UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 24, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

The agreement for "IPA 2023" is signed, Kosovo benefits from 75 million euros (media)
French ambassador Guerot: Progress is up to Kurti and Vucic (media)
Turkiye supports Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe and NATO
Shots fired near Police checkpoint in Zvecan, nine gun cartridges found (Express)
Tahiri: Osmani, Kurti and Gervalla involved in the Martin Berishaj affair (Reporteri)
The electricity of Serbs in the north cost Kosovo over 63 million euros in 2022 (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

N1: “Signals both sides will accept proposal, that automatically means the acceptance of CSM, and de facto recognizing Kosovo” (Nova.rs, NMagazin)
The US expects Vucic and Kurti to be constructive regarding the European proposal (VoA, media)
The KFOR commander denied Kurti regarding Wagner's presence in Kosovo (Danas, FoNet, KoSSev, KiM radio)
Lajcak to Tanjug: I expect both sides to accept European plan on Monday (media)
EU High Representative Borrell address to public on the eve of the anniversary of war in Ukraine (KoSSev)
Serbia backs UN resolution calling for withdrawal of Russian troops (Beta, N1, NMagazin, KoSSev)
Defense Minister: Vucic will not give up on the “red lines” (Beta, TV Prva, N1)
Simic: The President will strongly insist on the CSM (ZSO) in Brussels (RTS)

International:

EU’s Miroslav Lajcak reveals insider details of French-German Agreement ahead of historic Brussels talks (thepavlovictoday.com)

Albanian Language Media

The agreement for "IPA 2023" is signed, Kosovo benefits from 75 million euros (media)

The Government of Kosovo and the European Union today signed the financial agreement of the IPA 2023 program. This agreement signed between the deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi and the EU ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, in the amount of 75 million euros, aims to facilitate the overcoming of the energy crisis in Kosovo.

"Today we signed the financial agreement IPA 2023, which is dedicated to financing in the field of energy. This program is another step towards European integration and demonstrates our commitment to European values and standards. From this program, Kosovo earns 75 million Euros, which will help us overcome the energy crisis", said Bislimi.

"The agreement enters into force today and we will immediately request the disbursement of 90 percent of the funds provided for in this agreement, which will go to the state budget, while 7 million euros next year. This is another important step in improving the well-being of our citizens", Bislimi continued.

Szyunog: EU expects Kosovo and Serbia to accept the European proposal (media)

The head of the European Union Office in Kosovo Tomas Szyunog has said during a press conference that the EU expects Kosovo and Serbia to accept the European proposal. He said that reaching the Kosovo-Serbia agreement will be very important for their European integration.

"What needs to be said has been said by Lajcak. We obviously expect both sides to accept the European proposal and engage constructively in talks on how to implement it. It is clear that we believe that the dialogue agreement is very important for European integration of both parties."

He also congratulated Kosovo for the ratification of the international agreements it made yesterday. "It is very important that Kosovo has ratified the international agreements with over 80 votes. It is in interest of moving forward. This is a very important signal of bringing benefits to the population of Kosovo. It is a positive sign and is appreciated by the EU," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi was also asked about the European plan and Monday's meeting in Brussels, however, he considered it "unworthy" to answer these questions there. He explained that the press conference is about the "IPA 2023" program and that it is a very important program for the citizens to talk about something else in it.

The French ambassador: Progress is up to Kurti and Vucic (media)

The French ambassador to Kosovo Olivier Guerot has commented on the meeting that is expected to be held on February 27 between the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. He said that this meeting will be a very important step. According to him, both leaders, Kurti and Vucic, should do everything in their power to avoid any incident.

"It seems to me that there is a general expectation of the leaders of the two countries to make progress on this occasion. It's an added dynamic, and it's up to them not to let it drop. It is up to them not to disappoint. It is also up to them to do everything in their power to avoid any incident. The meeting on the 27th could be an important step," Guerot said.

Turkiye supports Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe and NATO

The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, met today the new ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye in Kosovo, Sabri Tunc Angılı.

Konjufca highly appreciated the continuous support that this friendly country has given and continues to give to Kosovo.

Ambassador Angılı thanked the President of the Assembly for the reception and at the same time reiterated the continuation of Turkiye’s support for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe and NATO, but also in other international institutions and organizations.

Konjufca and Ambassador Angılı expressed readiness for the intensification of all-round cooperation and the further strengthening of bilateral relations between Kosovo and the Republic of Turkiye.

Shots fired near Police checkpoint in Zvecan, nine gun cartridges found (Express)

The Kosovo Police has announced that the police unit in Zvecan heard gunshots in the vicinity of their checkpoint, in the late hours on Thursday. The police officers took measures and went to the place of the incident, where they found nine cartridges of the long gun, but they did not encounter any suspect.

In the press release, the Police announced that the case happened at 22:06, in Zvecan, and it was described as an attack against the constitutional order.

The prosecutor has been notified about the incident and the case is being investigated by the relevant units.

Tahiri: Osmani, Kurti and Gervalla involved in the Martin Berishaj affair (Reporteri)

The head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri has again returned to the case of Ambassador Martin Berishaj, regarding the claims of "a financial affair that involved the trading of energy with GEN company with headquarters in Belgrade".

"The affair of Martin Berishaj, headline news in Slovenia and the regional media, was 'surprisingly' completely unnoticed by President Osmani, Prime Minister Kurti and Minister Gervalla. The protection that the government has given and is giving to Martin Berishaj, is proof in itself that these rulers are deeply involved as shareholders in this affair," Tahiri wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, on Thursday the deputy of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Driton Selmanaj, has warned that he will sue the ambassador of Kosovo in Croatia, Martin Berishaj, for making a false statement. According to Selmanaj, the ambassador lied under oath while reporting to the Investigative Commission for Energy in November of last year, where Selmanaj is the chairman.

The electricity of Serbs in the north cost Kosovo over 63 million euros in 2022 (Express)

The electricity spent by the Serbs in the north in 2022 has cost the Kosovo budget a total of 63.2 million euros. This was announced by the System, Transmission and Electricity Market Operator in Kosovo (KOSTT).

According to KOSTT, in the absence of the budget, to cover the losses from the energy consumed in the northern part of Kosovo, electricity is drawn in the form of deviations from the Electric Power System of Continental Europe.

"The financial obligations of KOSTT for the losses caused in the northern part of the country for the months of January-December 2022 were about €63.2 million. In the absence of a budget to cover the losses from the electricity used but not paid for in the northern part of Kosovo, to cover this consumption, the electricity is withdrawn in the form of deviations from the Electric Power System of Continental Europe," says KOSTT's response.

Whereas, within the first month of 2023, according to KOSTT, the losses from non-payment of electricity in that part of the Republic of Kosovo are 4.5 million euros.

Serbian Language Media

N1: “Signals both sides will accept proposal, that automatically means the acceptance of CSM, and de facto recognizing Kosovo” (Nova.rs, NMagazin)

The Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) is part of the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina and acceptance of the European proposal to resolve the Kosovo issue, on Monday, automatically means the acceptance of the CSM, said a European Union (EU) senior official who insisted on anonymity. The official added that accepting the proposal also means the de facto recognition of Kosovo’s independence, reported N1.

According to the information from Brussels, there are strong signals from both Belgrade and Pristina, in the form of public statements and in direct talks with EU officials, that the European proposal will be accepted, thus the expectations that it will also be formally accepted on Monday.

The EU official said the content of the proposal will not be discussed, but only its implementation, which is defined by a separate annex.

This is a basic agreement that is so comprehensive that it gets the parties close to a so-called “comprehensive legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations between the two sides,” the EU official explained.

The acceptance of the European proposal is important because it will lead to a change in the overall atmosphere in the region, to new projects and investments, increase financial aid and ensure greater security and predictability, the senior EU official told the media.

A high-level meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will be held on Monday in Brussels. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti have confirmed their participation.

The US expects Vucic and Kurti to be constructive regarding the European proposal (VoA)

The United States announced that it strongly supports the European Union's proposal to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia, reported VoA in Serbian language.

"We expect the two leaders to approach the meeting in a constructive spirit, which is necessary to move forward in accordance with it," stated the State Department's response ahead of the new round of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, to be held on Monday in Brussels with the mediation of the EU.

VoA recalled that Lajcak, EU envoy for dialogue, said earlier that Kurti and Vucic should, apart from the official declaration of acceptance, also consider the details of the implementation of the European proposal.

The State Department indicated to VoA that it was important for Serbia and Kosovo to use the talks to express their commitment to a peaceful future for the region.

"Serbia and Kosovo should reach a comprehensive agreement through dialogue. We believe that normalized relations between Kosovo and Serbia should ultimately be aimed at mutual recognition. Progress in the dialogue will open the door to European integration and is essential for security and stability in the Western Balkans," stated the State Department's written response to VoA.

Kosovo and Serbia have been negotiating the normalization of relations and a comprehensive agreement for more than a decade, reported VoA and asked whether a breakthrough or even a turning point can be expected after the upcoming round of talks in Brussels, the State Department replied that it is encouraging that Serbia and Kosovo have accepted the proposal of the European Union in principle.

"The officials of the United States and the European Union highlighted the possibilities of the European Union's proposal and emphasized the importance of rapid progress - in order to avoid the risk of further escalations," the response states.

Relations between Serbia and Kosovo, during the second half and at the end of 2022, were marked by friction due to the decision of the Government of Kosovo to punish the owners of unregistered vehicles with plates of Kosovo cities issued in Serbia.

With the mediation of the US and the EU, the Kosovo authorities gave up on that decision - which, however, did not result in the return of Serbs to the Kosovo institutions that they left protesting the re-registration of vehicles and the planned punitive policy.

"We strongly encourage Kosovo Serbs to return to Kosovo institutions as soon as possible in order to improve security and stability for all citizens. We encourage the Government of Kosovo to ensure conditions for qualified Kosovo Serbs to do so without delay. The Brussels agreements provided for the integration of Kosovo Serbs into Kosovo institutions. We fully support those agreements and their continued implementation," the official position of the State Department regarding the matter was stated.

In addition, a very important issue that significantly slows down the possibilities of dialogue between the two sides is the implementation of the agreement in the context of the establishment of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority.

It is about the organization of still unknown and undefined powers and structure agreed a decade ago - in the Brussels Agreement of 2013, reported VoA.

However, in 2015, the Kosovo Constitutional Court found that certain provisions of that agreement were unconstitutional, and the Kosovo authorities, for now, do not show readiness to implement it - disputing it, to the greatest extent, because of its mono-ethnic character.

In recent months, the US and the EU have been insisting that the Kosovo authorities implement that provision of the agreement as soon as possible - which was once again confirmed by the State Department:

"Kosovo and Serbia should implement the agreements they signed through the dialogue process, including making progress in establishing the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority."

The strengthened diplomatic initiative of the Western allies dedicated to intensifying the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo was launched in the year of the war in Ukraine.

VoA reported that “the unjustified Russian war, as they call it, has initiated fears about the possibility of conflict spillover or destabilization of the areas that are in the sphere of Russian influence”.

One of them is the Balkans and Serbia, a country that has condemned Russian aggression, but is also one of the few European countries that has not imposed sanctions on it.

On the international stage, Russia supports Serbia's policy, based on the position that Kosovo is its inalienable part, although it uses the declaration of independence of the former Serbian province as an argument for annexing Ukrainian territories - which most countries of the world consider a flagrant violation of international law.

In response to the question whether it sees the agreement of the parties on the European proposal as a means of neutralizing Russia's influence on Serbia, the State Department points out that the dialogue with Kosovo is important for stability.

"Progress towards the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo through dialogue, with the mediation of the EU, is still very important for regional and European stability at a time when we are faced with Russia's aggression in Ukraine and crises throughout Europe caused by Putin's brutal, unjustified invasion," point out from the State Department.

The eventual rejection of the document, the official version of which is still unknown to the public, would mean a negative signal from one or both parties that they are not ready to move faster on the European path, is the assessment given by EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak in an interview with Tanjug.

Unlike him, the State Department did not talk about possible consequences if Serbia and Kosovo refuse or miss the opportunity that was presented to them, reported VoA.

"It is more important to talk about opportunities: the proposal represents opportunities for the citizens of Serbia and Kosovo to improve the security and stability of the wider Western Balkan region at a time when Europe is facing the worst crisis since World War II. As already indicated by the EU - the acceptance of the agreement will accelerate the progress of both countries towards membership in the European Union. It will also advance our key goals for the Western Balkans region - including the achievement of peace, stability, and progress of all peoples", concluded the State Department's written response to Voice of America's inquiry ahead of the new round of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

The KFOR commander denied Kurti regarding Wagner's presence in Kosovo (Danas, FoNet, KoSSev, KiM radio)

KFOR commander Angelo Michele Ristuccia said today that the mission does not have any evidence of the presence of the private Russian military group Wagner in Kosovo, nor that Russia could attack Kosovo through its "satellite" Serbia, which was being emphasized by Kosovo officials led by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, reported Danas daily, citing KoSSev portal.

So far, we have no evidence of that. To be more precise, all the events in the area that happened in the past few months, weeks, are more related to internal dynamics than to external influences, Ristuccia told KoSSev portal, cited Serbian media.

He assessed the current situation in Kosovo as sensitive and volatile, but still peaceful and significantly better than it was in December.

"We can say that the situation is much better now than it was in December. However, there are a number of issues that worry us, such as, for example, the dangerous vacuum that was created in the North after the Serbs from Kosovo resigned from the institutions," Ristuccia believes.

That vacuum is very dangerous, especially from a security point of view, the KFOR commander said.

He repeated that the Kosovo Security Forces cannot come to the north of Kosovo without his approval, and that they have never made such a request so far.

At the same time, Ristuccia pointed out that Special police forces do not need a permit to stay in the north, recalling the agreement in Brussels.

Serbia has signed and clearly defined the Kosovo Police as the only competent for law enforcement and police tasks. Regardless of the types of police, how the police are organized, whatever they are - ROSU units, special units, they are in charge of fighting crime, organized criminal groups. There are no restrictions for the Kosovo Police when it comes to carrying out such tasks throughout Kosovo, Ristuccia explained.

When asked if it was fine with KFOR that bases for special units of the Kosovo Police are built in the north of Kosovo, Ristuccia said that he understands when the Kosovo authorities express concern about the issue of organized criminal groups and in the situation after the policemen left the service, but that for such a thing cooperation with the population is needed, which is lacking due to a lack of trust.

Someone has to take care of crime, and in the interest of citizens. Therefore, the real problem lies in the acceptance of the Kosovo Police among the citizens, especially in this situation. And again, we come back to the fact that the key problem lies in mistrust, he said.

The KFOR commander denies allegations in the north that police bases are springing up to be "military barracks".

These are Kosovo Police bases - not military bases. We have clear evidence that only Kosovo police officers are deployed there. It's clear. These are not military bases, certainly, Ristuccia added.

Ristuccia said that he has nothing to complain about when it comes to cooperation with the Serbian Army and that NATO is a partner in the peace mission with Serbia.

“We have good relations when it comes to the implementation of technical agreements, but also an integral part of Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council – our joint implementation commission, with our joint colleagues, works well. We did not record any incident along the administrative border line. I have never looked at Serbia in such a way”.

When asked whether the request sent to him by the Serbian PM mid-December was a “hot potato” in his hands, or a “joke”, the KFOR Commander said:

“I was assigned here not to deal with ‘hot potatoes’, nor to joke around. I take everything seriously. The Prime Minister sent me a letter, in which she expressed her country’s concerns and sent a request. So, my staff and I analyzed that letter. And I replied, simply assuring her that KFOR is fully committed to the implementation of our mandate and is fully committed to its work for peace and stability in this area in the interest of all the people of Kosovo. That is why the request was rejected, because of these guarantees. We took it very seriously, as it deserves.”

Dialogue is the only means to resolve open issues, the KFOR commander concluded.

Lajcak to Tanjug: I expect both sides to accept European plan on Monday (media)

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Thursday he expected both sides to accept an EU plan for resolving the Kosovo issue at Monday's meeting in Brussels.

"The plan I believe we will accept on Monday will become binding for both sides. It is not a temporary agreement and the process of comprehensive normalisation of relations, which should be concluded by the signing of a comprehensive agreement prior to Serbia's and Kosovo's EU accession, will be continued after it," Lajcak told Tanjug in an interview.

He said the document would be made public once both Belgrade and Pristina had accepted it.

Asked if the fact the February 27 meeting had been called meant that Belgrade and Pristina had reached an agreement on a final version of the French-German plan, Lajcak responded that the plan had been a subject of discussions with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo PM Albin Kurti since September.

"Recently, in January and February, respectively, President Vucic and PM Kurti said they accept the proposal. It means the time is ripe to organise a meeting in Brussels and we expect that our partners accept that proposal officially and publicly and that we discuss its implementation, which is the goal of our meeting on Monday," Lajcak noted.

Asked if the meeting was crucial and based on the take-it-or-leave-it principle, Lajcak said he would not discuss formalities.

"It is important that both sides accept that plan and say formally and publicly that they accept it, and then we can discuss all other details, above all, implementation of the plan," Lajcak said.

He said the upcoming Brussels meeting was very important as further steps would depend on the positions of the negotiating parties.

"Acceptance of our proposal, supported by the 27 EU member states and the US, would mean that they have decided to improve their relations and accelerate their European paths. Should the proposal be rejected by either side or both of them, it would be a negative signal that they are not prepared to normalise mutual relations and make quicker progress on the European path, so we expect the plan to be accepted. Everyone knows what we expect from Monday's meeting. We had discussions with both President Vucic and PM Kurti during the Munich Security Conference, so we all know where we are and what we expect," Lajcak said.

He said the proposal was strongly backed by the EU.

"Rejecting the proposal would mean rejecting a normalisation of relations and the European path, and the US, the international community and the EU would react to that. Right now, I do not want to get into what the negative consequences would be. I think it is clear to everyone that there is no saying no to the EU and America, especially if this can give us stabilisation, normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, stabilisation of the atmosphere in the Balkans and an accelerated European path," Lajcak said.

EU High Representative Borrell address to public on the eve of the anniversary of war in Ukraine (KoSSev)

On the eve of the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, i.e. the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, EU High Representative Josep Borell addressed the public with an author’s text that is exclusively published by KoSSev last night.

By Josep Borrell

24 February 2022 will forever be recalled as the day when Russia started its brutal, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. This was and remains a case of pure aggression and a clear-cut breach of the UN Charter. This war is neither ‘just a European issue’, nor is it about the ‘West versus the rest’. It is about the kind of world we all want to live in: no one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force – by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council – would somehow be ‘normalised’. That is why international law must be enforced everywhere to protect everyone from power politics, blackmail and military attack.

One year on, there is a risk that people become inured to the images of war crimes and atrocities that they see – because there are so many; that the words we use start to lose their significance – because we have to repeat them so often; that we get tired and weaken our resolve – because time is passing and the task at hand is hard.

International

EU’s Miroslav Lajcak reveals insider details of French-German Agreement ahead of historic Brussels talks (thepavlovictoday.com)

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti expected to endorse the European proposal

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, reveals insider details of the French-German Agreement in an exclusive interview with The Pavlovic Today. With historic Brussels talks between Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti just around the corner, Lajcak announces that Belgrade and Pristina are expected to endorse the EU’s proposal.

The fate of the entire Western Balkans hangs in the balance as the Serbia-Kosovo Talks prepare to reconvene in Brussels on February 27. Tension crackles in the air, and the stakes are high. The consequences for failure by the parties involved, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, to agree on the French-German Agreement are even higher. Miroslav Lajcak, the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, and a staunch advocate for the region’s European future, pulls no punches when it comes to his expectations for the upcoming meeting. Lajcak holds nothing back.

“Our expectations are quite high,” began Miroslav Lajcak, speaking from his office in Brussels, with the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue banner prominently displayed in the background. “While this is the sixth meeting between Prime Minister Kurti and President Vucic, it will be the first one dedicated to the European proposal on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” he said. Lajcak, no stranger to diplomatic candor, spelled out the anticipated outcomes for the high-level meeting ahead. “We expect, first of all, both leaders to formally and publicly endorse the proposal, and then we can engage in its implementation to ensure that everything expected is also implemented. This is what we expect from the meeting on Monday,” stated Miroslav Lajcak.