Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: We will remember! On July 11 and every day! (media)
• Kurti on UN Resolution on Srebrenica: Serbia’s responsibility must be acknowledged (RTK)
• Kurti accuses Serbia of escalating the situation in the north (Koha)
• Hovenier: Government to move forward with Association (RTK)
• Rohde: If our advice is always ignored, it does not create good atmosphere (Express)
• Guerot: Kosovo still has possibility for CoE membership, Association draft should be sent to Constitutional Court (Telegrafi)
• Haxhiu: Kosovo admitted to ECLM (RTK)
• New contingent of German KFOR troops arrives in Kosovo (Koha)
• Memli Krasniqi: PDK and LVV votes alone should not dissolve the assembly (media)
• Tahiri: We did not make plans for co-governance at dinner with Kurti (Express)
• LDK on UN resolution: Stamp for Serbia’s crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian Ministry of Defence rejects Kurti’s malicious claims (Kosovo Online, media)
• Vucic: Outcome of voting big surprise and astonishment for many (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, media)
• Mitrovica North joins Serbian flag parade after adoption of Srebrenica Resolution (KoSSev)
• UNGA adopts Resolution on Srebrenica Genocide (N1, media)
• Vucic to UN GA: Srebrenica resolution opens old wounds (N1)
• “No alternative but to vote against”: China and other states voiced opposition against UN Resolution on Srebrenica (N1, media)
• Vucevic receives Slovak ambassador (Tanjug)
• Gouillon to head Serbian Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy (Tanjug, media)
• Stano: There is nothing new in Borrell’s report regarding EU measures on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

 Albanian Language Media

Osmani: We will remember! On July 11 and every day! (media) 

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, reacted after the General Assembly of the United Nations, on Thursday approved the resolution to declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica. We will remember! On July 11 and every day!, she said. 

“With today’s establishment by the UN PA of the International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, the world is giving future generations a chance to learn from the lessons learned from Srebrenica,” Osmani said.

She said the recognition is a key step towards reconciliation and combating genocide denial. “It is essential for lasting healing and peace, to offer peace to the mothers of Srebrenica and all surviving family members, ensuring that their loved ones are never forgotten,” she wrote on the X platform.

To those who worked tirelessly against today’s Resolution: Genocide denial will never pave the way to peace, Osmani added.

“The voices of those who endured these horrors as children remind us that ending genocide denial is not just a political and legal obligation, but a collective moral duty. We must stand united in the fight for truth and justice. Let us be guided by the strong reminder in the words of the innocent child who asks his mother: “Mother, the soldiers kill the children with small bullets, don’t they?” President Osmani wrote in X.

We commend UNGA’s adoption of 11 July as Int’l Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide, marking Europe’s most brutal massacre since WW2. For peace in the Balkans Serbia’s responsibility must be acknowledged & further efforts are needed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Kurti on UN Resolution on Srebrenica: Serbia’s responsibility must be acknowledged (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has congratulated the adoption by the UN of the Resolution on Srebrenica on July 11, as the International Day of Remembrance for the Genocide in Srebrenica, which marks the most brutal massacre in Europe since the Second World War. 

“We commend UNGA’s adoption of 11 July as International Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide, marking Europe’s most brutal massacre since WW2. For peace in the Balkans, Serbia’s responsibility must be acknowledged and further efforts are needed to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Kurti wrote on X.

Kurti accuses Serbia of escalating the situation in the north (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has accused the state of Serbia of aiming to open a new conflict in the Western Balkans, and he has mentioned his actions in the north of Kosovo, inhabited mainly by Serbs.  

During his speech at the Defense Conference in London, Kurti stated that the armament of the northern neighbor reflects the intention to escalate the situation in the region. He singled out the kidnapping of three members of the Kosovo Police by Serbian special forces near the Kosovo-Serbia border during June last year, as well as the terrorist and paramilitary attack on September 24, 2023 in Banjska, as two cases of direct threats from official Belgrade, which, as Kurti has said, thinks that there is a political and security gap that enables such behavior.  

He added that Kosovo is not the only country in the region that is at risk of any physical attack, as he also drew attention to the danger posed by Russia’s disinformation infrastructure that uses NATO’s intervention to misinform about the West.  

“Its connection with Russia, its destructive approach to our Republic and its rapid and large armament are indications that it intends to escalate with the aim of realizing its territorial ambitions. Three of the four combined brigades of the Serbian army, including 48 forward operating bases around the Kosovo border, not including other specialized units, are stationed in the southern territory, near the border with the Republic of Kosovo. The threat is not merely theoretical. The risk of a new war is real”, stated Kurti.

Hovenier: Government to move forward with Association (RTK) 

Media widely reported on the interview of the U.S. Ambassador, Jeffrey Hovenier, with national broadcasterRTK. He said that the United States stands as strongly, as always, with Kosovo to see it taking its place in the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. In the interview, Hovenier has also given clear messages regarding Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, the Association, the dinar, and the recent actions in the north.

According to him, the latest action in the north does not contribute to stability. He emphasized in RTK that America recognizes the government’s responsibility for extending sovereignty, but they are only asking to work and coordinate together. “I didn’t necessarily plan to talk about it, but there was another issue just this week in which the Kosovo Police, under the direction of the Minister of the Interior, conducted operations in northern Kosovo in ways that we felt did not contribute to our shared long-term goals for stability and security so that things are done in a way that advances dialogue and the Euro-Atlantic path of Kosovo. We raised our concerns. But the result of this operation that the government continued – and did this police action in a way that we thought was not coordinated and that called into question Kosovo’s commitment to solving some issues in dialogue – resulted in public statements from the United States, from the European Union, the individual EU member states, the NATO mission, the OSCE mission, others – they all more or less said the same thing: this is not good for Kosovo”, said the ambassador.

Asked if establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is necessary for Kosovo, Hovenier said “Yes. The United States has consistently said it publicly for a very long time and under different administrations. Our European partners have been saying it publicly for a very long time. Kosovo took the commitment to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority. It was done in the dialogue facilitated by the EU. We strongly believe that all obligations of Kosovo and Serbia in the dialogue are mandatory and this is one of them. And yes, just as we expect Serbia to fulfill all its obligations within the dialogue, we also expect Kosovo to fulfill all its obligations. And according to our point of view, for Kosovo this urgently includes moving forward with the Association, sending the draft statute to the Constitutional Court for constitutional evaluation.”

See the entire interview here: https://tinyurl.com/svnk9r5c 

Rohde: If our advice is always ignored, it does not create good atmosphere (Express) 

The Ambassador of Germany to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has said that Germany has never questioned the legitimacy of the CBK regulation, but, according to him, its implementation was uncoordinated. He said that Germany’s advice is being ignored and that this does not create a good atmosphere.

“We give advice, if our advice is always ignored, this does not create a good atmosphere, if we take the issue of the dinar for example, Kosovo is an independent state, Germany and the QUINT countries have constantly emphasized the legitimacy of Kosovo having a single currency. The only thing that we have continuously questioned and criticized is the way of implementation. This is a matter of dialogue, we have Lajcak, you should discuss there and there should be no uncoordinated activities. Any activity that is uncoordinated leads to consequences and complicates the political atmosphere. The legitimacy of the CBK’s decision is not in question, we only criticize the way of implementation, which was uncoordinated”, he said.

Guerot: Kosovo still has possibility for CoE membership, Association draft should be sent to Constitutional Court (Telegrafi) 

The ambassador of France in Kosovo, Oliver Guerot, said that Kosovo was not on the agenda for membership in the Council of Europe. He told TV Dukagjini that Kosovo should do something about the Association. 

“As far as I know, no country during the meetings, as often as possible, formally requested that the application of Kosovo be discussed, it was not on the agenda, there was no official request. It strikes me that it is not only France and Germany, but more or less all of them are ready. It should be the starting point of reflection why it is so, instead of trying to analyze if it is a precondition, a subsequent condition, a recommendation, it has become a fact of life, for which we all expect something to happen regarding the Association”, he said.

Haxhiu: Kosovo admitted to ECLM (RTK) 

The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, announced that on Thursday in Athens, Greece, the 17th meeting of the General Assembly of the European Council for Legal Medicine (ECLM – European Council of Legal Medicine) voted unanimously for the admission of Kosovo.

“Kosovo was represented at this meeting by a delegation of the IML and during the meeting the ECLM delegates, after reviewing the documentation presented by the IML, concluded that Kosovo meets all the conditions by voting unanimously for the admission of Kosovo within the large European legal medical family “, said Haxhiu. 

This vote, writes Haxhiu on Facebook, represents a great success for IML and the Republic of Kosovo in the path of European integration through the harmonization of forensic rules and procedures with European standards. 

New contingent of German KFOR troops arrives in Kosovo (Koha) 

A contingent of German KFOR troops arrived in Kosovo on Thursday. The KFOR commander, Oezkan Ulutash, welcomed them, saying that the arrival of this contingent shows Germany’s continued support for regional stability.  

“The arrival of a new contingent of German peacekeepers reflects Germany’s long standing support for our mission and for regional stability. This contingent adds strength to our already visible and flexible posture throughout Kosovo and will contribute to our daily activities towards sustainable security, for the benefit of all communities living in Kosovo”, he said.  

Memli Krasniqi: PDK and LVV votes alone should not dissolve the assembly (media) 

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said that the party he leads believes that there should be a new approach to the Serbian List, after the September attacks in Banjska. 

“With the Serbian List in no way, even if we were voting for the dissolution of the Assembly, if the Serbian List said I am voting too, we would have stopped it there, I believe that we should have a new approach, especially after the attack on Banjska and the involvement of its leaders, the terrorist Radoicic”, Krasniqi said. 

Speaking about PDK’s votes for the dissolution of the Assembly of Kosovo, Krasniqi said that there should be political compatibility between all opposition parties. “Regarding this issue, I have preferred from the beginning for us to be the three opposition parties in order to initiate it and appear before the public opinion, that we have no differences in terms of the longevity of the Kurti government, therefore I believe that the same should be the way, I don’t believe that despite the number over 80, only PDK and LVV should dissolve the assembly”, said Krasniqi in Klan. 

Tahiri: We did not make plans for co-governance at dinner with Kurti (Express) 

The dinner of May 13 between the head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti continues to be discussed in public opinion. The head of the PDK Parliamentary Group, Abelard Tahiri, who also was present at the dinner, said that dinner was not crowned with an agreement for any future government coalition. 

“No, there is no agreement. This dinner did not happen for the future co-governance with the LVV. There we discussed the parliamentary agenda, we responded to the invitation that we constantly demand elections, from July of last year we demanded that the Assembly be dissolved and the country turn to the ballot boxes. And now, from that day on, only elections are discussed in Kosovo, the entire dinner was spent discussing the possibilities of going to the elections”, said the PDK MP. 

LDK on UN resolution: Stamp for Serbia’s crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo (media) 

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has said that “the voting of the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica by the General Assembly of the United Nations is a seal for the crimes of Serbia committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo”.

“From today, July 11 is now internationally remembered as the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide.” 

LDK has expressed full support for this resolution. “The Democratic League of Kosovo expresses its full and unwavering support for this resolution, because it is an important step towards recognizing and commemorating the Srebrenica genocide as one of the worst crimes against humanity in modern history.” 

“LDK highly appreciates the efforts of the international community – especially Germany and Rwanda as official proponents of the resolution – to condemn and commemorate this act of genocide, and reiterates that justice and truth are the foundations of peace and stability in the region.” 

“Support for this resolution demonstrates our shared commitment to not forget the innocent victims and to ensure that such crimes never happen again.”

Serbian Language Media 

Serbian Ministry of Defence rejects Kurti’s malicious claims (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian Ministry of Defence has rejected claims of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti linking armament of the Serbian Army with escalation of the situation in the region, adding in the statement that equipping the army is a planned and continues process, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Terming Kurti’s claims as “absurd and malicious”, the Serbian Defence Ministry also said “it is Albin Kurti and his provisional administration, contrary to the provisions of UNSC Resolution 1244 and other international legal acts carrying out armament of their own illegal military formations whose only purpose is to ethnically cleanse remaining Serbian population in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija”.

Vucic: Outcome of voting big surprise and astonishment for many (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said last night that the outcome of voting on Srebrenica genocide resolution came as a major surprise and astonishment for many in the hall, because at the end, as he said, 107 states were on the side of Serbia, adding that more than two-thirds of the world population were on the side of Serbia, Kosovo Online portal reported. He in particular thanked China, Russian Federation, United Arab Emirates, and Hungary which voted against the resolution. He thanked Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia for their abstention, as well as numerous African and Caribbean states.

“(…) It happened for the first time that the resolution was not adopted unanimously. It is significant that it was 84 to 107, because 20 of them said why they were leaving the hall. 107 states did not wish to agree to their resolution. And not to mention how they got 84, if there were no pressure, 60 would not vote for it”, he added.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said that one of the most important results of the voting at the UN General Assembly yesterday was that “now everyone wishing to go against Serbia will have to think twice about it”, Tanjug news agency reported.

“On the worst topic, the topic that is the most sensitive and difficult to explain and elaborate, we managed to have 107 states that were not against us. There is plenty of room for us to discuss also about our interests when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, and about many other issues. And friendships we acquired at this fight, we shall nurture and cherish carefully”, he added. 

Mitrovica North joins Serbian flag parade after adoption of Srebrenica Resolution (KoSSev)

The UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution yesterday declaring July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica, condemning the denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals, KoSSev portal reported.

After the UN passed the resolution in question, the main news in majority Serbian media is the Serbian flag – the fact that the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic draped himself in it at the session of the General Assembly, as well as the entire government in Belgrade, all the way to a parade of flags in towns all across Serbia and the countries of the region. A group of citizens in North Mitrovica also joined the parade, the portal added. 

Read more at:  https://shorturl.at/1Qys1

UNGA adopts Resolution on Srebrenica Genocide (N1, media)

On Thursday, May 23, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica. 84 countries voted in favor of the Resolution, 19 were against it, 68 abstained and 22 countries did not vote at all. 

As the media reported furhter the simple majority of UN member states decided that July 11 will be observed annually as the International Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide. According to N1 Sarajevo this resolution designates July 11 similarly to January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day and April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Voicing his opposition to adoption of the Srebrenica Resolution, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on several occasions earlier that the Resolution on Rwanda Genocide was adopted unanimously at UN, Serbian media also reported.

Read the full text of resolution at:  https://shorturl.at/cyors

Vucic to UN GA: Srebrenica resolution opens old wounds (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the UN General Assembly that the resolution on Srebrenica will open old wounds. This is not about reconciliation nor about remembrance and will only open old wounds, not only in the region but in this hall as well, he said speaking after the German ambassador presented the draft resolution, N1 reported.

Vucic also said he wants to show up lies and called UN member states to vote against the adopting of the resolution which introduces a day of remembrance for the victims of the war crimes committed by Bosnian Serb forces in the summer of 1995 which were ruled to be genocide by international criminal courts.

Vucic recalled that he and his predecessor Boris Tadic went to Srebrenica to pay homage to the victims and a Serbian Parliament resolution condemning the war crimes adopted in 2015. I went to Srebrenica to bow my head before the Bosniak victims and I was almost lynched, he said. Vucic expressed the hope that every act of genocide covered by that resolution, including the genocide against the Serbs would be condemned and recalled the Serbian victims of both world wars.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/cTe0O

“No alternative but to vote against”: China and other states voiced opposition against UN Resolution on Srebrenica (N1, media)

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, several countries voiced their opposition to the UN Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide. The common reason they all stated was the lack of consensus regarding the Resolution in the country and fears of unrest in the region, N1 reported.

The representative of China in the United Nations spoke immediately after the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, saying that they saw “no alternative but to vote against” the Resolution.

He began his speech by saying that “Bosnia and Herzegovina must also understand the coexistence of all its ethnic groups.” However, China sees “a big controversy” in the text of the Resolution.

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

Vucevic receives Slovak ambassador (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic spoke with Slovak Ambassador to Belgrade Michal Pavuk on Thursday to discuss continuing the good bilateral relations and advancing economic cooperation, as well as interest among Slovak companies in further investments in Serbia. Vucevic expressed condemnation and regret over a recent attempt to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and wished his counterpart a speedy recovery and a return to his duties, the Serbian Government said in a statement.

He thanked friendly Slovakia for its principled position of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and voiced concern over the position of Serbs in Kosovo and the current situation there.

Vucevic noted that Belgrade highly appreciated Slovakia’s commitment to respect of international law as well as its strong support for Serbia’s EU path. Vucevic noted that Serbia remained a true friend and dependable partner to Slovakia, adding he hoped the good political relations between the two countries would be accompanied by even better economic ties and cooperation in all other fields.

Gouillon to head Serbian Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy (Tanjug, media)

The Serbian Government named French-born politician and humanitarian worker Arnaud Gouillon as head of Serbian Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy on Thursday. The Office’s task will be to further promote Serbian state interests to the local and foreign public through presenting national values and goals, Tanjug news agency reported. 

Grenoble-born Gouillon, 39, is the founder of the French humanitarian organization Solidarite Kosovo, which has been helping Serbs in Kosovo since 2004. He has authored several books on Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija in foreign languages and a French documentary about the life of Serbs in Kosovo titled “Kosovo, Christianity in Danger”. He has been living in Serbia since 2012 and was awarded Serbian citizenship in 2015 for his merit in humanitarian work.

Stano: There is nothing new in Borrell’s report regarding EU measures on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said there is still nothing new in relation to the report of EU High Representative Josep Borrell that he will deliver to member states regarding the abolition or introduction of new measures in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reported citing Pristina-based Gazeta Express.

Stano emphasized that previous statements made about the report remain valid, considering the recent actions of the Kosovo Government in the north, which, according to him, were useless.

“There is nothing new and what we stated before is still valid, even in light of the recent useless events in the north regarding the dinar issue”, Stano is quoted as saying.