UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 16, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

• Borrell: Time to take responsibility and move towards the EU (media)
• Kurti: We continue to be constructive and committed to open dialogue (media)
• Escobar to visit Kosovo, meet Kurti, one day before Ohrid meeting (Indeksonline)
• Krasniqi: We don’t support agreement in its current version (Kosovapress)
• Haliti: I don’t believe there are people in PDK that will oppose EU plan (media)
• Bunjaku: LDK has not changed position on agreement (EO)
• Fehlinger calls on Romania to recognise Kosovo (Nacionale)
• Albanian representatives in Presevo Valley issue joint statement (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic, Escobar discuss Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Tanjug, media)
• Escobar: EU proposal about normalisation, not recognition (Tanjug, N1)
• People’s Party launches initiative to call for referendum on EU proposal (KoSSev, media)
• Serbian opposition call for protest against EU Plan on March 17 (N1)
• Bishop of Backa Irinej: Church expressed stance on Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)
• A new version of annexes is being drawn up, to be discussed in Ohrid, said Lajcak (FoNet, N1)
• Serbian anti-western media financed by foreign companies (N1, CRTA)
• Hovenier: “According to the European proposal, Serbia not obliged to remove Kosovo and Metohija from the constitution” (RTS, Tanjug, ATV)
• Vucic thanks China for persevering friendship, support to Serbia (Tanjug)
• Civil society appeals to Kurti and Vucic to sign the agreement: “Compromise is a pillar of democracy, not a concession” (KoSSev)
• The last person arrested in the case of murder of Oliver Ivanovic, released from the custody (KoSSev)

International:

• German Ambassador To Kosovo Upbeat On Prospects Of Normalisation Plan Between Kosovo, Serbia (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

• KEK chief unionist: If wages not increased, we’ll leave Kosovo in the dark (Nacionale)
• Too Many Children Suffering Abuse in Kosovo Schools, TV Show Hears (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media:

• Hovenier on European plan: There is no better agreement (RFE)
• Exclusive: Critical notes from the Agreement (Albanian Post)
• EU: Kurti-Vucic confirmed participation, meetings in Ohrid start at 10:00 (Kallxo)
• Kurti: EU plan must contain concrete details and be comprehensive (Nacionale)
• Kurti seeks support for EU integration in Strasbourg (media)
• Krasniqi meets head of UNMIK, expresses his reservations about EU proposal (media)
• Kurti meets head of LIBE Committee, he assures him of visa-free movement from 2024 (media)
• PDK and LDK ask Kurti for more details about European plan (Kosovapress)

Serbian Language Media:

• Starovic: Important that Belgrade is not recognized as the culprit in the event of the failure of the agreement on Kosovo (Danas, RTS)
• Obradovic: There is a potential for a general rebellion against the government (KiM radio, RTV, Beta)
• NGO: On the horizon are the first signs of declining support for the Serbian List (Danas, Beta, RFE)
• The court in Pristina extended the custody of Sladjan Trajkovic for another two months (Kosovo Online)
• Political graffiti war continues in Belgrade (N1, FoNet)
• Dacic with the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights: Recognized limitations for the sustainable return of Serbs to Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

International:

• Remembering the First Days of Pandemic (Prishtina Insight)
• Bread for Drenica: When Kosovo Women Marched to Break a Serbian Siege (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani on European modalities for minorities: Kosovo has the best (Koha)
• Kurti: The implementation plan should probably not be discussed only in Ohrid (Koha)
• Germany expects agreement in Ohrid on implementation of European proposal (RFE)
• Von der Leyen: Kosovo, Serbia to use momentum and accept EU plan (Koha)
• Caplan: Kosovo refusing Association would give arguments to Serbia (Albanian Post)
• Another two months of house arrest for former police officer Dejan Pantic (Telegrafi)
• Shqipe Mjekiqi and Sibel Halimi resign from LDK (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic to Lajcak: CSM before normalisation (N1, media)
• The opposition after the meeting with Lajcak: What answers did they get, what did they say (KiM radio, N1)
• People’s Party official: Vucic should call for referendum or elections, and not establish movement (FoNet, Euronews)
• Lawyer: KSF member suspected of wounding Serb youth charged with causing general danger and not aggravated attempted murder (KoSSev)
• Dacic says SPS against sanctions on Russia (BETA, RTV)
• Lawyer: Pantic receives decision on house arrest extension with five days of delay (Kosovo Online)
• Lajcak for RTS: If there is no ZSO, there is no agreement either (RTS)
• Vucic to meet Escobar tomorrow (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti speaks about the 15 examples offered to the Association (Koha)
• Dendias talks with Lajcak about the latest developments in the dialogue (Klan)
• Kurti meets head of EULEX Lars Gunnar Wigemark (ekonomia online)
• The SGG condemns the insulting language towards Saranda Bogujevci (media)
• Former Prime Minister Hoti meets the President of Taiwan (RTK)
• Tahiri: Kurti has brought to table an extremely harmful agreement for Kosovo (media)
• Today is the deadline to notify CEC on participation in elections in the north (RTK)
• "30% of Serbs fled Kosovo in the last 10 years": What will happen to Serb community after visas are lifted? (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

• Lajcak from today in Belgrade (Danas, Beta)
• Vucic: We will face additional pressure over Kosovo (Tanjug)
• People’s Party continues campaign against Franco-German proposal (KoSSev, social media)
• Lajcak: EU agreement result of lost opportunities for normalisation, it will be fully implemented (KoSSev)
• Radojevic on incident in Banje, indictment in Gotovusa shooting case (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Petkovic on indictment’s qualification of Gotovusa shooting case (media, social media)
• Serbian List on the indictment of Gotovusa shooting (Kontakt plus radio, Kosovo Online)
• Serbian List met Lajcak (Radio KIM)
• Opposition says Vucic campaign draws attention away from problems (N1)
• Two Serb houses in robbed, Office for KiM reacts (media)
• CEC: Today the deadline for declaring non-participation in the elections in the north of Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Is There Really New Momentum Behind EU Enlargement? (Balkan Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 10, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

• Lajcak discusses with Bislimi urgent issues on the agenda of the Dialogue (media)
• Krasniqi: I expressed to Lajcak the PDK’s reservations about the agreement (Koha)
• AAK supports EU proposal even though "it is not de jure recognition of Kosovo" (media)
• Abrashi: Only opposition parties are talking about the Association (Nacionale)
• Lekaj: AAK is against increased energy tariffs, there will be protests too (Telegrafi)
• MacShane: Surreal nonsense that EU countries don’t recognize state of Kosovo (media)
• Tahiri: Self-management and Association will ruin Kosovo’s sovereignty (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: There will be no capitulation or surrender, nor consent for Pristina to join UN (RTS)
• Prince Filip Karadjordjevic: Franco-German proposal unacceptable for Serbia (KoSSev, social media)
• Dveri Movement, public figures demand Parliament session on Kosovo (FoNet)
• Vucevic: People's Movement to bring together all those wishing to preserve Serbia (Tanjug)
• Lawyer: What ever happened in Kosovo during conflict, from brawl to robbery, Pristina accuses Serbs of war crimes (RTS)
• French ambassador: Vucic and Kurti should show flexibility and reach agreement, people in north suffer most from situation (KoSSev)
• Vucic congratulates China's Xi on his re-election as president (Tanjug)

International:

• Death of a Premier: How Serbia’s Rotten System Enabled Zoran Djindjic’s Killers (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Public Pulse: Trust in Kosovo government on decline, Serbs feel drastically less safe (KoSSev)
• ACDC offers free legal aid to people in northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Residents from Miroce village without access to their properties for two decades (KoSSev)
• Ruzica Simic: Protection of women’s rights and victims of violence in north virtually non-existent now (KoSSev)