brussels, he said that the meeting will be focused mainly on the issue of banning the use of dinars and that the A/CSM is not the main topic, but that this issue is always present during all EU communications with Pristina officials.

He reminded that the EU at the leadership level has repeatedly asked Pristina to fulfill its obligation to form the A/CSM. 

“The formation of the A/CSM is a long-standing request and a long-standing obligation of Kosovo, so it must be fulfilled urgently. The EU has repeated this several times at the highest level, at the level of European leaders. If Kosovo fails to fulfill that, it will not be seen as a positive sign of readiness to continue the path of normalization, which is now linked to Kosovo’s progress on the road to EU accession,” said Stano.

He added that the meeting at the level of the main negotiators on Thursday in Brussels will be focused on other issues, mainly on the issues discussed in the past weeks in Brussels to resolve the consequences of the decision of the CBK on the use of the dinar.

“The A/CSM as such is not one of the main topics, but this (issue) is omnipresent. It is present at every meeting, in all our contacts with Kosovo partners, because it is one of the conditions that really urgently needs to be met,” said Stano and emphasized that the A/CSM should be formed “without any further delay”.

The UNSC session, addressing the UNMIK report, scheduled for April 22 (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTS)

The session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at which the new six-month report of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) will be discussed should be held on April 22, stated the UNSC’s monthly work plan published on the site, Tanjug agency reported.

The session was scheduled by Malta, which took over the presidency of the UN Security Council on April 1st, and it will be held in the morning local time, that is, in the afternoon Central European time.

Deadline for registration of voters outside Kosovo until April 3, complicated CEC procedure in Pristina (Tanjug)

The deadline for registering voters to vote for the removal of the mayor in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, who live outside, and have the right to vote began on March 29 and lasts until April 3, and the registration request can be submitted online or by mail, reported Tanjug.

As announced by the CEC in Pristina, during the registration period for the vote that will be held on April 21, citizens living outside of Kosovo can apply for registration through the online platform posted on the CEC website kqz-ks.org, and another way is to apply by mail.

The complicated procedure for registration is only one of the obstacles faced by Serbs when it comes to voting for the removal of mayors in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, according to Tanjug.

Gasic to Svecla: Whatever you say is a lie, the attack on Vucic announces new violence and pressure on Serbs (KoSSev, media)

Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs, Bratislav Gasic denied last night the allegations of the Kosovo Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Svecla – that allegedly around 400 “Serbian extremists are being trained” and are “waiting for Vucic’s order to attack”. “Whenever Svecla makes accusations against the President of Serbia, it is actually an announcement of new violence and pressure on the Serbs, which he wants to expel from their centuries-old homes,” said Gasic, reported portal KoSSev. 

Gasic stated that “Svecla knows that everything he writes and says is a lie”, but:

“Thus, he is trying to justify his lack of independence and lack of self-confidence, because unlike him and Kurti, President Vucic bravely makes decisions by listening to his people, and for him, the only interest is the protection of the Serbian population and their interests in Kosovo and Metohija.”

Gasic assessed that conflicts and tensions were “the only vocabulary with which Svecla, as well as his owner Kurti, know how to communicate”, and not dialogue, respect for agreements and international agreements.

“By illegally taking over the jurisdiction of KFOR, by creating illegal ROSU bases in the north of Kosovo, they show that they do not respect the Brussels Agreement, that they do not respect Europe or its institutions, and that peace and the rule of law are neither familiar nor desired categories for them,” Gasic assessed in his reaction published on the website of the Serbian Progressive Party.

“Whether a normal and democratic society is achieved by releasing the criminal Azem Kurtaj, a member of the so-called KSF, who shot at Serbian children on Christmas Day?”

While criticizing Pristina, he said that the President of Serbia was acting in accordance with his constitutional powers.

“And I will remind Svecla that in accordance with the Constitution of Serbia, the UN Charter and Resolution 1244, Kosovo and Metohija is a part of our country,” added Gasic, stating that Serbia will “preserve its people in the southern Serbian province.”

“We will not allow them to be exposed to the aggression of Svecla, nor its paramilitary formations, which are just KLA disguises, nor new pogroms, expulsions and killings of Serbs.”

In the end, he says that Serbia “does not attack its people or its territories”:

“But defends the interests and security of its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Because dignity, national pride and the preservation of Serbian history, tradition and culture are priceless.”

O’Brien to Osmani: Important to form CSM, it is a dialogue commitment (N1)

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien said he spoke with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and emphasized the importance of forming the Community/Association of Serb Municipalities (CSM), as a dialogue commitment, reported N1.

In a post on X, O’Brien said he also discussed with Osmani the implementation of monetary regulations from which all Kosovo citizens would benefit, including the Serb minority.

“Good call with Vjosa Osmani today. We discussed the importance of Kosovo implementing monetary regs so as to benefit all Kosovan citizens, including the Serb minority community, & for parties to fulfill all EU Dialogue commitments – for Kosovo this includes the Association of Serb Municipalities,” said O’Brien.

Danijela Vujicic at the head of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija (KoSSev)

The member of the Serbian Parliament in front of the list “Serbia must not stop – Aleksandar Vucic”, Danijela Vujicic, is the new president of the parliamentary committee for Kosovo and Metohija, reported portal KoSSev. 

Vujicic was elected with 10 votes in favor and five against.

“Thank you for voting. Thank you for recognizing in me someone who will constructively lead this committee. Thanks also to you who did not support me. I will not forbid you to speak…”, said this deputy, among other things.

Aleksandar Pavic, also a member of the Parliament of Serbia representing Branimir Nestorovic’s “We, the Voice of the People” party, was elected as her deputy.

This was the first session of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija since the new convocation of the Serbian Parliament.

Zoran Milivojevic, Aleksandar Jovanovic Cuta, Marinika Tepic, Borko Stefanovic, Goran Rakic, Ivan Antic, Snezana Paunovic and others were also present at the meeting.

Anatomy of a bot campaign (KoSSev)

Who are the “bots” spreading disinformation about Serbian activists?

KoSSev analyzed several dozens of posts, profiles, and comments on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, to answer the question of whether there is an organized bot network from Kosovo that targets certain Serbian activists by deliberately spreading disinformation.

By Andjela Milivojevic

Suspicions about the existence of organized bot networks from Kosovo on the social network X, formerly Twitter, which strive to deliberately spread propaganda and disinformation were brought to the fore once again in early March.

On International Women’s Day marked on March 8, a 14-second clip of Djordje Bojović, adviser to the European rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, was shared on the X social network. In the short video, Bojović is shown questioning claims that genocide or other war crimes were committed in Kosovo. The post suggested that Bojović denied and trivialized the existence of genocide in Kosovo.

The post was published around 8 am by the account „Kosovo is Dardania,“ quickly going viral. The controversial thread on X was seen by about 55 thousand users, shared 61 times directly with a dozen citations, about 230 likes, and approximately 50 different comments.

The campaign spread to such an extent that several NGOs, international officials, as well as public figures from Pristina reacted, pointing a finger at alleged „bots“ for the organized attacks from various anonymous accounts.

Former Kosovo president Artifeta Jahjaga also characterized these events as an organized lynching:

“The organized lynching of civil society activists in Kosovo and Kosovo’s friends through social networks is unacceptable.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yn9hwrjx