UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 12, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: When Serbia talks about killing and violence, it talks about itself not Kosovo (RFE)

Kurti: We stand unwavering, but agreement depends on Serbian side (Koha)

KFOR: We are talking with security representatives of Kosovo and Serbia (Klan)

Kurti to meet NATO SG, one day prior to meeting Vucic (Nacionale/Klan Kosova)

“We don’t want instability; Serbia shouldn't encourage criminal groups” (Kosovapress)

Will police confiscate the trucks that blocked the roads in the north? (Nacionale)

Murati: Redefinition of borders with Serbia will return; there’s no other option (media)

860 new cases with COVID-19, one death (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Mihajlovic: Negotiations with Pristina are getting more difficult because Kurti wants to end the dialogue (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Army Commander visits the bases in Ground Safety Zone (RTV RS)

Serbian Mayors from Kosovo warn that position of Serbs is becoming more difficult (Politika)

Rakic: We are not shying away from the possibility of forming Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities (A/CSM) ourselves (Kosovo Online)

“North of Kosovo is de facto a grey zone, Pristina wants to present reciprocal measures as being in service of fight against crime” (Danas)

International:

Serbia’s Leader Rejects ‘Little Putin’ Label Amid Fears of Russian Meddling (The New York Times)

NATO informs the public that SG Stoltenberg will meet with Vucic and Kurti on August 17 (nato.int)

Besides Red Carpets, Sarajevo Film Festival Confronts Traumatic Past (BIRN)

Opinion

Activists in Kosovo and Serbia Can Still Find Common Ground (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: When Serbia talks about killing and violence, it talks about itself not Kosovo (RFE)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said today that when officials in Belgrade, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, talk about violence and killings in Kosovo, “they talk about themselves, they talk about their imagination and their opinions”. Kurti’s reaction comes one day after Vucic said he has information about plans about the killings of Serbs in the north of Kosovo. But after a visit to the Kosovo Customs today, Kurti said Kosovo is committed to peace and stability. “When they talk, they are not talking about us, but about themselves. We are committed to peace, security, long-term stability and with our state we need to protect not only sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also democracy, constitutionality, the rule of law and progress,” he said.

Kurti again accused Serbia of inciting tensions in the north of Kosovo on July 31 and August 1 when local Serbs blocked the roads in sign of dissatisfaction with Kosovo’s decisions on reciprocity for Serbian licence plates and documents. “August 1 would have been very peaceful and would have been the first day of work in the eighth month of the year. But on July 31 barricades were set up by people that incited, planned, prepared, and financed the illegal structures that turned into criminal gangs on the roads in the north of Kosovo,” Kurti said.

Asked to comment on an initiative in social media calling for the annulment of an administrative directive that bans headscarves in Kosovo schools, Kurti said the Ministry of Education is working to address the concern of the citizens. He added that he is against the ban against headscarves for girls over 16 in school. “I have expressed my position on this issue several years ago and my position is that there should not be a ban on headscarves and other religious elements in the public life of our citizens. But I have also said that the age of 16 is the threshold,” he added.

The news website notes that there has been an administrative directive since 2010 in Kosovo that bans the wearing of headscarves in schools.

Kurti: We stand unwavering, but agreement depends on Serbian side (Koha)

Commenting on the upcoming meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels on August 19, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that the dialogue should be about a legally binding agreement for full normalisation of relations and mutual recognition. He said that the agreement depends on the Serbian side, because as he argued, Kosovo is ready and unwavering for mutual recognition.

“I am ready and interested in the dialogue in Brussels, for the talks there to be principled and substantial, and at the same time for this dialogue not to be about dialogue but a dialogue for a legally binding agreement for full normalisation and for mutual recognition. You need to understand that the agreement is reached with the other side and in this case, it depends on the other side if there will be an agreement. As far as I am concerned, the readiness and interest are undisputed and unwavering,” Kurti told reporters during the marking of International Youth Day.

Kurti also said that reciprocity is a healthy and normal act for good neighbourly relations. “We are making sovereign decisions. I have said in the meetings on June 15 and July 19 last year that an agreement is sustainable and implementable when it contains healthy principles. Reciprocity is a healthy and normal act in good neighbourly relations,” he said.

KFOR: We are talking with security representatives of Kosovo and Serbia (Klan)

The news portal has asked KFOR what happens if a new conflict develops in Kosovo, that is, who will take the powers to lead the situation.

KFOR, in a response, said that their mission, led by NATO, is fully focused on the daily implementation of its UN mandate (Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council of 1999) to ensure a safe environment and freedom of movement for all the people of Kosovo.

"KFOR maintains a visible and agile position on the ground and the KFOR commander is in regular contact with all his main interlocutors, including representatives of Kosovo's security organizations and the Serbian Chief of Defense," it is stated in the answer.

Kurti to meet NATO SG, one day prior to meeting Vucic (Nacionale/Klan Kosova)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti will meet the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on August 17. The news was confirmed by the NATO media office in a statement. Kurti and Stoltenberg are expected to hold a press conference after the meeting. Gazeta Nacionale notes that the meeting will take place one day prior to Kurti’s meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. Klan Kosova notes in its coverage that the press conference of Kurti and Stoltenberg “will be among the few that a Prime Minister of Kosovo to hold a media conference with the NATO Secretary General”.

“We don’t want instability; Serbia shouldn't encourage criminal groups” (Kosovapress)

Vetevendosje MP and deputy head of the Kosovo Assembly’s Committee for Security, Enver Dugolli, said in an interview with the news agency today that “we don’t want to have instability and we are doing our best to have information campaigns for Serb citizens although they have been exposed to an attack with fake news from Serbia and Russia”.

“They are misinforming the public opinion, especially the Serb citizens, because in reality the decisions of the Kosovo Government have nothing to do with their allegations. They are lies, because we are only implementing a decision that has been delayed for 11 years. The international community and our international friends have welcomed it and found the decision of the government to be reasonable. We now stand united. It is now up to Serbia to reflect and not encourage criminal structures and groups but to be mindful because these incitements can lead to instability in the Balkans. Serbia must contribute to peace although so far they have not shown such an interest,” Dugolli is quoted as saying.

Will police confiscate the trucks that blocked the roads in the north? (Nacionale)

The news website notes that the trucks that were used to block the roads in the north of Kosovo in opposition to the decision for reciprocity, are reported to be in the ownership of public companies for cleaning roads, and the director of one of these companies is said to be Goran Rakic, Minister for Returns and Communities. Cameras used by reporters and TV stations also captured the images of the workers of these companies who were standing beside the trucks that blocked the roads. If the trucks blocked the roads by threatening the law and order in the Republic of Kosovo, should they be confiscated? In a reply to Gazeta Nacionale, Chief prosecutor of the Special Prosecution, Blerim Isufaj, said the issue is still under investigation and that he cannot talk about the specifics of the case. “I do not have an answer about this situation. The case is under investigation, and we cannot comment on the specifics,” he said. The news website tried to get an answer from Kosovo Police on the issue, but they too said the case is under investigation. “Kosovo Police is conducting investigations about the events in the north of Kosovo. All investigative actions are being done in cooperation and cooperation with the State Prosecution,” the police said.

Murati: Redefinition of borders with Serbia will return; there’s no other option (media)

Leader of the Movement for Unification, Valon Murati, said in an interview with the Albanian Post that the idea for the redefinition of borders between Kosovo and Serbia will return.

“This topic will return naturally, be it after the failure of the project of the Association [of Serb-majority municipalities] in the signing phase, or if it signed then during the implementation phase, but also if we continue the current status quo. Instead of coming as a product of our state, civic and national interest, this option will come as a product of the failure of other options and the increased dysfunctionality of the state of Kosovo. I certainly fear that we are going to be in a weaker position when this topic is reopened in the future because of our exhaustion with the dysfunctionality of the state of Kosovo, the gradual ethnic cleansing in eastern Kosovo [Presevo Valley] and the rigid Serbian interest on Iber River,” Murati argued.

According to Murati, “the biggest victory will be that only with this option [redefinition of borders] we are going to have a normal and functional state”.

860 new cases with COVID-19, one death (media)

860 new cases with COVID-19 and one death from the virus were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. There are 6,925 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Mihajlovic: Negotiations with Pristina are getting more difficult because Kurti wants to end the dialogue (Kosovo Online)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said today that Belgrade remains committed to dialogue and negotiations with Pristina, despite the threats and attacks sent by Albin Kurti, whose goal is to end the talks.

Mihajlovic stated that all these years, the policy of President Aleksandar Vucic and the Government of Serbia is a policy of peace and stability in the entire region, which is often not easy to maintain, especially because “on the other side we have attacks that actually represent Albin Kurti’s attempts to terminate the negotiations”.

“All these threats and attacks are aimed to have us give up the dialogue, and it is practically a call to end the negotiations” Mihajlovic said.

“Regardless of everything, Serbia remains committed to dialogue and peace, because without peace, nobody will be better off, neither Serbs, nor the others who live in Kosovo and Metohija” she said.

“We have shown, both President Vučić and the government, that the policy of peace and stability is the only policy we stand for and implement, and we will not give up on negotiations, no matter how much the other side is obstructing. President Vučić is going to Brussels next week, and it seems to me that it is getting harder every time, but we will certainly not give up on dialogue” Mihajlovic said.

Serbian Army Commander visits the bases in Ground Safety Zone (RTV RS)

Serbian Ministry of Defence has issued a press release, informing the public that yesterday, Army Commander, Lieutenant General Milosav Simovic and his associates visited the Vrapce and Medevce bases in the Ground Safety Zone.

“During the visit, General Simovic inspected the situation and living and working conditions in these two bases and spoke to members of the Serbian Armed Forces responsible for controlling the Ground Safety Zone and securing the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija. On that occasion, he confirmed that soldiers and commanding officers, who had demonstrated great competence many times before, were highly motivated for the execution of all assigned tasks” the statement reads.

“General Simovic praised the soldiers and senior officers for their commitment and responsible attitudes in execution of one of the Serbian Armed Forces’ first mission tasks, and once again emphasized their contribution to the security of all citizens in this part of Serbia” it was concluded.

Serbian Mayors from Kosovo warn that position of Serbs is becoming more difficult (Politika)

On Thursday, “Politika” daily paper published that the “mayors from Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija warned that the position of Serbs in the province is becoming more and more difficult day by day and that the “general criminalization” of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is afoot”.

They also rebelled against the treatment of the Serbian List and its vice-president Milan Radoicic, rejecting Pristina’s accusations that they are criminals.

“And when, for example, Serbs like us in Strpce, re-register vehicles, take Kosovo documents, accept to be part of Kosovo institutions, then they will find other reasons to present us to criminals” said the Mayor of Strpce Dalibor Jevtic in his press release.

He added that Albanians would criminalize all Serbs if only they were not there and did not bother them.

“And when a Serb wants to return to Kosovo, they accuse him of being a war criminal. When a Serb wants to stay in Kosovo, they accuse him of being a smuggler. When a Serb politically fights for his people, they accuse him of being a criminal” Jevtic pointed out.

Mayor of Gracanica, Ljiljana Subaric, said that “Serbs in KiM receive with fear the statements of Albanian political leaders who are at the head of institutions and openly propagate anti-Serb sentiment”.

“If it wasn’t sad, it would be funny if the Minister of Police Svecla talks about the fight for legality, without giving any answer when those responsible for dozens of attacks on Serbs will be brought to justice, and whether the incursion into our municipality in January this year, without a court order, was legal” Subaric said.

Mayor of Zubin Potok, Srdjan Vulovic, pointed out that the Serbian people, especially the citizens of Ibarski Kolasin, know who is responsible for their daily mistreatment in their villages, houses and roads.

“The intention of Mr. Svecla and Pristina to lie about prominent Serbs, such as Mr. Radoicic, or fabrications about the Serbian state leadership will not succeed in reducing his responsibility for everything that is done against the bare-handed people, but also against peace in the area” Vulovic said.

Mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, said that the patrolling with armoured vehicles and “Hummers” through the centre of the city, while the Mitrovica cultural festival is being held and while children are playing on the stage, shows how Pristina imagines the fight against the Serbs in the north.

“There is no city in Europe where police patrols are carried out with “Hummers”. It seems that children who play on stage and nurture the cultural and folklore traditions of their people are a threat to the constitutional order of Kosovo. We are on our property and that’s why we are clearly saying that there is no going back from here” Radojevic stated.

Mayor of Novo Brdo, Svetislav Ivanovic, pointed out that the precondition for peace is that those who lead institutions do not use their position to oppress citizens.

“I call on Xhelal Svecla to, instead of making false accusations against the Serbian people and their political representatives, answer the citizens’ questions about when they will live better, when those responsible for attacks on Serbs will be arrested, when security will be provided for the return of 250,000 displaced persons, when the Serbs will be return the property, when will the harassment of our clergy stop?” Ivanovic said.

He also urged Svecla to publicly announce the number of murders and other grave crimes in the last few years in the areas where he has absolute power, since he is more than obsessed with the north.

Rakic: We are not shying away from the possibility of forming Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities (A/CSM) ourselves (Kosovo Online)

Shortly before the new round of dialogue in Brussels, President of Serbian List, Goran Rakic said that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, will fight for his people “like a lion” and that any decision, made unilaterally, against the Serbs will not be approved by the political representatives of Serbs, nor the Serbian people.

“The formation of A/CSM is an international obligation of Pristina, to which the representatives of Pristina committed themselves, and not only them, but also the representatives of the European Union. What is being heard now from certain international representatives presents an attempt to diminish the importance of the Association/Community, despite the agreement that was already achieved. Serbian people will not agree to that, just as they will not agree to the indefinite stalling. In this sense, we are shying away from the possibility of forming the A/CSM on our own, while respecting the international agreement by which its existence is foreseen” Rakic said.

He added that it is a fact that the statements made by Albin Kurti are absolutely against the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

“We are aware of that, and I believe the international representatives are too, but on the other hand, the statements are less important if we take into account that the decisions he and his associates make are most directly directed against peace in the area” Rakic stated.

He said that “in the absence of the ability” to solve citizens’ problems and face the obligations arising from the dialogue in Brussels, the representatives of the authorities in Pristina are trying to use populism and raising of tensions to divert the citizens’ attention from real problems towards the evil Serbs in the north, south and in Belgrade. They are thus most directly threatening the stability, incite tensions, especially inter-ethnic ones, and this results in attacks on Serbs, their property and the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The possibility of conflict and a potential war are mentioned by those who did everything to make the situation worse, and that is why they are responsible” Rakic said.

He stressed that “Serbian List has always appealed for peace and restraint, and that it has the support of our citizens and President Vučić”. He also said that for years, Serbian side has been acting from the position that all open issues should be resolved through dialogue and that a solution must be a compromise and not an imposed solution.

“I hope that a sustainable solution will be found at this meeting that will respect the interests of our people. I emphasize, I hope, finding a solution requires good will, and at the moment there is none of that in Pristina” Rakic said.

“North of Kosovo is de facto a grey zone, Pristina wants to present reciprocal measures as being in service of fight against crime” (Danas)

“The biggest problem with this current narrative about the north of Kosovo as “El Dorado for criminals” is that it also tries to include the recent measures adopted by the government in Pristina regarding the identity documents. Namely, they are trying to say that the decisions on re-registration of vehicles with KM plates and the introduction of an entry document for people with Serbian ID cards are measures that should contribute to the fight against crime in the north. It is a straw man argument and an attempt to delegitimize the objections expressed by the Serbian side in connection with those measures” political scientist Ognjen Gogic told “Danas “when asked about the statement of Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla who spoke about crime in the northern part of Kosovo and the alleged support for it.

In an interview published today, Gogic stated that the North of Kosovo de facto represents a “grey zone” because, as he explained, there are two normative and administrative systems - Serbian and Kosovo - neither of which has been fully implemented, and such a situation probably favours the development of criminal activities.

“Over the past few months, Kosovo police have carried out several actions in the north of Kosovo that led to the closure of a narcotics laboratory and a cryptocurrency mining workshop, as well as the seizure of smuggled goods. Also, shootings at the police were recorded on several occasions. All this confirms that certain criminal activities are taking place in the north of Kosovo. On the other hand, this does not mean that there is no crime in other parts of Kosovo. For example, even Milan Radoicic himself is on the wanted list because of the “Brezovica” case and not because of his actions in the north of Kosovo. However, the focus is placed on the north of Kosovo and thus a distorted image is created that it is an area of lawlessness, in contrast to other areas where everything is supposedly taking place in accordance with the law” Gogic stressed.

Gogic opined that the current narrative of Kosovo officials relies on a stereotypical image of the north of Kosovo as a hotbed of crime that exists not only in the Albanian but also in the Serbian public, and the fact that the USA imposed sanctions on Milan Radoicic and Zvonko Veselinovic and with companies connected to them.

“This allows Pristina to attribute legitimacy to its actions. However, it becomes problematic when Pristina tries to justify its “reciprocal measures”. The issue of Serbian license plates and identity cards cannot be equated with the fight against crime. The attempt to do so is what is at issue here. If Serbs oppose any of these measures, it would mean that they are supporting crime” Gogic opined.

“The fight against crime is something that should definitely be supported in the north of Kosovo and anywhere else. However, it is important not to politicize the story and to separate it from other issues such as reciprocity measures. This is an issue that should be the subject of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as between Pristina and Kosovo Serbs. They concern tens of thousands of ordinary people who have no connection with any crime”.

“Measures of reciprocity in terms of ID cards will, for example, also affect Albanians from Presevo. Are they in any way connected with crime in the north of Kosovo?” Gogic wonders.

International

Serbia’s Leader Rejects ‘Little Putin’ Label Amid Fears of Russian Meddling (The New York Times)

Serbia’s strongman leader, Aleksandar Vucic, is fed up with being reviled as a “little Putin” intent on aggression against his country’s fragile neighbors in the Balkans. For starters, Mr. Vucic noted wryly in an interview in the library of the presidential palace this month, “I am almost two meters tall.” That makes him about 6-foot-5. (Vladimir V. Putin is an estimated 5-foot-7 at most, though the Russian president’s exact height, a sensitive topic for the Kremlin, is a secret.)

Behind Mr. Vucic’s levity over physical stature, however, lurks a serious question that torments the Balkans and preoccupies Western diplomats.

Is Russia, mired in a brutal war in Ukraine, using Serbia to stir division in Europe and provoke renewed conflict in the former Yugoslavia to distract NATO from the battle raging to the east?

Those fears flared last week when an esoteric dispute over license plates between Serbia, which is bound to Russia by history, religion and deep hostility toward NATO, and the formerly Serbian province of Kosovo led to unruly protests, roadblocks and gunfire — setting off alarm bells in the Atlantic alliance.

The unrest in Kosovo, and strains in nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina caused by Milorad Dodik, the belligerent, Moscow-backed leader of the ethnic Serb enclave there, and by hard-line Croat nationalists have led to warnings that Russia is trying to stoke tensions, stilled but never really resolved, from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

“Russia calculates that the more time the West spends sweating in the Balkans, the less time it will spend sweating in Russia’s backyard,” said Vuk Vuksanovic, a researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy.

“But there are limits on what Russia can do,” Mr. Vuksanovic added. “It needs local elites and these don’t want to be sacrificed for Russian interests.”