Albanian Language Media:

• Central Bank: Activity of financial institutions without licenses is illegal (media)
• Haxhiu: Actions in north for sovereignty, internationals should support us (Zeri)
• NATO PA to discuss Kosovo’s status as associate member (media)
• Pacolli: We’re waiting for opposition to coordinate on elections date (EO)
• Two PDK MPs don’t rule out coalition with Vetevendosje (Indeksonline)
• Musliu-Shoshi: We asked for Assembly dissolution, but AAK, LDK against it (EO)
• Tahiri: AAK doesn’t support dissolution of Assembly (Gazeta Metro)
• PDK met Haradinaj to convince him on Assembly dissolution (Albanian Post)
• Escobar: Kosovo has had a better relationship with U.S. in the past (media)
• Kosovo institutional, political leaders commemorate Dubrava Massacre (media)
• Osmani congratulates Montenegro on Independence Day (media)
• NGO calls for menstrual products to be exempt from customs tariffs (media)
• Rama, Cameron discuss “strategic project for Albania and Kosovo” (Indeksonline)

Serbian Language Media: 

• State Department for KoSSev: Pristina to return to dialogue, actions undermine the perception of good faith in resolving open issues (N1, NMagazin) 
• Petkovic’s letter to Lajcak: Report credibly to the EU about the destabilizing actions of Pristina (RTV, Tanjug, Kosovo Online) 
• A call to NATO Parliamentary Assembly not to accept Kosovo as an associate member (KiM radio, N1, KoSSev)
• Miscevic: EU accepts new members under geopolitical pressure (Beta, N1)
• Grenell: While we are calling on Serbia to get closer to the West, Kosovo is moving away (Danas, Kosovo Online)
• Besiri: Serbian institutions in Kosovo that provide services to citizens cannot be a threat to peace (Kosovo Online, KiM radio)

Opinion:

• More bad epilogues from Kosovo: 0:3 loss for the home team (KoSSev)
• UN Srebrenica resolution will cause further division in the Balkans (politico.eu)

International:

• Srebrenica Survivors Await UN Vote as Serbs Slam Genocide Resolution (BIRN)
• Serbian Officials Launch Video Campaign Against UN Srebrenica Resolution (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

Central Bank: Activity of financial institutions without licenses is illegal (media)

Following the Kosovo Police recent operation in the north which resulted in the closure of six units of Serbia’s Postal and Savings Bank, the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said in a statement to Telegrafi news website today that according to the legislation in force, the activity or operation of financial institutions without licenses is an illegal activity. “We inform you that according to the legislation in force, the activity or operation of financial institutions without licenses is an illegal and unallowed activity. More specifically, it falls in contravention with Law Nr. 03/L-209 for the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, Law Nr. 04/L-093 for Banks, Micro-financial Institutions and Non-banking Financial Institutions, Law Nr. 04/L- 155 on the System of Payments and respective regulatory instruments. The legislation is clear that no one can engage in the activities of a bank or financial institution without a valid license issued by the Central Bank of Kosovo (Article 5 of the Law on Banks) and that only an institution authorized by the CBK (Article 2.19 of the Law on the System of Payments) can operate as an institution of payments,” the CBK said in its response.

The CBK also said that it cannot comment on the work of law enforcement institutions, and that “it is ready to cooperate with state institutions in enforcing legality in the country in line with legal competencies”.

Haxhiu: Actions in north for sovereignty, internationals should support us (Zeri)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, called on internationals today to support the actions of Kosovo authorities, which she said, are aimed at wielding sovereignty and enforcing law and order in the north. “We have closely followed all developments related to efforts to wield sovereignty and territorial integrity in the north of the country … The government supports every action that is legitimate as was the recent action [in the north], therefore, I believe that our friends and partners should also support our efforts and actions that are compatible with the legislation in force and which are aimed at enforcing law and order in every part of the territory of Kosovo. We certainly have continuous communication with our partners and the government will engage to have law and order every day in the north of the country, and not illegal activities because they will not be tolerated,” Haxhiu said.

NATO PA to discuss Kosovo’s status as associate member (media)

Kosovo’s application to become an associate member at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will be on the agenda of this body when it meets in Sofia, Bulgaria, on May 25-27, Gazeta Express reports. It cites the agenda as saying among other topics that “discussions will also extend to partnerships. the Assembly is expected to adopt an in-depth reform of its partnerships and decide on Malta’s and the Assembly of Kosovo’s requests to become associate member delegations”. In a different article related to the issue, the news website reports that the Belgrade-based International Security Institute (ISI) has sent a letter to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly calling on it not to grant Kosovo the status of an associate member. ISI claims that granting Kosovo that status would be detrimental to the Parliamentary Assembly “and especially for processes of stabilization and Euro-Atlantic integration in the Western Balkans”. Klan Kosova and Zeri cover the letter under the headline “Serbia starts aggressive campaign against Kosovo at NATO Parliamentary Assembly”.

Pacolli: We’re waiting for opposition to coordinate on elections date (EO)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Fitore Pacolli, told the news website that this party is ready for new elections and that they are waiting for coordination with the opposition parties. “We have said that we’re ready for elections whenever they’re necessary or when the opposition wants to go to elections, we are ready. We are waiting to coordinate with the opposition in order to set an election date. If there is no coordination we will continue our mandate to the end,” she said.

Two PDK MPs don’t rule out coalition with Vetevendosje (Indeksonline)

Two MPs from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) are not ruling out a coalition with the Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement. Xhavit Haliti and Hisen Berisha said a coalition would be possible only for one reason: the good of Kosovo.

Haliti said the PDK is interested in Kosovo going to early parliamentary elections. Asked if they would form a government with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, he said he has no red lines for people and that ultimately everyone must work for the good of Kosovo. “I don’t have any red lines personally. In politics, there are no eternal enemies and no eternal friends. If the interests align, why shouldn’t there be [a coalition]. After all, we are all interested in working for Kosovo,” he said.

Berisha said the recent meeting between PDK leader Memli Krasniqi and Kurti was aimed “at saving Kosovo”. 

Musliu-Shoshi: We asked for Assembly dissolution, but AAK, LDK against it (EO)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Ariana Musliu-Shoshi, said in an interview with the news website today that the PDK has asked for the dissolution of the Kosovo Assembly but that the other two opposition parties, the LDK and AAK, are against it. “I am not sure if we have the votes because 80 votes are required to dissolve the Assembly. Therefore, I think it is up to the leaders of opposition parties to decide how we will move forward. But if as opposition parties we manage to have the votes, then we can go to elections …,” she said.

Musliu-Shoshi said the PDK is the only party that has had no red lines for cooperation with other Albanian parties.

Tahiri: AAK doesn’t support dissolution of Assembly (Gazeta Metro)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, reiterated today that this party does not support the dissolution of the Kosovo Assembly and that it wants the dismissal or resignation of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He argued that the dissolution of the Assembly is a tactical move by Kurti to hold early parliamentary elections in July “when the diaspora is here” and “to dodge responsibility”. 

PDK met Haradinaj to convince him on Assembly dissolution (Albanian Post)

Citing well-informed sources, the news website reports that Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Memli Krasniqi and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj met on Tuesday evening and discussed the possibility of dissolving the Kosovo Assembly and holding early parliamentary elections. The news website learns that Haradinaj has so far not responded to PDK’s question if he will support their initiative to dissolve the Assembly.

Escobar: Kosovo has had a better relationship with U.S. in the past (media)

Most news websites cover an interview that outgoing U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar had with Atlantic Council’s Europe Center. Asked about the relations between Kosovo and the U.S. today, Escobar said: “I would say that Kosovo has had a better relationship with the United States in the past. And it is a challenging one. As I said before the United States is fully committed to Kosovo’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security. That will never change. At the same time, we have a very deep deep partnership with the people of Kosovo. That will never change. The United States remains very pro Kosovo. And whenever I travel there I do feel the reciprocal feeling that they are very pro-American. So that gives us tremendous strength and stability in the relationship. That said, it is no secret that we have had challenges in having a common vision for the region, and a common understanding how we can work together to advance Kosovo’s national project. So I do hope that we will continue to work on improving that relationship. And I can also say that there is nothing but good will not only in the United States but within the entire QUINT to improve that relationship”.

Watch full interview at: https://shorturl.at/Zv0Fl

Kosovo institutional, political leaders commemorate Dubrava Massacre (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid homage today at the memorial dedicated to the Albanian prisoners killed by Serbian forces at Dubrava Prison in what is called the Dubrava Massacre. “Each and every Albanian prisoner that was here in Dubrava prison in those days in May in 1999, are witnesses of history and witnesses of the truth of Kosovo. And this truth in itself is an indictment in the face of justice and history against the state of Serbia and its responsibility for its criminal past in Kosovo. All 116 victims whose names are carved in this memorial are the truth and the strongest accusation about the massacre in Dubrava,” Kurti said.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post that 25 years ago “Serbia’s genocidal regime killed in Dubrava Prison, 120 Albanian prisoners of war and political prisoners and wounded 300 others”. “The massacre, just like many other massacres throughout Kosovo, revealed the savageness of the criminal regime against Albanian prisoners of war and political prisoners, who were unjustly being kept in prison,” she said. Osmani expressed solidarity with all families that lost their loved ones in the massacre and encouraged the survivors to continue protecting the truth and fighting for justice. 

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said that “the Dubrava Massacre clearly revealed the genocide of the Serbian state, whose main objective was to exterminate Albanians, through ethnic cleansing, massacres throughout Kosovo and the violent expulsion of over half of the population from their lands”.

Osmani congratulates Montenegro on Independence Day (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X that “in honor of Montenegro’s Independence Day, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Montenegrin Embassy’s exhibition showcasing masterpieces by Gjelosh Gjokaj—the ‘Picasso of the Balkans.’ His timeless artistry has left a lasting impact in both of our countries. A magnificent tribute to the deep, personal connections that anchor the enduring friendship between Kosovo and Montenegro—bonds that only grow stronger as we together strive for our shared future in the Euro-Atlantic family. Happy Independence Day to the people of Montenegro!”

NGO calls for menstrual products to be exempt from customs tariffs (media)

Several news websites report that the Center for Information, Criticism and Action (QIKA), a non-governmental organization based in Pristina, for the fourth year in a row held a symbolic action in front of the government building calling for menstrual products to be exempt from customs tariffs. Around 7,000 signatures collected through a petition were submitted to Minister of Finance Hekuran Murati. A representative of the NGO said that the action is aimed at reminding the minister that menstrual products are not a matter of luxury and that they should be exempt from customs tariffs.

Rama, Cameron discuss “strategic project for Albania and Kosovo” (Indeksonline)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted today in Tirana UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and said that they discussed a strategic project of special importance for Albania and Kosovo. “We discussed our very good relations and how to further them, both in terms of our relations as NATO members, both in terms of bilateral relations, in circumstances where the United Kingdom aims to be more present in our region,” he said. “And without going into the details of all our plans for cooperation, I want to highlight that we talked about the UK’s involvement in a strategic project of special importance for Albania, Kosovo, and the region, and that is the Durres – Pristina railway, which is a key element in the project of increasing movement capacities not only between our two countries, but in the region and beyond”.

Serbian Language Media 

State Department for KoSSev: Pristina to return to dialogue, actions undermine the perception of good faith in resolving open issues (N1, NMagazin) 

The US State Department called on the Kosovo government to return to constructive engagement in dialogue as an appropriate channel to resolve issues related to the normalization of relations and to address the needs of Serbs adversely affected by currency regulations, reported KoSSev.

In a statement to KoSSev, the State Department condemned this week’s action to close all Serbian financial institutions in the North of Kosovo, stating that they are disappointed with the move that raises tensions, undermines the perception of Kosovo’s good faith in solving open issues, and emphasizes that there was no coordination on the part of Pristina.

That is why they called on the GoK to return to dialogue and address the basic needs of citizens.

They presented their position on this issue through seven points.

“We are disappointed that the Kosovo Police carried out an action in the financial offices in the North of Kosovo on the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Issues related to these offices have been the subject of lengthy discussions within the EU-led Dialogue.

This action is not coordinated with international partners and escalates tensions.

This undermines the perception of Kosovo’s good faith in resolving open issues with Serbia through the EU-led dialogue.

The United States government has consistently called for coordination between our governments to support Kosovo’s progress on its Euro-Atlantic path, most recently by Under Secretary of State Elizabeth Allen in her meeting with Prime Minister Kurti on May 19.

The United States reiterates its clear concern about the implementation of the amended regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which restricts the import and use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo.

We call on the Government of Kosovo to return to constructive engagement in the EU-mediated dialogue as an appropriate channel for resolving issues related to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and to address the basic needs of all its citizens – including those from the Serbian minority community – adversely affected by the recent changes of currency regulations”.

Petkovic’s letter to Lajcak: Report credibly to the EU about the destabilizing actions of Pristina (RTV, Tanjug, Kosovo Online) 

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, informed in a letter, the EU’s special envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, about the invasion of the Kosovo Police in Postal Savings Bank branches in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo. Petkovic pointed out that long pipes and full military equipment was deliberately used in order to intimidate civilians and employees, and then closed five branches of Postal Savings Bank, reported Kosovo Online, citing RTV. 

In a letter addressed to Lajcak, Petkovic asked him to reliably report to the EU member states about the destabilizing actions of Pristina and the trampling of dialogue and concrete steps that would prevent all unilateral and violent acts of Pristina in the future.

He emphasized that the new unilateral action, in which members of the ‘ROSU special unit’, composed exclusively of Albanian members, were engaged, is a continuation of ethnically motivated violence against Serbs, with which Pristina is purposefully disrupting their everyday life and deliberately creating unbearable living conditions for them.

He added that with the incursion, Pristina directly trampled the authority of the EU, as well as that it was a direct attack on Lajak’s publicly stated expectation that it was possible that he would convene another meeting in the coming period, and regarding Pristina’s decision to abolish the dinar, and dinar payment transactions in Kosovo.

“However, Pristina has proven by its deeds that it is not interested in negotiations, EU positions, or the life of Serbs,” Petkovic emphasized, recalling that the raid on Postal Savings Bank branches in the north of Kosovo took place just three days after the last, seventh round of dialogue in Brussels. 

“I remind you that during all those meetings, Pristina persistently rejected Belgrade’s proposal that the parties commit to reject any unilateral move that leads to escalation. In doing so, it openly confirmed in front of you and your associates what the goal was, which it only materialized, countless times, with a unilateral act of violence against the Serbs,” said Petkovic.

As Petkovic said in a letter, Belgrade asks that Lajcak urgently and credibly inform the member states about all the facts mentioned in connection with the past seven rounds of negotiations, to clearly mark Pristina as a destabilizing factor in that context, and to act so that all its unilateral and violent acts are annulled and disabled in the future. 

“If you don’t do that, Pristina’s plan to kill the dialogue will essentially be fulfilled, which will make the already disastrous position of the Serbs who are under Pristina’s occupation and terror even more difficult,” wrote Petkovic.

He added that now is the last moment to prevent Pristina from further implementing unilateral and escalating measures and to return to the negotiating table in order to find a solution to the problem.

A call to NATO Parliamentary Assembly not to accept Kosovo as an associate member (KiM radio, N1, KoSSev)

The Belgrade-based International Security Institute called on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly not to approve associate member status to Kosovo at its session in Sofia on Friday, reported KiM radio today.

“As an expert organization that has been representing and promoting Euro-Atlantic integration and its values for two decades, including the membership of the Western Balkan countries in NATO, the International Security Institute believes that granting the status of associate member to the Kosovo Assembly would be harmful both to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and especially for the processes of stabilization and Euro-Atlantic integration in the Western Balkans,” the announcement states.

The Institute stated that the NATO PA is institutionally separate from NATO, but it bases its internal organization on the principles and documents of NATO, and above all on its Treaty.

“In this regard, we point to the fact that four out of a total of 32 NATO members do not recognize Kosovo as a state, which means that the Alliance does not have a consensus on the international legal status of Kosovo. Transferred to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, there is no such consensus even among its members who have the right to decide, namely the delegations of NATO member parliaments,” the statement read. 

The institute points out that all nine current associated members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly come from undoubtedly independent and internationally recognized countries and that giving the same status to the parliament of Kosovo would be a “dangerous precedent and would undoubtedly threaten the integrity and role of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, including the risk of opening disputes within organizations”.

“Kosovo is still very far from fulfilling all the basic criteria for potential membership in NATO, which derive from Article 10 of the Treaty and NATO’s “Open Door Policy”, it is stated, adding that this “disqualifies Kosovo for associate membership in the Parliamentary Assembly NATO”.

According to the Institute, Kosovo does not meet any of those criteria, especially “functional democratic political system”, then “fair treatment of minority populations”, and especially “commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts”.

“Democracy in Kosovo is not functional, its institutions are burdened with an extremely high level of corruption and other undemocratic practices, and the rights of minority communities, especially the Serbian one, are not protected, moreover, they have been exposed to various forms of severe violence and pressure for a long period of time,” it was stated in the announcement.

According to the announcement, Kosovo is “a very propulsive channel for cross-border organized crime, including drug smuggling chains, people smuggling and the recruitment of Islamist extremists”.

The eventual granting of a new status to Kosovo in the NATO PA would further encourage the militarization of Kosovo, which is contrary to the goals of NATO’s KFOR mission, the Institute stated. 

The statement highlights as a very important warning from the report of Lord Mark Lancaster, the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly at the upcoming session in Sofia, that the further strengthening of the Kosovo Security Forces would lead to their inevitable long-term conflict with the KFOR mission.

“Granting Kosovo the status of an associate member in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly would seriously jeopardize the ongoing dialogue process on the normalization of relations with Serbia, which is taking place under the mediation of the EU,” stated the International Security Institute.

This organization welcomed the opinion of the rapporteur Lord Lancaster that the Brussels dialogue is “key to the stabilization of the post-conflict situation in the West” and urged the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to “avoid the danger that would be brought to the whole process by the possible granting of associate member status to the parliament of Kosovo”.

“Such a decision would be dangerously prejudicing the outcome of the dialogue, in which all NATO and EU members have been investing enormous effort for years and hope that it will ensure a permanent compromise and long-term peace and stability in the Western Balkans,” the statement said.

“Having all this in mind, the International Security Institute, as a long-time advocate of the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans, calls on the NATO PA not to adopt the recommendation of its Standing Committee on granting the status of an associated member to the Parliament of Kosovo at its upcoming session in Sofia,” the statement read.

According to the Institute’s statement, such a decision would have very harmful consequences for the organization itself and its mission, and even more so for the stabilization processes in the post-conflict Western Balkans and its full inclusion in Euro-Atlantic integration.

The director of the International Security Institute signed the statement, Orhan Dragas, and the program director, Zoran Dragisic, who is also a member of parliament and a member of the Permanent Delegation of the Serbian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Miscevic: EU accepts new members under geopolitical pressure (Beta, N1)

Serbian EU Integration Minister Tanja Miscevic described the European Union (EU) enlargement as a geopolitical, constantly changing process, noting that there was no uniform negotiation process or accession deadline and that Serbia had done a great deal to create space for the country to pursue its membership path, reported N1.

“The EU does not like enlargement and accepts new members only under geopolitical pressure. Big enlargement took place in 2004 in the wake of a major geopolitical change, when the world was trying to establish a new balance of powers, which is more or less the case today,” Miscevic told a conference titled From Big Enlargement to Quick Enlargement.

The minister also said that there is no uniform negotiation process or uniform admission deadline, and urged the EU member states to acknowledge the considerable differences in today’s enlargement process compared to that in the past.

“One should not forget that the membership process is always a political decision of all member states, this has and always will be the case. When there is good political will or a political agreement, then the path is clean and clear and the problems are easily overcome,” said the minister.

Miscevic said the enlargement policy is constantly changing and adapting, and that the European Commission is learning from its experience.

Read more at: https://t.ly/2tL3Y

Grenell: While we are calling on Serbia to get closer to the West, Kosovo is moving away (Danas, Kosovo Online)

The former American special envoy of the US president for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Richard Grenell, points out that the EU and the US are again criticizing the government in Pristina, which is moving away from the West, reported Danas. 

Grenell said on the X post, sharing the post of EU spokesperson Peter Stano, that the President, and Prime Minister of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani and Albin Kurti are regularly criticized by the administration of US President Joseph Biden and all Western governments.

“Last week, Italy, France and Germany sent Kurti a letter of frustration. While we continue to call on Serbia to move away from Russia and China and get closer to the West, Kosovo is moving away from the West. Another mess created by the weakness of Joe Biden,” Grenell wrote, reported Danas.

Besiri: Serbian institutions in Kosovo that provide services to citizens cannot be a threat to peace (Kosovo Online, KiM radio)

Naim Leo Besiri, Executive Director of the Institute for European Affairs, said in a post on X that Serbian institutions in Kosovo that provide services to citizens cannot be a threat to peace, but the absence of postal, banking, health, and other services, reported Kosovo Online. 

“Continuation of the exercise of flexing the muscles by the Prime Minister Albin Kurti is a populist act for domestic use, and it has far-reaching consequences for the quality of life of Serbs in the north of Kosovo. The post office, bank, health centers and Serbian institutions that provide services to citizens cannot be a threat to peace, but the absence of postal, banking, health and other services can. Instead of spending money of Kosovo’s taxpayers and from international aid to intimidate its own citizens, Prime Minister Kurti’s government could do more to ensure that the streets do not have potholes, have sidewalks, that water and sewerage go to every house, and that electricity restrictions are stopped throughout Kosovo.”

In addition, Kurti could advocate for the implementation of the laws that New York is proud of regarding the protection of minority rights, the use of language and the preservation of cultural heritage, and equal representation in political bodies, public administration, and local self-government.

“In other words, when I come to my village, Orcusa, it wouldn’t be bad if I found a day without electricity and water restrictions, a little less garbage dumps everywhere, and when I go to the Municipality of Dragas, the official does not look at me crossways because I speak Gorani or Serbian”.

He pointed out that the same applies for the North and that it is not a threat to long-term peace between peoples if someone wants to use the dinar or to go to a doctor who understands and speaks freely in their native language in institutions of public importance.

Any action that reduces the rights of citizens without a clear, efficient, and effective alternative is a threat to peace.

Prime Minister Kurti and President Vucic should return to the table and negotiate for 1,000 days, if necessary, instead of pushing us into one day of conflict, concluded Besiri the post on X.

Opinion

More bad epilogues from Kosovo: 0:3 loss for the home team (KoSSev)

By Dragutin Nenezić

Something serious is happening;

The sparrows hid in the branches.

Someone is bargaining with father –

He is buying our ranches.

And everything around the house, of course;

Path, field, water…

Home, the most beautiful place of recourse,

They also are buying a nest and an otter.

Momčilo Mošo Odalović, M.O. stole a swallow, a poem read at the Days of Serbian Culture in “Kninska Krajina”, July 1990.

In the past months, three processes took place, which as of yesterday (May 20) can be deemed as completed. Although I am one of those who believed that at least one of them, if not two, would end differently, in my previous texts I left enough room for a different outcome, so I still have some sort of moral obligation to react now, and try to present a summary of the capitulation. If I didn’t feel terribly ashamed before the Serbs who, despite everything, still live in Kosovo, I probably wouldn’t even use that right.

Let’s start with the most painful and fatal – the dinar. Yesterday, the dinar was definitively ousted from northern Kosovo, by sheer force behind the front of implementing, as we like to say, the “so-called” law. I have already written about the consequences of this – the collapse of the remaining Serbian institutions, which currently include the university, education, healthcare and a few public services, and now I am adding the additional (and to me inexplicable) humiliation of the people on whose backs all this is happening and will continue to happen.

As of yesterday, citizens will have to cross the administrative line to obtain dinars, until, for example, at the next meeting in Brussels (or a future one, so that the humiliation lasts longer), a saving solution is found. It is unlikely that this solution would be the licensing of the Poštanska Štedionica Bank, (Postal Savings Bank) since it no longer exists as of yesterday. Instead, the solution will be what Pristina has been asking for all along – for money to be sent from Belgrade through the Pristina treasury. This then raises the question: to whom is this money sent? And the answer leads us to the next process – the formation of the ASM (Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities).

The formation of the ASM (that is, the constitutional-judicial control of the draft statute approved by the EU) seems to have been a condition for admission to the Council of Europe, which did not happen. The reason why it didn’t happen is still unclear to me, but now I’m just torn between two extremes – that Kurti is an agent of Belgrade, or that Kurti is (to put it mildly) irrational beyond measure.

Read more at: https://t.ly/6SQYF

UN Srebrenica resolution will cause further division in the Balkans (politico.eu)

By Marko Djuric, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia 

Reaching a consensus on memorializing the past in a way that doesn’t sow division is the best way to ensure it does not — and cannot — happen again.

On May 23, the United Nations General Assembly is expected to take up a draft resolution to create an International Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995. But while the sponsors of this resolution argue that this is an important step on the path to post-conflict reconciliation, alas, it’s more likely to sow further division in the Balkans.

No one can deny that horrible war crimes occurred during the Balkan wars. Only political extremists reject the view that unspeakable crimes were committed in Srebrenica. And only the most callous of people are unwilling to acknowledge and honor those victims.

However, as the proposed U.N. resolution is narrowly focused and was drafted without consulting all regional communities and parties to the Balkan wars, it will likely prove highly divisive inside Bosnia and throughout the region.

While Western reporting and political leaders primarily focused on Bosniak Muslim victims during the Balkan wars, the tragic reality is that all ethnic and religious groups suffered massive war crimes. At a recent gathering of the U.N. Security Council, individuals who, as young children, had endured torture or become orphans due to the mass killing of Serb civilians were present in the hall. They were with me as I argued that the proposed resolution ignores their pain, creating a hierarchy of suffering among innocent victims.

Read more at: https://t.ly/2a3L9

International 

Srebrenica Survivors Await UN Vote as Serbs Slam Genocide Resolution (BIRN)

“It really hurts to read those lies, to hear the denial of genocide on a daily basis, those insults.”

Sabina Mehmedovic is talking about the backlash in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity and in Serbia itself against the proposed United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, which will be voted upon in New York on Thursday.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mehmedovic is the mother of two girls. One of them is a similar age to Mehmedovic in July 1995, when she hugged and kissed her father for the last time. She gave him her Kinder Surprise toy so he could keep it safe until their next meeting.

But they never met again.

The toy would become the clue that helped her to identify her father’s remains. He was one of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys killed during the massacres by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995, which have been classified as genocide by international courts. Mehmedovic lost all the male members of her immediate and extended family over the course of a few days.

She, like the thousands of other survivors and victims’ family members, are expecting the UN General Assembly to vote positively on the resolution on Srebrenica genocide on Thursday. They hope it will contribute to tackling the problem of genocide denial, which remains widespread in the region.

But while waiting for the vote on the resolution proposed by Germany and Rwanda, the Bosnian Serbs and their political allies, particularly in Serbia, are campaigning against it, claiming it would “demonise” the entire Serb population.

If approved, the resolution will declare July 11 the International Day of Remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, state that the UN unreservedly condemns any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, and call on member states to ensure the court-established facts are taught in their educational systems.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/KUA2R

Serbian Officials Launch Video Campaign Against UN Srebrenica Resolution (BIRN)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and government ministers have been participating in an online campaign against a proposed UN resolution on establishing an International Remembrance Day of the Srebrenica Genocide 1995.

The day would commemorate the 1995 massacre of over 8,000 Bosniaks in the eastern Bosnian town by Bosnian Serb forces.

A short video with the title “We are not a genocidal nation. We remember … Proud Serbia and [Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity Republika] Srpska” was shared on Tuesday and Wednesday on multiple officials’ social networks accounts.

The same message was displayed on a loop on the highest tower of the riverside luxury development called the Belgrade Waterfront. Officials from Republika Srpska are also participating in the campaign.

The campaign comes a day before a scheduled General Assembly vote on the proposed draft. Since the announcement about the resolution draft, Serbian officials have claimed that it will impose “collective guilt” on all Serbs.

Read more at: https://t.ly/0UL3Z