UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 7, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 170 new cases, four deaths (media)
• Athens mayor gives Kurti support on visa liberalization (media)
• Kurti: Preventing and combating violence against women is a government priority (media)
• Gervalla: I am a Kosovo citizen, I travel with Kosovo documents (Reporteri, media)
• Haxhiu: Treating domestic violence is a government plan (RTK)
• KDI: Transparency in local government decreased due to the pandemic (Koha)
• Police intervenes in PSD activity, arrests four members (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic, Dacic on Croatia and military camp in Kosovo (media)
• Serbian List, Office for KiM, react against Croatian military base in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Simic: Serbs feel more threatened due to Croatian announcements on opening military camp (Kosovo-online)
• Croatian FA Ministry: Inaccurate and incorrect speculations of Serbia regarding military camp (Kosovo-online)
• Varhelyi: EU approves revised enlargement methodology for Serbia, Montenegro (N1)
• "Balkan states will resist border change scenario" (B92)
• Serbia eases pandemic measures for cafes, restaurants (N1)
• Nedeljko Spasojevic transferred to Mitrovica North prison (Kosovo-online)
• Odalovic: Pristina no longer can ignore requests, search on locations soon, Kosare to be first one (Kosovo-online)
• "Serbia-Kosovo dialogue unnecessary prolonged" (B92)

Albanian Language Media:

COVID-19: 158 new cases, 3 deaths (media)
Croatia offers 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to people of Kosovo (euronews.al)
Gervalla to PDK MPs: Special Court did not fall from the sky (media)
Kurti defends Gervalla: She defends and promotes our liberation war (media)
Croatian Foreign Minister: We are against border changes (media)
G-7 urges Kosovo and Serbia for reconstructive dialogue (Klan)
Haxhiu: One of most important processes of justice, vetting, starts today (Koha)
River devastation at the centre of BIRN debate (BIRN)

Serbian Language Media:

Eight new cases of Covid-19, one death registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
Vucic: Those announcing genocide lawsuit do not care about dialogue (KoSSev)
Petkovic: Nothing will come of Pristina’s pressures on Belgrade (Kosovo-online)
Bourita: Morocco considers Kosovo part of Serbia (Tanjug)
Godfrey: US displeased over procrastination of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Tanjug)
Ursula von der Leyen wrote to Vucic (B92)
Office for KiM: Miroslav Lukic assaulted in Velika Hoca (Radio KIM)
Bieber: Kosovo genocide lawsuit against Serbia cannot be successful (N1)
Serbian Torlak Institute gets 104.000 Pfizer vaccines (N1)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 5, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 153 new cases, 4 deaths (media)
• Varhelyi on Pfizer vaccines: The most important contribution we could make (Klan)
• President’s Office: Kosovo can’t guarantee interim release of Thaci et al (Express)
• Government: Laws forbid us guarantee conditional release of the accused by the Special Court (Koha)
• Haxhiu: Government program to be voted on Friday (RTK)
• Varhelyi: News about ‘non-paper’ is not true (RTK)
• Croatian President Milanovic: I cannot offer guarantees for Thaci (Koha)
• Minister Haxhiu speaks about property confiscation and vetting (Klan)
• Excavations Resume in Serbia’s Mass Graves (Exit.al)
• Coalition of NGOs call for inclusion of Serb victims in Podujevo memorial (Prishtina Insight)

Serbian Language Media:

• Arancha Gonzalez: Spain maintains its principled position not to recognize Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Vucic on ‘genocide’ lawsuit (B92, N1)
• “Kosovo genocide lawsuit Kurti’s populist act” (Danas)
• Trajkovic: Announced lawsuit a way to suppress support to Specialist Court (Radio KIM)
• HLC: Memorial plaque of victims killed in Luzane in 1999 unveiled; names of Serbs not included (KoSSev)
• Excavations near Raska continue (Radio KIM)
• Office for KiM: House of Jacovic family in Vitina stoned (Kontakt plus radio, KoSSev)
• Additional financial assistance announced for those vaccinated (media)
• Office for KiM continues to provide housing for Serbs in Kosovo (TV Most)

Opinion:

• Easter “greetings” of Albin Kurti, humiliation and obliteration of Serbs and SOC (Politika)

International:

• EU Inaction Blamed for Proposal to Redraw Balkan Borders (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• EC: EU to ease restrictions on non-essential travels; Serbia maybe on list soon (N1)

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 75 new cases, 4 (media)
• EC denies Kocijancic drafted non-paper, “ridiculous speculation” (Lajmi)
• Freedom of speech under threat (Koha Ditore/Radio Free Europe)
• AAK ready to join the dialogue with Serbia (media)
• Dutch PM: Netherlands supports Kosovo efforts to fight corruption (media)
• Kosovo Security Force to take part in NATO exercises in Albania (Telegrafi)
• Haradinaj welcomes KSF participation in NATO exercise (media)
• Croatia denies reports it offered guarantees for Thaci’s interim release (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• EU’s Várhelyi in Belgrade: Bloc sends 651,000 vaccines to region (FoNet, Beta, N1)
• Djuric: We have no non-papers, but our own ''yes-paper'' (Tanjug, Blic)
• Kosovo to file genocide charges against Serbia next year; Office for KiM: "Kosovo cannot sue its own state" (KiM radio, KoSSev)
• Biggest problem of media reporting is the lack of cooperation with the institutions (KiM radio, Slobodno Srpski)
• Security, freedom and work of journalists in Kosovo endangered (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio, KoSSev)
• US State Department on Kosovo: Pressure on media, hampered restitution (media)
• BIRODI: Media in Serbia becoming industry of populism (Beta, N1)
• Vucic receives Russian ambassador (Tanjug, N1, Blic)
• SPC Patriarch: Cohabitation between Serbs & Albanians possible (media)

Opinion:

• The 'non-paper' carving up Balkans and undermining Europe (euobserver.com)
• Slovenia’s ‘Non-Paper’ is no Stunt but a Worrying Omen (Balkan Insight)

International:

• In Serbia, fake news is spread by state-backed media (euracticve.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Already Isolated, COVID-19 Takes Heavy Toll on Kosovo’s Disabled (Balkan Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 29, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 269 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• Kurti meets NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (media)
• Borrell: Kosovo’s European path goes through dialogue (media)
• Government engages external experts to help prepare for dialogue (Express)
• LDK demands greater commitment on dealing with the dialogue (Kallxo)
• Lekaj: Non-paper document unacceptable (Kosova Press, media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19 in Serbian communities: 17 new cases, one death (Kontakt plus radio)
• Petkovic to international missions in Kosovo: Protect believers and SOC facilities during the holidays (KoSSev)
• "Flammable rhetoric and inefficiency of police and judiciary affects security" (KiM radio)
• On "genocide in Kosovo": Use of terminology that has not been officially proven (VoA, KoSSev, KiM radio)
• Stano: EU ready for continuation of dialogue as soon as Pristina and Belgrade agree on acceptable dates (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic in meeting with Godfrey: Serbia has always been ready for open dialogue with Pristina (Kosovo-online)
• Matthew Palmer: US unconditionally supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity (N1)
• Serbian Patriarch prays for COVID patients, Serbs in Kosovo (N1)
• Stoltenberg: Dialogue the only way to achieve a lasting political solution (Kosovo-online)
• EU Delegation denies Serbian tabloid’s claims about non-paper (N1, Kosovo Online)

Humanitarian/Development:

• WHO: The rich used 82 percent of all corona vaccines (FoNet, N1, AP)
• Deputy mayor says almost half of Belgrade residents vaccinated (N1)