Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Justice for victims and punishment of criminals is foundation of peace (RTK)
• Slovenian President: We support you towards membership in the Council of Europe (RTK)
• Begaj: It is Albania’s duty to be a good lawyer for Kosovo (RTK)
• Gervalla: Giant step towards CoE membership, on Tuesday (RTK)
• ​​Zulfaj: Membership in CoE should not be linked to dialogue, we expect positive vote (Koha) 
• Svecla meets EU official, raises concerns about Serbia’s successive public threats (Koha)
• Settlement of disputes with Kosovo, condition for Serbia also in purchase of armaments (Koha)
• Kosovo convenes Security Council: Serbia owns thousands of Iranian drones (Koha)
• Palokaj: Italy proposed to introduce Association as condition for Kosovo’s membership in CoE (Koha)
• MFA: Three Kosovars evacuated from Israel (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian delegation seeks postponement of Pristina’s CoE admission (Tanjug, KoSSev)
• Pantic Pilja: Through amendments, we are trying to mitigate Opinion of Dora Bakoyannis (Kosovo Online)
• Spain will not vote for Kosovo admission to Council of Europe (Kosovo Online, media)
• PIK launched investigation into report from a Serb beaten up by Kosovo special police in Zubin Potok (KoSSev)
• Bisevac on beating of Stevanovic: Citizens are afraid, result of it is that they are leaving (Radio KIM)
• Vucic starts visit to BH on Air Serbia flight to Mostar (N1)

International Media: 

• Hague Prosecution Demands 28 Years for Kosovo’s ‘Commander Wolf’ (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Justice for victims and punishment of criminals is foundation of peace (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti during his address at the panel “How to increase the role of women in the peace process” within the framework of the International Forum for Women, Peace and Security, which started on Monday in Pristina, emphasized that the foundation of peace is justice for victims and punishment of criminals.

“We are together every day in the cause of justice for survivors of sexual violence during war everywhere. We are always with the survivors, both yesterday and today”, Kurti emphasized. 

He went on to say that by paying a very high price for freedom, survivors of sexual violence during the war become the best guardians of freedom, therefore they contribute to peace, bring it faster. “Their involvement and participation ensure lasting peace. Those who a quarter of a century ago were the subject of Serbia’s inhumane war, today are our heroines, vocal and silent heroines. Although we don’t know their names, we know their strength”, he said.

Kurti further emphasized that we cannot move towards global peace without deeply reflecting on what it means to be human. “Good dialogue can take place when the parties are not afraid of distancing themselves from crimes”, Kurti underlined.

Slovenian President: We support you towards membership in the Council of Europe (RTK) 

The President of Slovenia, Natasha Pirc Musar, has offered her country’s support to Kosovo for membership in the Council of Europe. After the meeting she had with the president Vjosa Osmani, Musar said “we will support you all the way. The Council of Europe is about the people, because ultimately it is the Albanian and Serbian citizens of Kosovo who have direct contact with the Human Rights Court. I was shocked today when President Osmani told me that Kosovo is the only country in Europe without access to the Human Rights Court. This is completely unfair in the 21st century,” she said.

She has said that she wishes for Kosovo to become part of the Council of Europe and that the next stage is the integration into the European Union and the United Nations Organization. Pirc Musar has encouraged Kosovo to include as many women as possible in the dialogue with Serbia, since, as she said, reaching peaceful agreements is easier when women are in the negotiating teams.

“As long as the dialogue is open, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I firmly believe in such a thing. It may take some time, but I am very sure that Belgrade and Pristina will find a common language in the end for the benefit of the people”, Pirc Musar emphasized.

Begaj: It is Albania’s duty to be a good lawyer for Kosovo (RTK)

The President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, has emphasized after the meeting he had with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, that it is Albania’s duty to be a good advocate for Kosovo in all membership processes.

“I wouldn’t call the relations between the two states very good politically, but they are relations as they should be. They are extremely kind and brotherly. It is important that we work for our people. Economic relations must be developed. Our foreign policy is aligned with the European and Euro-Atlantic one. Albania has the duty to be a good advocate of Kosovo for new recognition and membership in international organizations. I fully hope that tomorrow we will have a successful vote in the Council of Europe”, President Begaj said.

Gervalla: Giant step towards CoE membership, on Tuesday (RTK)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, reiterated one day before the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, that Kosovo has fulfilled all the conditions to join the Council of Europe, and that she is optimistic that it will be voted pro membership.

“Tomorrow the General Assembly of the Council of Europe will vote for Kosovo’s membership and at the same time will give a recommendation to the Ministerial Council which will set the earliest date to meet and discuss Kosovo, if it wants to have it on the May 16 agenda.

So, tomorrow is the giant step towards membership, but it is not the final step, because the final step also requires the vote of the foreign ministers”, Gervalla said. 

​​Zulfaj: Membership in CoE should not be linked to dialogue, we expect positive vote (Koha) 

Jeton Zulfaj, adviser to the Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has said that it is “absurd” for the international community to put “pressure” on Kosovo to establish the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority, since according to him Serbia does not respect any point of the Brussels/Ohrid agreement.

“We are explaining to the international community that it is not right to ask Kosovo to implement an article of the agreement, as long as we have a flagrant violation of the agreement by Serbia, this is a bit absurd. It makes no sense to ask Kosovo to implement an article of an agreement that Serbia does not respect”, he said during an interview on KTV.

During this interview, Zulfaj emphasized that Serbia is “lobbying wildly” to prevent Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe. “Serbia is fiercely lobbying to prevent the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the Council, it is doing this in spite of the commitments it made with the acceptance of the Basic Agreement and the Ohrid annex”.

Svecla meets EU official, raises concerns about Serbia’s successive public threats (Koha)

Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla has announced that he received the deputy managing director for Europe of the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the EU, Marko Makovec, and the EU ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog.

“We talked about the commitments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the rule of law and order, preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo. We discussed the security situation in the northern municipalities, and I raised the concern about the successive public threats of Serbia and the continuation of the training of groups there, for the realization of new attacks inside our Republic”, Svecla wrote on Facebook.

He further wrote that “the Republic of Kosovo continues to be under unfair punitive measures of the EU for which I asked Mr. Makovec their removal”.

“Our daily commitment based on the best European values and practices is proof of our determination towards integration into the European Union, a family within which our Republic must definitely be,” Svecla wrote. 

Settlement of disputes with Kosovo, condition for Serbia also in purchase of armaments (Koha)

Based on French media, the news website reports that the normalization of relations with Kosovo is mentioned as a condition for Serbia in a bilateral agreement with France, respectively the transaction with the French state for the purchase of “Rafale” fighter jets.

Although the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, presented it as a done deal, the media in France reported on Monday that the sale of military planes could be blocked. In addition to the review of relations with China and the imposition of sanctions against Russia, Emmanuel Macron’s other precondition for Serbia is reported to be the request for easing tensions and normalizing relations with Kosovo.

According to the French BFM, France intends to receive confirmation of political developments in the country before the contract for the sale of military aircraft is concluded. “If the sale of ‘Rafale’ is approved, you can see French warplanes being used to intimidate Kosovo. These planes can be used against neighboring countries,” analyst Jasmin Mu was quoted as saying by the French medium BFM.

Serbia’s investments in the purchase of weapons have been steadily increasing in recent years. From 2012 to 2023, Serbia’s military budget tripled, reaching 1.4 billion euros. In the period from 2014 to 2023, Serbia has spent 2.67 billion euros on the purchase of weapons – mainly for the purchase of the Chinese FK-3 anti-aircraft system and the Russian Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters. 

According to the French medium, Serbia’s investment in the army is as much as the budget of five other Balkan countries together. 

Kosovo convenes Security Council: Serbia owns thousands of Iranian drones (Koha)

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, the Security Council of Kosovo held a meeting on Sunday evening. According to a press release issued by the government, the central topic of this meeting was Iran’s attack on the State of Israel, and the possible implications for global and regional peace and security.

“The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has immediately condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, describing it as an unprecedented act that poses a risk for the destabilization of the Middle East and the further escalation of the security situation”, the communiqué states.

It is further said that the attack was carried out with Shaheed drones, which are Iranian production. “Thousands of such drones are also in possession of Serbia, which continuously exhibits aggressive behavior towards our Republic, especially along the border we share”, the communiqué states.

The Security Institutions of Kosovo are said to be following recent developments with increased attention, and are monitoring the security situation on a continuous basis and in close coordination and cooperation with KFOR and strategic partners.  

Palokaj: Italy proposed to introduce Association as condition for Kosovo’s membership in CoE (Koha)

Koha Ditore’s Brussels based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, said that the chances are good that Dora Bakoyannis’s report on Kosovo will also be passed in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Tuesday.  

“The chances are that tomorrow, despite many challenges, this report will also be voted on in the Assembly. The final decision is a political decision of the member countries. The parliamentary assembly gives the opinion, and if the opinion is voted then it will be a positive decision. The fate of Kosovo’s request for membership will depend on the support of at least two thirds of the foreign ministers, and the Council of Ministers meets once a year. The next meeting is in mid-May, and if it doesn’t pass, then the chances are that it will be postponed for at least a year”, Palokaj told KTV.

He said that there were different proposals from the delegations. “The Italian delegation has made a proposal, according to which the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority should be included as a condition before Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe,” Palokaj said.

MFA: Three Kosovars evacuated from Israel (RTK)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo has announced that three Kosovars have been evacuated from Israel together with 12 citizens of Albania. The Ministry informed that the embassy has come to the aid of other citizens who are there, providing them with ticket arrangements and logistical assistance.

“We reconfirm that no Kosovar citizen has suffered injuries, had no difficulties in movement or difficulties of any other nature. Despite the difficulties and restrictions, the flight lines in general have begun to stabilize, as no other attacks of a similar nature are expected soon.”

There are also about 15 citizens from Kosovo in Israel, but according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they have not shown interest in leaving Israel.

Serbian Language Media 

Serbian delegation seeks postponement of Pristina’s CoE admission (Tanjug, KoSSev)

The Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Monday submitted ten amendments to the text of a recommendation to admit Kosovo to the Council of Europe (CoE), Tanjug news agency reported.

One of the amendments proposes that the assembly recommend to the CoE Committee of Ministers to postpone a decision on Pristina’s request for membership in the organization until the UN Security Council “establishes or approves the status of Kosovo and Metohija”. In a document seen by Tanjug, the Serbian delegation also requested that the proposed text of the recommendation be amended so as to make the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities a precondition for continuing the process of reviewing Pristina’s membership application, rather than a post-accession obligation as stated in the present text. 

A total of fifteen amendments have been submitted ahead of Tuesday’s debate on the recommendation in Strasbourg. In addition to the Serbian delegation, two members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina delegation supported specific amendments, while seven representatives from Italy and one from Hungary supported amendments of article 11 saying that establishment of ZSO would be an important step and a way to advance democratic participation and empower Serbs in Kosovo, thus ensuring protection of their rights.

Amendments were requested in the article 15 as well, by international delegations in the CoE. Representatives from Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Norway and Netherland requested major changes, respectively that the Assembly demands from Kosovo: change in composition of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, new draft law on expropriations, politicians not to criticize work of judicial bodies, reducing excessive use of pre-indictment and investigation detention in unjustifiably long time intervals, and bilingualism guaranteed by Constitution.

Pantic Pilja: Through amendments, we are trying to mitigate Opinion of Dora Bakoyannis (Kosovo Online)

The Serbian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has submitted 10 amendments to the text of the recommendation for Kosovo admission to this international organization. The head of the Serbian delegation, Biljana Pantic Pilja, told Kosovo Online portal that this is an attempt to soften the Opinion of the PACE rapporteur, Dora Bakoyannis. “We are trying to mitigate the Opinion of Dora Bakoyannis with the amendments”, she said.

She noted that the decision of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs, which supported the draft Opinion on Pristina’s membership in the Council of Europe, was expected.

“The committee made an expected decision, but it was not unanimous, as three members were against it – two members of the Serbian delegation and a colleague from Cyprus”, Pantic Pilja said.

Spain will not vote for Kosovo admission to Council of Europe (Kosovo Online, media)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain has confirmed this country will maintain its position in relation to Pristina’s membership bid to join Council of Europe, CoE, respectively it will be against it, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“As far as the Committee of Ministers is concerned, where the stance of Spain was presented, what we can say is that Spain will maintain its stance on Kosovo”, reads the response, in which a footnote was used in reference to Kosovo.

It was also said that Spain does not see any other way to resolve the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina but dialogue, and that is why Madrid supports dialogue mediated by EU High Representative. 

PIK launched investigation into report from a Serb beaten up by Kosovo special police in Zubin Potok (KoSSev)

Kosovo Police Inspectorate (PIK) confirmed to KoSSev portal that it has launched a preliminary investigation related to the report of a Serb from Zubin Potok saying that he was beaten up by members of the Kosovo special police unit in the village of Bube in this municipality.

Serbian Democracy said earlier that Vladan Stevanovic from Zubin Potok was beaten up, and has a number of stitches on his head as result of injuries inflicted. The party also said that members of the Kosovo special police unit humiliated Stevanovic and “forced him to shout “republika Kosovo””.

Meanwhile Kosovo police in the region North confirmed that Stevanovic reported the case and that they informed PIK which should take over the case. 

Bisevac on beating of Stevanovic: Citizens are afraid, result of it is that they are leaving (Radio KIM)

Beating of Vladan Stevanovic in the village of Bube in Zubin Potok municipality by Kosovo special police unit is yet another case that instills fear among citizens, which as result has them leaving the area, inciting hatred and intolerance, leader of the Serbian Peoples’ Movement and Zubin Potok resident, Milija Bisevac said, Radio KIM reports. Bisevac recalled that the beating of Vladan Stevanovic by members of Kosovo special police was not the first case in the north of Kosovo.

“In the village of Bube, two similar cases happened two months ago. Unfortunately, these people did not dare to report it, although we urged them to do so. Unprofessionalism, beatings of our citizens by Kosovo special police is often happening”, he told Radio KIM.  

Bisevac also said the presence of Kosovo special police members in the north of Kosovo is unnecessary. “More and more they get in conflict with ordinary citizens, beat up ordinary people who have nothing to do with crime, smuggling or anything else. We want them to leave these areas”, he said.

Bisevac expressed doubts that any member of the Kosovo special police will be held accountable for beatings of Zubin Potok residents. “Those cases end up in drawers. That was the case of Milentije Jaksic, our activist from Zubin Potok, who was also beaten up two months ago, the procedure is still ongoing, we have no official information where it goes and how the case is progressing. Until now, not a single police officer was punished, let alone suspended. Absolutely, no one has been held responsible for the acts they are committing, and this raises hatred and intolerance between the population and special police”, he said.

“The fear reigns here for a long time. Those cases instill fear among citizens, and the result is that people more and more leave those areas because they do not know who the next victim will be”, he said.   

Vucic starts visit to BH on Air Serbia flight to Mostar (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic started a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday on the first flight between Mostar and Belgrade in more than 30 years. Air Serbia launched a service between Belgrade and Mostar with flights three times a week.

Vucic’s two-day visit will include the opening of an economy fair and meetings with Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chair Borjana Kristo, Mostar Mayor Mario Kordic and European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak.

Air Serbia signed the contract on the flights with Mostar Airport early in February.

International Media 

Hague Prosecution Demands 28 Years for Kosovo’s ‘Commander Wolf’ (Balkan Insight)

At the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the prosecution demanded a 28-year prison sentence for Pjeter Shala for the arbitrary detention, mistreatment, torture and murder of prisoners held at the Kukes Metal Factory in Albania, in May-June 1999.

In its closing statement on Monday, the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, SPO, in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army member, Pjeter Shala, known as “Commander Wolf”, asked the trial chamber in The Hague to give the defendant “a single sentence of 28 years in prison” for war crimes in May-June 1999 committed at the Kukes Metal Factory in Albania.

“The defense describes the accused as a simple KLA soldier who helped his people to fight at the front. The evidence in this case before us, however, proves that he was certainly another person: a person who made 18 people victims of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and the murder of one of them,” said prosecutor Eva Wyler.

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