UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 14, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani thanks KSF teams helping save lives after Turkey earthquake (media)
Rizvanolli: Fight against organised crime pays off in multiple ways! (media)
Over 140 candidates to replace 500 police officers in the north (Koha)
Beslin: Serbia and Kosovo will accept the French-German plan (RTK)
Kosovo hosts another Afghan journalist (Radio Free Europe)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: Serbia greatly dependent on EU, cannot move forward without it (Tanjug)
Von Cramon's speech before the EP's Foreign Affairs Committee on the Kosovo 2022 report (KoSSev)
Lawyer: Entire Serb community damaged by decision on expropriation (Kosovo Online)
Lavrov to Dacic: Russia ready for further development of relations with Serbia (N1, BETA)
Vucic: KFOR contributing to peace, stability in Kosovo-Metohija (Tanjug)
PM Brnabic: CSM and only then resumption of negotiations (Beta, N1)
Xi to Vucic: Joint effort to defend international law (FoNet, N1)
Last week review: Principled acceptance of EU proposals, through mutual accusations on energy, to the discovery of drug labs in the north (KoSSev)
UNS protest over airing Assembly session in Albanian language only (Radio KIM)

Opinion:

The Desperate Desire to be ‘European’ (K2.0)

International:

'Quietly endure': north Kosovo braves security vacuum after resignations (AFP)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani thanks KSF teams helping save lives after Turkey earthquake (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post today “that the bravery and unwavering determination of our soldiers to save lives from the rubble of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey inspires hope in this tragedy that has caused sadness in every corner of the world”. Osmani also said that “the heroism shown by our Security Force reminds us of the compassion and solidarity of our people to stand side by side with our friends in challenging times. Thank you FSK for giving us sparks of hope in all this pain and sadness. We are proud of you!”

Rizvanolli: Fight against organised crime pays off in multiple ways! (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, commented on a recent operation by Kosovo Police in the north to destroy three illegal drug laboratories. “The fight against organised crime pays off in multiple ways! Due to such operations against illegal drug farming & cryptomining, abnormal growth of energy consumption seen in recent years in the 4 municipalities in the north of Kosovo has been halted!,” Rizvanolli wrote in a Twitter post.

Over 140 candidates to replace 500 police officers in the north (Koha)

Kosovo Police told the news website today that over 140 candidates from non-majority communities have applied for vacancies in the police force after the resignation of around 500 Serbs in November last. “As you are informed, the announcement was open and public on the website of Kosovo Police and on the official page on Facebook, including all the criteria, and so far over 140 candidates from minority communities have applied for the posts,” police said.

Beslin: Serbia and Kosovo will accept the French-German plan (RTK)

Milivoj Beslin, a historian from Serbia, said in an interview with Radio Kosova that through the Association of Serb-majority municipalities Belgrade will try to further the idea for Kosovo’s territorial division. “The objective of the association, according to the perspective of the government in Belgrade and its strategists, is not the protection of Serbs in Kosovo, but further cementing the division of Kosovo. The objective of the government and Vucic is the division of Kosovo. Vucic at one point had found support even in Kosovo for the idea of division. But since the current government in Kosovo doesn’t support the idea, the discourse for division can no longer be maintained, and the U.S. and Germany have said that there will be no division. After all this, Belgrade is now trying through the formation of the Association to further the idea of Kosovo’s territorial division, so that when the time is right and when global or regional political circumstances may change, they can execute the idea for Kosovo’s territorial division,” he argued.

Asked if Serbia will change its position on the French-German plan and what will be the outcome of the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, Beslin said: “I think that in the current circumstances, no one has the luxury to say no. I think that Vucic hopes that Kurti will say no to the proposal. I think he will not refuse it, but he might ask for something more. He is in a way preparing the public in Serbia that if the French-German is rejected it would be catastrophic for Serbia. I think the West too is determined to see this through and for Serbia and Kosovo to accept the plan”.

Kosovo hosts another Afghan journalist (Radio Free Europe)

Kosovo has hosted another Afghan journalist, bringing to five the number of Afghan journalists who will stay in Kosovo for the next two years, the news website reports. The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) said that journalist Nadia Gulabzada arrived in Pristina on Tuesday morning.

RFE notes that in December last year, the Kosovo government adopted a €30,000 budget for housing Afghan journalists. All five journalists will be accommodated as part of the “Journalists in Residence – Kosovo” program. The government also said it will allocate additional funds to provide housing, monthly salary, health insurance and other conditions to Afghan journalists.

The selection of journalists sheltered in Kosovo was made by the European Federation of Journalists and the European Center for Freedom of the Press and Media, in cooperation with the Kosovo government.

Kosovo has also sheltered some Ukrainian journalists and offered them the same conditions as the Afghan journalists, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Serbia greatly dependent on EU, cannot move forward without it (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday Serbia was greatly dependent on the EU and could not move forward without it, reported agency Tanjug.

Vucic said this after a ceremony of signing a financial agreement on a 165 mln euro package of EU assistance to Serbia in the energy sector.

"I just want people to know Serbia is greatly dependent on the EU and that Serbia can hardly move forward without the EU, or not at all, and that those who are presenting possibilities for finding great and life-saving alternative paths do not speak the truth and are unfair to their citizens," Vucic said at the national dispatch centre of power grid operator EMS.

Vucic said that, even though he sometimes responded fiercely to the EU on behalf of Serbian citizens, he must always know well what was pushing Serbia forward and giving jobs to young people and bringing them a future.

He noted that two EU energy assistance packages for the Western Balkans would total 1 bln euros.

"We believe it is important not only to continue the cooperation with the EU, but also to accelerate progress on the EU path, work on rule of law and further democratisation of society and on everything that means better life to Serbian citizens. It is important that we have around 2 bln euros of FDI from EU states. Also, every year we attract over 60 pct of the total investments in the entire Western Balkans. Our goods trade with the EU amounted to nearly 40 bln euros, which is a 27.7 pct increase compared to 2021, and accounts for 59 pct of our overall goods trade with the world," Vucic said.

Von Cramon's speech before the EP's Foreign Affairs Committee on the Kosovo 2022 report (KoSSev)

Viola Von Cramon published her statement before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament regarding the report on Kosovo for 2022.

Portal KoSSev reported that Kosovo applications for membership in the CoE and the EU, as claimed by the rapporteur of the European Parliament for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, are conditioned by both domestic reforms and constructive engagement in the dialogue. She asked Kosovo to be committed to dialogue, because, as she said, she did not want "key international partners" to ''see Kosovo as a less constructive party''. She called on Pristina to accept the European proposal unconditionally and clearly, which she said has a chance to bring the dialogue almost to an end.

She also claimed that if the proposal was accepted, "many upcoming crises" in the North of Kosovo would be avoided, and that the energy situation, vehicle plates, land expropriation and local elections have the potential for escalation, adding that the reinforcement of EULEX troops in the North was needed. At the same time, she expressed regret that the Kosovo government failed to include the Serbian community in political, social, and economic life, but also for the non-implementation of the decision regarding the Visoki Dečani monastery land.

She stated that the report came at a crucial moment for Europe, but also for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and noted that Kosovo "has come a long way in maturing its democracy", reported portal KoSSev.

She claimed that the political scene ''is becoming increasingly polarised'', but also that Kosovo "significantly stands out" compared to others in the Western Balkans region.

Cramon praised Pristina for complying with EU sanctions against Russia, stating that it ''proved to be a trustworthy and valuable partner at a crucial moment for European security".

Applications for membership in the CoE, and the EU are conditional on reforms and constructive engagement in the dialogue

In her statement before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Cramon also spoke about Kosovo aspirations towards European integration.

She noted that Kosovo made significant steps in this direction last year, recalling the submitted requests for membership in the Council of Europe and in the European Union.

"These are clear strategic choices of Kosovo society that reflect the pro-European orientation of its citizens", she said.

The reporter, however, stated that the applications were conditional on reforms and engagement in dialogue with Belgrade.

"I would like to underline that these applications are conditional on both domestic reforms and constructive engagement in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue led by the EU, including the full normalisation of relations with Serbia", said Von Cramon.

The European proposal can bring the dialogue to the very end, Kosovo must accept it unconditionally

She stated that dialogue required genuine political commitment and leadership.

"We would like key international partners not to see Kosovo as a less constructive side", she emphasised.

Cramon also believed that Kosovo should use the European proposal to encourage a more proactive, transparent, and decisive conduct of the dialogue, and said that the European Parliament was ready to support this and would carefully monitor everything in the coming period.

"This proposal has a chance to bring the dialogue almost to an end and will be a new cornerstone that would really ensure a European perspective for both Kosovo and Serbia. Therefore, I strongly encourage the Kosovo leadership to accept it unconditionally and clearly", von Cramon said.

A strong reinforcement of EULEX troops and their deployment in the North of Kosovo is much needed

She also claimed that in the case of the acceptance, "many upcoming crises in the North of Kosovo would be avoided".

"The energy situation has not been resolved and Kosovo loses millions every month because of it, car registration plates, land expropriation, local elections. Each topic presents the potential for escalation. Therefore, in the meantime, a strong reinforcement of EULEX troops and stronger deployment in the North of Kosovo, including patrolling are much needed", said von Cramon.

She stated that it was necessary to move from crisis management to substantive discussions.

"That is what the European proposal brings to the table", she indicated.

At the same time, Cramon expressed her regret that, as she said, the Kosovo government has not found a way to include the Serbian community in its political, social, and economic life, stating that this was the best way for internal reconciliation and the implementation of the Brussels Agreement.

"Constant tensions and inflammatory rhetoric led to an attack on Serbian boys in Strpce on Christmas Eve and an increase in inter-ethnic tensions. The non-implementation of the verdict of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo regarding the Visoki Dečani monastery is also regrettable, as it would contribute to better relations in Kosovo", Cramon concluded.

On the other hand, she praised Kosovo for advancing reforms for the rule of law, which were necessary for European integration and because Kosovo's judiciary was "inefficient and prone to political influence''.

Von Cramon also claimed that the fight against corruption and organised crime has yielded certain results, but also that there was no judicial epilogue.

Impunity for the murders of Serbian and Albanian journalists should become a priority of the Kosovo government

Cramon, on the other hand, emphasised that Kosovo stands out in the Western Balkans when it comes to media freedom.

However, she said that the fact that the media landscape has been "distorted" for years due to large investments that have led to the increased influence of the private sector on the main media houses was of great concern.

"Attacks and slanders against journalists are unacceptable where part of the responsibility lies with the highest political officials in Pristina", said Cramon, and at the same time added that the recent appointment of the director of RTK television caused concern due to his close political ties with the ruling party.

She also called on the Kosovo government to commit to resolving the fate of missing and murdered journalists in the past.

"The long-term impunity for the murders and disappearances of seven Serbian and six Kosovo Albanian journalists in Kosovo must become a government priority", Cramon said.

She stated that in 2022, many cases of femicide, gender-based and sexual violence were observed, which she said require a quick reaction from the authorities, but also from the whole society.

Lawyer: Entire Serb community damaged by decision on expropriation (Kosovo Online)

Entire Serb community has been damaged by the decision of Kosovo government to expropriate the land in Leposavic and Zubin Potok because that decision was made without opinion of the residents and owners of the properties as well as against all legal norms, lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic said ahead of the public discussion on expropriation that Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure scheduled for tomorrow in Leposavic and on February 21 in Zubin Potok.

Vlajic said the interest in tomorrow’s discussion in Leposavic was strong adding he believes many people would attend it and come well prepared with remarks that are fully grounded.

“I expect the government to take those remarks into consideration because until now it had no arguments of the other side, it rather absolutely, unilaterally and without taking consideration the interests of others made such a decision. After that I expect that the government will reconsider this decision and eventually pass a new one that is opposite to what they intended to do”, Vlajic, who is representing the interests of affected property owners, said.

He noted the law was ambiguous and the question remains whether supreme or basic court should deliberate on the lawsuit, however, he added it was a high time for the court to deal with this issue.

“Decision on expropriation does not only affect owners of the properties, some twenty or fifty of them, but entire villages and groups of villages are affected, the population in the entire municipality is damaged. It is not only about appropriating land in the municipality, the way of life is changing, a military or police base will be constructed, it is yet unclear what will be there. The question is whether people would be able to live there as they lived before (...)”, Vlajic explained.

According to him 21 persons from Leposavic filed lawsuits and about half of this number in Zubin Potok. He also said a lawsuit for Zubin Potok was filed beginning of October and for Leposavic beginning of February. Nothing was resolved and no decision was made regarding the first lawsuit, Vljaic said, adding this is also a violation of the law on expropriation as it envisages a deadline for citizens to initiate the proceeding but also for the courts to act on respective lawsuits.

Lavrov to Dacic: Russia ready for further development of relations with Serbia (N1, BETA)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed on Monday Moscow's readiness for the further all-round development of relations with Serbia in a note of congratulations sent to Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on the 185th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, N1 reports.

In the card delivered to Dacic by Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Lavrov said he was convinced that “the accumulated experience of working together would continue to serve as a solid foundation for Russian-Serbian cooperation”, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

In his note to Lavrov, Dacic said that „regardless of the formal framework, Serbian-Russian relations have, throughout history, been imbued with the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding and have been based on shared Slavic origins, spirituality, religion and culture”, the press release added.

The Serbian Foreign Minister once again expressed deep gratitude to Russia for its firm and consistent support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia in connection with the Kosovo issue.

Botsan-Kharchenko presented Dacic Lavrov’s note of congratulations on the occasion of the upcoming Serbian Statehood Day, February 15.

Vucic: KFOR contributing to peace, stability in Kosovo-Metohija (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina on Monday, reported the agency Tanjug.

KFOR troops, with their professionalism, were contributing to maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo-Metohija, jeopardised by Pristina's unilateral moves, Vucic noted, it was said in the statement of the president press office.

Vucic and Colomina also discussed cooperation as part of Serbia's policy of military neutrality, the presidential press office said in a statement.

Vucic said regular dialogue between Serbian officials and officials of NATO's political and military structures contributed to building mutual trust.

Colombian said NATO supported the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Vucic said Pristina must meet its commitment of forming a Community of Serb Municipalities that it undertook by signing the Brussels Agreement ten years ago.

PM Brnabic: CSM and only then resumption of negotiations (Beta, N1)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Monday that Belgrade was always prepared for talks with Pristina, but that the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) has to be established and that, this time around, this was the common position of Serbia and its Western partners, especially the European Union (EU) and the US, reported N1.

Brnabic said at the World Government Summit in Dubai that Serbia showed to what extent it was ready for dialogue and how tolerant and flexible in order to maintain stability but stressed that it was high time for the Brussels Agreement to be implemented and for the CSM to be formed.

“This time I want to thank our partners in the West for insisting on the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities in the way it was signed in 2013 and 2015 and how we discussed it in late 2022. It seems that this time we share the same position,” said the Prime Minister, adding that what everyone knew that signed must be implemented, regardless of what Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti said.

Xi to Vucic: Joint effort to defend international law (FoNet, N1)

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Belgrade and Beijing are investing joint effort to defend international law.

“We are working together to preserve international justice, defend international law and the basic principles of international relations and actively, hand in hand, respond to the historic changes in the world”, President Xi said in his message to President Aleksandar Vucic for Serbian Statehood Day delivered by Ambassador Chin Bo. Serbia celebrates Statehood Day on February 15-16.

According to Xi, the two countries’ friendship is growing stronger with cooperation developing in continuity in mutual respect and trust. He added that Beijing is prepared to invest joint effort to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and raise their strategic partnership to a higher level.

Last week review: Principled acceptance of EU proposals, through mutual accusations on energy, to the discovery of drug labs in the north (KoSSev)

Exactly one week has passed since, as experts say, the strongest earthquake of the century hit Turkey and Syria. The same region was then struck by more than 650 aftershocks, leading to the collapse of over 6,000 buildings and resulting in over 36,000 deaths. This news shook the world, and regional public last week, reported portal KoSSev.

When it comes to developments in Kosovo, the past week was marked by a visit of the EU envoy, followed by additional calls for talks on reaching an agreement in Brussels based on the European proposal, and on the formation of the C/ASM. The President of SDA Sandzak, Sulejman Ugljanin, demanded that the same rights requested for Serbs in Kosovo be given to Bosniaks in Serbia proper. Energy was also a hot topic last week – with the two sides placing blame on each other over the fact the agreement on this issue has yet to be implemented.

The expropriation of land in the north was a subject of public discussion. Information on the total acreage of land being expropriated finally became public. Furthermore, it was announced that public discussions on this topic would be held in Zubin Potok and Leposavic. The end of the week was marked by new police action in the north, as part of which three drug labs valued at over 2.3 million euros were discovered.

At the same time, the past week was marked by KoSSev’s Editor-in-Chief receiving the Knight of the National Order of Merit.

Opinion

The Desperate Desire to be ‘European’ (K2.0)

Albanian internalized islamophobia is so normalized that it goes unnoticed.

On December 9, 2022, journalist Vehbi Kajtazi tweeted a picture of Halil Kastrati, a well-known representative of a Kosovar Muslim charity organization, alongside politician Bekim Jashari, the nephew of Kosovo Liberation Army co-founder Adem Jashari. Both were in Islamic dress. “I never thought that one day I would see an heir of the Jashari family in this dress and in this condition,” Kajtazi captioned the photo. “It hurts.”

The tweet provoked a heated debate centering on the question of whether Islam and Albanianness can be compatible. Kajtazi, alongside many others, equated Albanian Muslimness with backwardness. As the question of Albanian identity regularly leads to heated debates, the fact that this tweet became widely debated is hardly surprising. Much more worrying is the ease with which anti-Islam arguments have been used in these discussions to claim that “true” Albanian identity should be disconnected from Islam.

Considering that Kosovo is a Muslim-majority country, this trend is even more confusing. According to the last official census of 2011, more than 95% of the population identify as Muslim. And yet, the tendency to downplay Muslimness is ever present in Kosovo, as well as other Albanian cultural spaces.

This creates a tension between the lived experiences of most Albanians as Muslims and the way secular elites anxiously construct Albanianness through the disavowal of the Ottoman (that is, Islamic) past. This anxious disavowal is internalized Islamophobia, which has become so normalized in public discourse that it frequently goes unacknowledged and unchallenged.

These contradicting social realities aren’t formed in a vacuum. They are embedded in a hegemonic European framework where whiteness and Christianity are considered the norm and thus made invisible. This understanding of Europeanness only works if it is built on racelessness and colorblindness as dogmas.

International

'Quietly endure': north Kosovo braves security vacuum after resignations (AFP)

With no police to call or courts to turn to, Serbs in northern Kosovo are stuck in the middle of another bout of unrest after a mass walkout triggered new uncertainty amid the unending tug-of-war with Serbia.

For three months, residents living in Kosovo's northern Serb enclaves have gone without basic bureaucratic services -- including law enforcement, courts, and local government institutions.

Those wishing to divorce, buy an apartment, or report an abusive spouse in Serb areas have nowhere to go, officially speaking.

"There is no police, nobody I can turn to. We must quietly endure. There is no alternative," Vasilije Milojevic, an 83-year-old Serb pensioner living in the northern city of Mitrovica told AFP.

Residents in the areas who spoke to AFP say they have increasingly been forced to look out for each other amid the newest crisis, insisting the situation is worrying but under control.