UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 20, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Gervalla, Selakovic to face off at UN Security Council session on Kosovo (Klan Kosova)
Kurti to attend funeral service of former Secretary of State Albright (RTK)
Pahor interested to take up post of EU Special Representative for dialogue (media)
Private vehicle of border police officer attacked in the north (Sinjali)
Albanian Ambassador condemns attacks against police in the north (EO)
Gervalla meets the U.S. diplomat, talks about security in the Balkans (media)
Deputy minister calls reports UK is supplying Kosovo with arms "speculations" (Klan)
Kosovo Assembly's committee hosts roundtable on missing persons (media)
US expert: Biden warned Djuric of costs if Serbia doesn’t get closer to EU (Lajmi)
Opposition boycotts committees, will not participate until establishment of enquiry commission (ekonomia)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic and Lajcak on continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (RTS, KoSSev)
Selakovic to attend UN SC session on Kosovo (Tanjug)
Brnabic: We did not promise sanctions to Russia, I clearly and decisively deny that (NMagazin, Beta, RTS)
Senators: Serbia must align foreign policy with EU (N1)
Strengthening of institutional response to corruption in northern municipalities (RTK2)
Freedom House presents report on Serbia (N1, media)
Minister says gas supply diversity priority for Serbia (N1)
Kandic: There is no war crime that is not linked to politics (RTK2, KiM radio, Ekonomia Online)

International:

US Watchdog Accuses Kosovo Politicians of Corruption Links (BIRN)
Mihajlović, Hill hint at Serbia-US strategic partnership agreement (balkangreenenergynews.com)
A safe haven in the Gulf: Balkan criminals, and their money, are hiding in the United Arab Emirates (globalinitiative.net)

Humanitarian/Development:

Kosovar High School Students March the Streets, Objecting the Old Education System (BIRN)
Serbian Government approves quotes on exporting grain, flour and oil (RTS)

Albanian Language Media

Gervalla, Selakovic to face off at UN Security Council session on Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss the report of the UN Secretary-General about the situation in Kosovo. Kosovo will be represented by Donika Gervalla, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. She is expected to talk about the progress achieved in Kosovo, Serbia’s approach, and threats that the region faces after the Russian Federation’s military aggression in Ukraine. Serbia will be represented by Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic. In his report, the Secretary-General expresses regret that there has been limited progress so far in the dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade and also notes that the EU-brokered dialogue remains a key framework for the normalisation of relations.

Kurti to attend funeral service of former Secretary of State Albright (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will travel to the United States where he will attend the funeral service of former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, a government spokesperson told the news website. “This is all we can say at this point,” the spokerperson said when asked if Kurti is scheduled to meet U.S. officials during his stay in Washington.

Pahor interested to take up post of EU Special Representative for dialogue (media)

Slovenian newspaper Delo reported that Slovenian President Borut Pahor is interested to take up the post of EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia after the mandate of Miroslav Lajcak expires. Pahor’s office however said: “he doesn’t address the question of what he is going to do after a year, because there will be plenty of time for this. He is now fully focused on the tasks he will carry out until December 22”.

Private vehicle of border police officer attacked in the north (Sinjali)

The news website learns that a vehicle which was attacked yesterday morning in a village in the municipality of Leposavic belongs to a police officer, who is a member of the Kosovo Police Border Department. Citing sources from the prosecution the news website publishes the name of the police officer.

Albanian Ambassador condemns attacks against police in the north (EO)

Albania’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Qemajl Minxhozi, in an interview with the news website, condemned the recent attacks against Kosovo Police officers in the north saying that this does not serve the stability of the region. “We are concerned with the situation in the north. Incidents must be avoided because they are not good for the stability of the region. Maturity is very important in these moments and there must be cooperation with international institutions present in Kosovo. All actions must be harmonized with the international presence here. We condemn the recent attacks. I also think that through mutual cooperation, especially within the Kosovo institutions, every attempt for instability must be avoided. I think this cooperation needs to increase further in order to prevent such incidents,” Minxhozi said.

Deputy minister calls reports UK is supplying Kosovo with arms "speculations" (Klan)

Shemsi Syla, Kosovo's Deputy Minister of Defence, has rejected reports in certain Serbian media saying that the United Kingdom was supplying Kosovo with weapons.

"This was a major speculation of Serbia, namely of Serb leaders and the president. However, you need to understand that the UK, as a strong supporter of Ukraine, is helping the cause and the just war of the Ukrainian people. And Serbia found an argument to counter the UK, deliver a blow to it, because Serbia is Russia's proxy. It picked Kosovo to send such messages. A routine landing of a British aircraft for its own needs turned into news and unfortunately took a different spin."

Gervalla meets the U.S. diplomat, talks about security in the Balkans (media)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Donika Gervalla, met with the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

"It was a pleasure to exchange views on the current security crisis and its possible effects on the spread in the Western Balkans," Gervalla wrote on Twitter.

The US ambassador wrote that "it is a pleasure to meet the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla-Shwarz. I expressed my appreciation for Kosovo's assistance in hosting the Afghans in need - and the support of the people of Ukraine during the brutal occupation of Russia."

Gervalla will represent Kosovo in the Security Council that will be held this Wednesday.

The United Nations Security Council will meet in New York on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the next report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the work of UNMIK.

Gervalla is expected to speak at the meeting about the progress made in Kosovo, Serbia's approach and the dangers threatening the region after the Russian Federation's military aggression in Ukraine.

Kosovo Assembly's committee hosts roundtable on missing persons (media)

Kosovo Assembly's committee on human rights, gender equality, missing persons, victims of sexual violence during war and petitions hosted a roundtable in Pristina today on the issue of missing persons.

Deputy chair of the committee, Saranda Bogujevci, said the Assembly should play an active role in efforts to shed light on the fate of missing persons. "Not only by contributing to the Government and other mechanisms, but by specific actions," Kosovapress quotes Bogujevci as saying.

Several media outlets also report that representatives of associations of missing persons walked off the meeting in protest over the presence of Serbian human rights activist and founder of the Humanitarian Law Centre, Natasa Kandic.

Kandic in her remarks said that there are no war crimes that are not related to politics. "No one is happy how the work on the issue of missing persons has gone. There is no cooperation between institutions of Kosovo and Serbia on the issue," she is quoted by RTK.

US expert: Biden warned Djuric of costs if Serbia doesn’t get closer to EU (Lajmi)

Alon Ben-Meir, US expert on the Balkans, said in a Facebook post that “the essence of the meeting between President Biden and Ambassador Djuric was to make it clear that the US is unhappy with Belgrade. Ambassador Djuric was indirectly warned that there will be a cost if Vucic does not fulfill his pledge to bring Serbia closer to the EU, especially in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which he promised but never delivered. Subsequent to the meeting, Djuric made a statement that “Serbia will continue, as a responsible and reliable partner in the international community, to consistently pursue a policy of regional stability, advocating for peace, prosperity and economic progress of all citizens of the Western Balkans”. This, of course, remains to be seen. However, one thing we have to keep in mind is that Vucic understands that being too close to Putin at this juncture is more of a liability than an asset. He may well moderate his position, also because he is still eying EU membership. I believe that the US and the EU must now abandon their “strategic patience” and use sticks and carrots to effectuate a real change in Serbia’s conduct.”

Opposition boycotts committees, will not participate until establishment of enquiry commission (ekonomia)

Opposition parties have boycotted the Committee for European Integration, which has received the report of the Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu.

Blerta Deliu-Kodra, MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said that the boycott of her political party will continue until the establishment of the Inquiry Commission.

“Yesterday, such commission failed to be approved. We consider this to be arrogance of power. We will not be part of the approval of any draft law, with this arrogant approach of the government, and in order to pave way for investigative commission, because it is a constitutional right,” she said.

Time Kadriaj, MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) also said that they would boycott this reporting.

“I believe that this committee does not meet the conditions and we will not vote on draft laws until the investigative commission is established. Let us end this meeting,” Kadriaj said.

Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) MP Agon Batusha, said the decision of the opposition is unfair. “Heads of parliamentary groups will continue to talk about investigative commission,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic and Lajcak on continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (RTS, KoSSev)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other regional issues in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak in Belgrade today and discussed continuation of the dialogue, as well as importance of Brussels agreement signed nine years ago, RTS reports.

During the meeting Vucic noted that nine years have passed since the signing of the Brussels agreement and still there is no progress in implementation of the obligations Pristina undertook, primarily in regard to the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. He also said Serbia expects that reached agreements will be respected and fully implemented.

On his side, Lajcak said he will continue to be fully engaged in the continuation of the dialogue under the auspices of the EU without further delay, adding that EU member states expect two sides to implement everything that has been agreed upon as part of the dialogue process over the last nine years.

Vucic underlined that Serbia supports activities, intentions and efforts of Miroslav Lajcak to reach a compromise solution, without ultimatums and imposed solutions, with the wish to see understanding shown also for its state and national interests, and not only for the interests of Albanians.He thanked Miroslav Lajcak for his commitment, adding he is always welcome to Serbia, Vucic’s press office announced.

The meeting was organised just a day before the expiration of the deadline to reach a permanent solution for licence plates, after a six-month sticker regime as Pristina sees it, and for Belgrade as Petar Petkovic said yesterday - it is an expiration of the mandate of working group experts to find a solution for licence plates which would be presented to the parties, KoSSev wrote.

KoSSev also said a meeting of the delegation will be held in Brussels today and tomorrow, the EU spokesman, Peter Stano, confirmed the news to KoSSev yesterday. The EU once again reminded both sides that "now it is urgent" to find a common position, recalled the portal.

"Any agreement on licence plates will require political flexibility and compromise," Stano said.

Selakovic to attend UN SC session on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian FM Nikola Selakovic will attend a UN Security Council session today on the UN secretary-general's semiannual report on the situation in Kosovo, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The session is scheduled for 9 pm CET.

In the report, which covers the period between September 16, 2021, and March 15, 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses regret over limited progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

He noted that the dialogue process and efforts to achieve normalisation had full and unquestionable support of the UN.

Guterres added that maintaining an open, transparent, and inclusive process was crucial for reaching sustainable agreements and encouraged Belgrade and Pristina to ensure significant involvement of a broad circle of participants in the dialogue process.

Brnabic: We did not promise sanctions to Russia, I clearly and decisively deny that (NMagazin, Beta, RTS)

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today that she "wants to deny" speculations that it has already been agreed that Serbia will impose sanctions on Russia, and she does so, as she emphasised, "completely clearly and decisively, nothing has been promised and agreed", reported portal NMagazin, citing RTS.

"We are always telling the truth to the citizens. The only position now is the position of our National Security Council and the Government, and that is that we are against the imposed sanctions on Russia and that we respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Brnabic told Radio Television Serbia (RTS).

She stated that it is difficult to defend the principled position of Serbia, but that "it is being so day to day, because we are exposed to pressure every day".

"International law is clear; the fact that the world forces use it in the way that suits them at a given moment is another matter. That international law is defending us as a territorially small country," Branabic said.

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic announced that the Government will allow the export of wheat, corn, flour, and refined oil at today's session.

The Prime Minister told RTS that the export of unrefined oil will not be allowed, because it is exported at higher prices.

"We will allow certain quotas for exports, there will be a commission, if more producers apply for more exports than anticipated, it will not be according to the system who applies first, but will be equally distributed for everyone," said Brnabic.

She told the citizens that there will be no shortage and that the state sees that there are always two or three times more than needed, and that the silos are emptied, that exporters "honor contracts and earn money now with these prices".

Brnabic estimated that inflation in Serbia this year will be around seven percent or slightly lower, but she added that in the end everything depends on the price of oil and gas.

Answering questions about the formation of the new government, Brnabic said that the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) bodies will decide about partners in relation to how they position themselves on the issues of Serbia's development.

"Some positioned themselves differently before, during and after the campaign, only the SNS positioned itself completely and with the same attitude," Brnabic said, and reiterated that "everyone is ready to unite against Aleksandar Vucic."

She added that the Progressives will form a government with the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and other minority parties, and everything else will be decided by party bodies.

The Prime Minister pointed out that she was happy that the conversation on various topics would return to the Assembly of Serbia, where citizens could hear "how some defend or not defend Serbian national interests and whether they represent the positions of the West or the East."

When asked about relations in the region, Brnabic answered that Serbia is committed to peace and dialogue.

Senators: Serbia must align foreign policy with EU (N1)

Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Murphy and Thom Tillis told a news conference in Belgrade on Tuesday that Serbia must align its foreign policy with the European Union, reported broadcaster N1.

The senators said that the important thing at present is for all democratic European countries to send a clear message to Russia and hold it accountable for the invasion of Ukraine.

Senator Murphy (Foreign Affairs Committee) said that they understand the complex history of Serbia’s relations with Russia but voiced hope that “we will continue working with Serbia to send Russia a clear message” while his fellow committee member Senator Shaheen said the Western Balkans are important to the US “especially in this critical time in European history”. She expressed hope that the democratic countries of Europe will stand together in opposing the unprovoked war.

Shaheen said that they discussed sanctions against Russia with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. She added that Vucic told them that Serbia’s future lies in the west with the rest of Europe. If that is the intention then you should have a foreign policy aligned with the European Union, she said.

Murphy told the news conference that democratic nations can’t tolerate the targeting of civilians in the brutal war in Ukraine and added that he hopes that the US can stand with Serbia in coming weeks and months to send that message to Russia.

Senator Tillis (Armed Services Committee) commented on the delivery of Chinese AA missile systems to Serbia saying that if Serbia continues its way towards the EU things could get more complicated depending on where weapons come from. In the long term, every country should decide whether it is smart to link its security to China, but if Serbia intends to be part of the EU it’s not in its long-term interest to develop security relations with China.

Murphy confirmed that Kosovo was discussed with Vucic, adding that Washington is disappointed with the lack of progress in implementing agreements. The conditions for recognition exist and both sides need to be able to take the steps because they have been outlined in the initial agreement, he said and added that the US should remain an active player in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue with the EU. He expressed concern that the talks with Serbia on Ukraine could prevail over the very important talks on the future of Serbia-Kosovo relations.

Murphy said they would travel to Pristina to pressure the Kosovo government to fulfil agreed commitments.

See at: https://bit.ly/3Ewqxhf

Strengthening of institutional response to corruption in northern municipalities (RTK2)

Corruption as a burning issue today and how much it is talked about in the media was the topic of the third public debate organised by the NGO Advocacy Centre for Democratic Culture (ACDC) in North Mitrovica within the project “Enhancing institutional response to corruption in northern municipalities”, reported RTK2.

After public debates were held with representatives of local self-governments in northern Kosovo, and then with representatives of civil society, a discussion followed with representatives of the media.

“This is the third public debate where the media are involved, where we want to include those who are on the front line when it comes to reporting on corruption and corrupt acts here in the north. That is why we invited journalists, i.e., portals and televisions that are directly involved in the reporting, to see what problems they encounter, how they report, whether they had any consequences, whether they have difficulties in that and to simply show us their side of this very complicated story,” Slobodan Stosic, program manager of ACDC told RTK2.

Media representatives pointed out that there is no specialised Serbian-language editorial office in Kosovo that deals with the issues related to corruption. Editor-in-chief of Kossev portal Tatjana Lazarevic pointed out that the Serbian-language media in Kosovo are in a specific position.

“Serbian-language media cannot be separated from the entire community, when we talk about Serbs in Kosovo, it is a community with very, very ruined potentials. When I say crumbled potentials, starting from the number, through other indicators such as socio-economic, social, cultural, to political capacity,” Lazarevic said.

Director of TV Mir from Leposavic, Nenad Radosavljevic has highlighted the problem of non-cooperation of representatives of institutions with the media.

“We tried to do some shows and find out what they think about ecology or anything else, to do it by making interviews on, for example, how Romani live in their neighbourhood (mahalla) and someone from the government to say something. We failed, out of four contacts, one was a Minister, we did not manage to secure anyone to talk about that problem or about ecology,” Radosavljevic pointed out.

“It’s a fact that the society in which we live, not only in Kosovo but in the entire Western Balkans, is corrupt,” said the editor-in-chief of Radio Gorazdevac Darko Dimitrijevic.

“My interlocutors mentioned politics, I would also mention the judiciary and non-governmental organisations, media, journalism as a profession, when we look a bit wider, it is also corrupt, so our entire life is surrounded by some kind of corruption,” Dimitrijevic said.

RTK 2 pointed out that the residents of North Mitrovica were not in the mood to talk about corruption.

“There is probably some talk about it in the media, but I personally have not faced corruption,” this was one of the replies. “I don’t know, I’m an old woman, I don’t go out much, I don’t move around. I don’t know”.

NGO ACDC in North Mitrovica said that in the coming period it will organise a conference at which, within the project “Enhancing the institutional response to corruption in municipalities in the north” will present data collected thus far related to corruption. According to ACDC, representatives of local governments, the civil sector and the media will be invited.

Freedom House presents report on Serbia (N1, media)

Serbia to the largest extent has regressed the most compared to other states in the Balkans when it comes to implementing democratic reforms, non-governmental organisation Freedom House said in its report, N1 reports.

Based on the report, Serbia for the third year in a row doesn’t come under the category of democratic states, but is listed as “a hybrid regime”. On a scale from 1 to 7, Serbia is ranked with 3.79, marking a slight decline compared to its ranking year before which was 3.89.

N1 said that Kosovo marked the highest progress and no regression in any of the criteria areas assessed by Freedom House. This year Kosovo was ranked 3.25, compared to 3.14 it had last year.

Read the report on Serbia at: https://bit.ly/3JYRE5P

Minister says gas supply diversity priority for Serbia (N1)

Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said Wednesday that gas supply diversification was a priority for the country, N1 reports.

Supplier diversification is important because Serbia is completely dependent on Russian gas, she said, adding that gas could be supplied from Azerbaijan once the interconnection with Bulgaria is completed in September 2023.

Mihajlovic also said that oil and gas supplies have not been interrupted, adding that the government has plans to deal with a possible supply crisis.

“We get oil through the Adriatic gas pipeline, gas through Bulgaria via the Balkan Stream. We have sufficient supplies of derivatives and gas, but we are being cautious because this is not up to us. We are behaving responsibly, taking care and we will have a solution for every unpredictable situation”, she told TV Happy.

According to Mihajlovic, the only way to secure long-term energy stability is through an energy transition and green agenda. She said Serbia needs new electricity production capacities, primarily renewable sources to maintain energy security in future. Serbia urgently needs investments in hydro power plants, wind farms, solar power while still using but reducing production from thermal power plants.

See at: https://bit.ly/3KZNmMV

Kandic: There is no war crime that is not linked to politics (RTK2, KiM radio, Ekonomia Online)

The Commission for Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons, Victims of the War of Sexual Violence and Petitions organized a round table on Wednesday on the topic "Almost two and a half decades after the war, what is the fate of missing persons", reported RTK2.

Representatives of institutions in Kosovo and others that deal with the issue of missing persons were present, reported RTK2.

Human rights activist and humanist Natasa Kandic said the roundtable was a good opportunity to talk about missing persons.

"It is very important for me to speak from my profession, I am an investigator, I am not a political person, there is no war crime that is not related to politics. No one is satisfied with the way the case of the missing is being handled. There is no cooperation between the institutions of Kosovo and Serbia on the issue of missing persons," she said.

"Data show that there are more missing people from 1998. By June 20, 1999, we had 1,080 missing Albanians, maybe they were kidnapped, they disappeared by force. After June 20, 1999, to 2000, 327 Serbs, Bosniaks, Roma, Gorani and 38 Albanians disappeared. This shows how terrible that year was," said Kandic.

KiM radio reported, quoting Ekonomia Online, that some family members and members of associations of missing left the hall during the speech of Serbian human rights activist Natasa Kandic.

The President of the Coordination Council for Missing Persons and War Crimes in Kosovo, Ahmet Grajqevci, said that the presence of Natasa Kandic was unnecessary and stated that Kosovo has its own institutions, Ekonomija Online reported, cited KiM radio.

"Family members are always irritated when Natasa Kandic comes to Kosovo because we have our institutions, we have the Council for Freedoms and Human Rights of our Kosovo. Why should Natasa Kandic come to us to give a lecture when we know them best. She doesn't say what she knows, she does not reveal state secrets, she does not speak of any place of mass graves in Serbia or other territories. We have our institutions, we have meetings with institutions," said Grajqevci.

''To date, no government has done enough work and what was needed. Thank God, we had a Commission on Missing Persons that contributed and worked as much as possible and as far as working conditions allowed. As for governments, none of the governments gave its contribution in this direction, whether it was missing persons, war crimes, war reparations, they did not work," he concluded, reported KiM radio.

International

US Watchdog Accuses Kosovo Politicians of Corruption Links (BIRN)

Washington-based watchdog organisation Freedom House alleged that two political leaders in Kosovo, ex-President Hashim Thaci and ex-Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, “have links to organised crime and high-level corruption”.

In its latest annual report on trends in democracy, published on Wednesday, Freedom House alleged that two veteran political leaders in Kosovo, Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj, are among various powerful figures in the country who have criminal connections.

“Major political figures in Kosovo, including former president Thaci and former prime minister Haradinaj, have links to organised crime and high-level corruption, which play powerful roles in politics and have influenced the installation of key leaders,” the report says.

Neither of the two men has responded to the allegations so far.

Humanitarian/Development

Kosovar High School Students March the Streets, Objecting the Old Education System (BIRN)

With the motto ‘No more will to go to school’, hundreds of high school students marched in Zahir Pajaziti Square in Prishtina.

Student protesters asked for more equality, security in schools, better quality of education, and the introduction of psychologists in schools.

March was organized by the Kosovo Students Council, and some of their other requests for the quality of education, teaching content, behavior of teachers, infrastructure of school institutions and the negative phenomena present faced by school students.

Besides the one in the capital city, the march took place in 28 other municipalities of Kosovo.

The student representative, Denis Krasniqi from the Kosovo Students Council, said that they are not going to school because every decision on education ‘is made for us, without us.’