UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 2, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti and Vucic to meet in Brussels today (media)
• Lajcak: A statute acceptable for both parties is needed (media)
• Selmanaj: Constitutional Court must have final say (media)
• Kurti commemorates Studime massacre; 116 Albanians civilians were killed (media)
• Decision to open Ibar bridge sent to Ministry of Local Government (Insajderi)
• Rasic: Media in Serbia close to government constantly attack me (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• EU’s Lajcak says not right moment to open bridge in Mitrovica North (N1, RTS)
• KFOR: Ibar Bridge opening an issue that should be resolved in political dialogue (Kosovo Online)
• Milan Radojevic: Only Serbs can make decision on bridge opening in Mitrovica (Tanjug, social media)
• Vucic ahead of Brussels meeting with Kurti, says it will be difficult (Radio KIM, media)
• Dacic: Pristina to continue to avoid establishment of ZSO (Tanjug, media)
• Petkovic: It is not up to Kurti to allow or not allow something for CSM (ZSO) (RTS, Beta, Danas)
• Anniversary of NATO attack on bus near Luzane marked yesterday (RTS, Radio kontakt plus, Gracanica-online)
• Visoki Decani Monastery: Robberies becoming more frequent (Radio KIM)
• The Declaration on the Missing, first on the agenda of the new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (BBC)
• The director of the "Dajana Paunovic" Foundation banned from entering Kosovo (Tanjug)

• Kurti and Vucic to meet in Brussels today (media)
• Kurti: Basic agreement and annex must be implemented in their entirety (media)
• Lajcak: We discussed with Kurti about May 2 meeting (RTK)
• Kurti: There will be no Republika Srpska in the north (media)
• Kosovar PM, Greek FM meet for 10th time in two years (Euractiv)
• Vela: BIA interviewed Kosovo police officers who were transiting (media)
• Tahiri: Statute of Association will affect borders in the Balkans (Klan)
• Corruption suspicious about energy corporation’s director cause turmoil in Kosovo (BIRN)
• “Kosovo seeking conflict at any cost,” Vucic slams opening of Iber bridge (Euronews)
• After bridge decision, Mitrovica North assembly to decide on mosque (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo’s abandoned ‘ghost houses’ guard their secrets (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media:

• The EU confirms the agenda of the May 2 meeting between Kurti and Vucic (RFE)
• Kurti at the Economic Forum in Delphi, meets Lord Stuart Peach (RTK)
• Lajcak meets Dendias, discuss the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Albanian Post)
• The Assembly of Mitrovica decides to open for traffic the bridge over river Iber (Koha)
• The ruling MPs are boycotting the Parliament, says KIJ (Koha)
• The CEC certifies elections results for mayors of four northern municipalities (Kallxo)
• Krasniqi: The door of autonomy for Serb community, opened (TV21, ekonomia)

Serbian Language Media:

• Security Council on Kosovo – between ZSO, UNMIK and war crimes accusations (RTS)
• Dacic: Dialogue with Pristina in very complex, decisive moment (Tanjug, media)
• Dacic: UN SC members noted Pristina's obligation to form Community (Tanjug)
• Poll shows low support for Franco-German agreement (NSPM, N1, Beta)
• Vucic: Kurti to open Ibar bridge in Mitrovica to expel the Serbs (RTS)
• Petkovic reacts to decision of Mitrovica North councillors on opening main bridge, says Pristina wants conflict (Tanjug)
• Serbian List: International community to prevent implementation of decision on opening main bridge (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Aleksandar Arsenijevic opposes decision to open bridge on Ibar River (social media)
• Councillors in North Mitrovica voted to open the Ibar Bridge (Kosovo Online)
• Lajcak: Serbia dissolved parallel structures; Kosovo did not form the CSM (ZSO) (RTK2)
• Strpce Missing Persons Association president: To stop separating missing persons based on nationality (RTK2)
• Qerkini: During Kurti's government, solving the issue of missing persons stagnated (Kosovo Online, ekonomiaonline.com)
• EEAS: Vucic, Kurti confirm attendance on May 2 (N1)
• Fidesz MEPs reject EP report on Serbia (N1)

Opinion:

• Vuletic: The words heard in the UNSC sound nice, but do not mean much, the most important thing not included in the report (RTS)

Humanitarian/Development:

• 24 years waiting for his son, the sad story of a father who still lives with hope (euronews.al)
• Statistics office publishes Serbian census results (N1)

UN Security Council discusses report on Kosovo (media)
Kurti: Serbia is not constructive; internationals must apply pressure on it (KSP)
Kosovo remembers the forcibly disappeared of the 1990s war (BIRN)
U.S. Embassy message on National Day of Missing Persons (media)
Abbott urges governments to do all they can to resolve fate of missing (media)
Lajcak: Important to start defining status, competencies of Association (media)
Abdixhiku: We can’t be with Kurti in government, he represents the past (T7)
Kosovo’s CoE membership may take up to two years (Albanian Daily News)
Kosovo Supreme Court upholds ex-policeman’s war crimes sentence (BIRN)
Chollet talks with Vucic; “we expect constructive meeting on May 2” (media)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 27, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

• A new report on Kosovo at the UN Security Council (RFE)
• Kurti expects May 2 meeting to treat missing persons issue with urgency (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo marks National Missing Persons Day (RFE)
• Germany: We expect unconditional implementation of Kosovo-Serbia agreement (RTK)
• Krasniqi: Management Team didn’t respond to invitation for meeting (RFE)
• Vela: Meja massacre, a crime that Serbia cannot deny! (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic meets with US ambassador to UN (Tanjug)
• 15-year prison verdict to Goran Stanisic upheld (Radio KIM)
• Dacic thanks Greece's Syriza party for supporting Serbia, Vucic thanks Azerbaijan (Politika, Tanjug, media)
• SNS to hold extraordinary assembly session on May 27 (Tanjug, media)
• Post of Serbia employees released after being apprehended by police in northern Kosovo (RTS)
• Another Serb from Kosovo arrested for undermining the constitutional order of Serbia (KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)

International:

• Inadequate State of Social Services in Kosovo, Analysis Shows (Prishtina Insight)

• Kurti seeks support from France, Italy and Germany (Koha)
• EU won’t allow conditioning of implementation of agreements (Koha)
• Gervalla and Greenfield talked about the UN role in Kosovo (RTK)
• Osmani in Skopje: Albanian language law should be implemented (Euronews)
• Kosovo demands EU condemn Serbia's 'breach' of intl agreement (Euronews)
• Ruling party, opposition, trade blame about crisis in KEK (Prishtina Insight)
• Members of European Parliament adopt report on Kosovo (media)
• COMKFOR briefs representatives of contributing countries on situation (media)
• Police stops two Serbia Post vehicles, finds large amount of money (Kallxo)
• Serb Orthodox Church thanks Kosovo Police for swift reaction (Koha Ditore)
• Report: Serbia's EU membership depends on normalization of relations with Kosovo (Telegrafi)

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Visa liberalisation and CoE application confirm we are on right track (media)
• Osmani in Skopje: Future of our countries is in Euro-Atlantic family (media)
• U.S. representative to UN meets Kosovo Foreign Minister (media)
• Very slim to no chances to agree on statute of Association (Radio Free Europe)
• Kurti, Vucic “out of the game”: U.S. and EU preparing Association statute (Nacionale)
• Rasic: A temporary solution was made in the north (Express)
• Kosovo initiates procedures to join International Commission on Missing Persons (RFE)
• Muja: We should’ve protected Nagip Krasniqi even more (Gazeta Metro/TeVe1)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic: Fight for Kosovo and territorial integrity of Serbia was and will be diplomatic priority (Tanjug)
• Serb officials warn of consequences of new expropriation law prepared by Pristina (Kosovo Online)
• Guterres welcomes normalisation deal, voices concern over regression (Tanjug, media)
• Jeremic: Vucic to go to UNSC session and demand Russia and China use veto on possible Pristina’s membership request of (Danas, BETA, RTV)
• Brnabic to Stano: Serbia takes note that EU violated Brussels Agreement (N1)
• Serbian Government confirms working on new foreign policy strategy (N1)
• Petkovic: The draft of the statute of the CSM (ZSO), a job for the Management Team (RTS)
• Office of Saint Nikola Church in Strpce robbed (Radio KIM)
• Party of Kosovo Serbs: Serbs who won one vote each received mandates (N1)

Opinion:

• A deal or a trap? (Kosovo 2.0)
• Radosavljevic: The elections in the north of Kosovo are illegitimate, the legality questionable (KiM radio, Insajder)

International:

• Serbia ‘disappointed’ with Ukraine, Greece, Slovakia over CoE Kosovo vote (Euractive.com)
• Serbia Calls on European Commission to Abolish Visa Requirements for Kosovo Serbs (schengenvisainfo.com)

• Kurti: Serbia is saying it will not implement Ohrid Agreement (euronews.al)
• Kurti on Association's draft statute: EU didn't let me do it (Klan)
• Svecla: Vucic threatened northern Serbs with arrest lists (media)
• Ahmeti to Stano: Serbia violated Ohrid agreement, must be punished (RTK)
• Krasniqi at State Department, discusses elections in north (Reporteri)
• Citaku on elections in north: Sovereignty violated, Kurti is guilty (Klan)
• Will Serb rejection of Kosovar passports dissolve now that EU is liberalizing visa regime? (RFE)
• EU expects Serbia, Kosovo to implement deal instead of public exchanges (AA)
• EU deal on Kosovo 'alive' despite Serbian vote (EU Observer)
• Kosovo Power Corporation CEO suspended from duty (media)
• Kosovo Assembly extraordinary session today on developments at KEK (media)
• Serbia to alter foreign policy after EU Kosovo decision: Vucic (Daily Sabah)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 25, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

• Stano: EU is aware of Serbia’s vote against Kosovo (Radio Free Europe)
• Vela: Serbia’s vote against Kosovo’s CoE application should be penalised (media)
• Serbia violates agreement, threatens countries that support Kosovo (Koha)
• The CEC announces results of extraordinary elections in northern municipalities (Klan)
• Kusari-Lila: End of Serbia’s influence in Kosovo began on Sunday (EO)
• Osmani to visit North Macedonia on Wednesday (Albanian Post)
• Lajcak at Webster Vienna, discussion on normalisation of relations (Nacionale)
• Krasniqi: Monoethnic institutions are not good for us (Kosovapress)
• Delawie: Regrettable, Serbian authorities influenced Serbs to boycott elections (media)
• Details about burning of excavator in Zvecan, belonged to an Albanian (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic: President Vucic may attend the UNSC session on Kosovo (Tanjug, RTS)
• Vucic: Foreign policy changes coming (RTS, N1)
• Lajcak: The road to normalisation is mined, we must avoid mines (Kosovo Online, Blic)
• Dacic: CoE's decision was expected, it will be ashamed of this day (Tanjug, media)
• Dodik: "Srpska does not recognize self-proclaimed Kosovo, the ambassador voted outside the procedures" (Tanjug, RTRS)
• PM Brnabic reacts to Von Cramon’s remarks on elections (N1)
• Jablanovic to Viola von Cramon: Blackmail and threats do not pass with us (Politika, KiM radio)
• Petkovic reacts to Osmani’s remarks on agreement violation (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Vasiljevic responds to Vela (social media, Kosovo Online)
• Dacic and Hill: Continuation of dialogue the only path to concrete results (BETA, N1)
• New law on expropriation - Pristina's new plan to seize Serbian property, says Petkovic (Radio Mitrovica sever, KiM radio, RTS)
• Foreign Affairs Committee rejects draft resolution to impose sanctions on Russia (BETA, N1)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kosovo’s economy shows resilience despite slowing growth (worldbank.org)

• Kosovo passes first step to Council of Europe membership (BIRN)
• Palokaj: If no obstacles, Kosovo can join CoE early next year (KTV)
• Legitimacy of local elections in question after low turnout (Prishtina Insight)
• Von Cramon’s statement on local elections in north of Kosovo (media)
• UK Ambassador comments on the local elections in the north (media)
• KFOR calls for refrain from escalating rhetoric after elections in north (RFE)
• Osmani: Serbia committed two violations of agreement less than 24 hrs (media)
• Kurti: I am ready for May 2 meeting in Brussels (media)
• Limaj: Albin Kurti should give up on north of Kosovo (media)
• Serbian leader lashes out at the West over Kosovo vote (Associated Press)
• Szunyog: No room for attacks on religious sites in multicultural Kosovo (media)