Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Work of police officers ruined comfort of criminal gangs in north (RFE)
• Francken: Kosovo should become part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (media)
• Kurti hosts new head of Albanian National Council in Serbia, Nevzad Lutfiu (media)
• The prosecution interviews Bislimi as a suspect and Murati as a victim (Klan)
• Kurti: The EU should follow the example of the USA in sanctioning Vulin (Koha)
• The EU expects further steps from Kosovo to lift the measures (RFE Albanian)
• Haradinaj: The government is stabbing us in the back (media)
• Hydro-economic enterprise CEO arrested for suspected corruption (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Sarrazin: ZSO crucial for international community, people in north of Kosovo literally suffering because of situation (RTS)
• Dacic: We will insist to present situation in Kosovo at UN SC session (RTV)
• Milivojevic: Returning to previous situation necessary for de-escalation (RTS, Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic meets Hungarian Ambassador, tells him violence on ethnic and religious grounds carried out in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Ambassador of France: Normalisation of relations has no alternative, that is clearer today than ever (NMagazin, Beta, Politika)
• Timothy Less: Decision to withdraw KP a reluctant concession to please US and EU (Tanjug)
• PM adviser asked media to turn off cameras and leave event (KiM radio, KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio)
• Vucic meets Foreign Minister of Venezuela, thanks him for respecting territorial integrity of Serbia (Kosovo Online)
• Krajiste: The celebration of the Saint Vraci holiday followed by a loud music in praise of ‘’UQK” and Jashari (KiM radio, gracanicaonlone.info)

International:

• Platinum Wolf 23 and Defender 23: Two military exercises show changing relationship of Serbia and Kosovo with the West? (EWB)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Kurti: Work of police officers ruined comfort of criminal gangs in north (RFE)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during the graduation ceremony of the 58th generation of Kosovo Police today, said that police officers have become targets of “consequent attacks” in the north of Kosovo, a region which he said used to be “a comfort zone for criminal gangs led by Belgrade”.

“Precisely because of the increased police activity in that zone, there were consequent attacks against our officers, 25 of them suffered light injuries, one of them was wounded, and another one is receiving medical treatment after injuries he sustained during the action of notorious criminal Llune,” Kurti is quoted as saying.

The news website notes that Milun Milenkovic – Llune, was arrested on June 13 in Mitrovica North, in an operation by Kosovo Police special forces. He is suspected of being involved in an assault against the offices of the Central Election Committee in Mitrovica North, as well as for participating in clashes between protesters and KFOR soldiers on May 29 in Zvecan.

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, too said that attacks against police officers have intensified and that they are facing “the criminal gangs” in the north.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani also attended the graduation ceremony, saying “today, we all express our gratitude and pride with our police officers who are serving in the north of our country to protect every part of the Republic of Kosovo”. Osmani called for Kosovo’s membership in Interpol and Europol, and said she was happy that among the new cadets there are 85 members from non-majority communities and a total of 47 women.

Francken: Kosovo should become part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (media)

A delegation from the Federal Parliament of Belgium to NATO met today with the delegation of the Assembly of Kosovo at the NATO General Assembly.

In a media conference after the meeting, the leader of the Belgian delegation in the NATO Parliament, Theo Francken, said that Kosovo can and should become part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

"Belgium has always supported your country. From the first day of independence, I want to emphasise that Belgium will always support Kosovo as an independent and sovereign country and its territorial integrity", Francken said.

"There is a lot of tension in the Balkans and in the country, when we talk about the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Kosovo can and should become part of it," he added.

Kurti hosts new head of Albanian National Council in Serbia, Nevzad Lutfiu (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti hosted on Thursday the new head of the Albanian National Council in Serbia, Nevzad Lutfiu, congratulating him on the position and expressing readiness for close cooperation. A press release issued by Kurti’s offices notes that the meeting focused on the concerns of Albanians in Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, “their systematic discrimination by the Government of Serbia, especially in the areas of education and healthcare, and also about the needs of Albanian youths in these municipalities”.

The prosecution interviews Bislimi as a suspect and Murati as a victim (Klan)

The Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina has interviewed Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and the Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati about Thursday’s violence in the Assembly of Kosovo.

The news website claims to have learned from sources within the Prosecutor's Office that Bislimi was interviewed as a suspect, while Murati as an injured party.

Interview invitations have also been sent to two PDK MPs, Mergim Lushtaku and Bekim Haxhiu, but they have not yet appeared at the Prosecutor's Office. These two will also be interviewed as suspects.

On Thursday, the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina announced that it has initiated investigations regarding the events that took place in the assembly and has authorised the Police to take the necessary actions.

Kurti: The EU should follow the example of the USA in sanctioning Vulin (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has requested that after the USA, the European Union also sanction the director of the Security and Information Agency of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin.

"The case of Aleksandar Vulin demonstrates that the poisonous mixture of autocracy and corruption endangers not only democracy and the rule of law, but also peace and security in the six states of the Western Balkans and beyond. I join the progressives’ call for the international community to follow US’s timely and justified decision" Kurti tweeted and attached a call from the Group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament to the EU to "follow the example" of the USA.

The EU expects further steps from Kosovo to lift the measures (RFE Albanian)

The removal of the punitive measures that the European Union has imposed on Kosovo will depend on the implementation of the obligations that Prishtina has taken and the other steps that are expected from the authorities in Kosovo for the continuation of efforts to reduce tensions in the north, said diplomatic sources.

According to these sources, these steps that Kosovo is taking "are steps in the right direction", but in the EU they expect to see other steps as well.

"The measures against Kosovo were not decided so easily, they are reversible and will not last a single day longer than necessary. But, for their withdrawal, evidence is needed that Kosovo is taking all the steps that have been requested of it and because of which these measures were decided", told a source in the EU toRadio Free Europe.

Not even in the EU have they directly answered the question of Radio Free Europe if the agreement reached with Kosovo on the de-escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo will lead to the removal of the punitive measures that Brussels has imposed on Pristina.

An EU spokesperson told RFE that "we have nothing to add to what the high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, said in a tweet when he welcomed Kosovo's commitment and expects from Kosovo other positive steps to continue advancing in this direction".

"The process is continuing", said the spokesperson, recalling that the EU's special representative, Miroslav Lajcak, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, have agreed on the first priority steps in three areas that the EU had requested.

"This includes immediately reducing the police presence in and around municipal buildings, conducting regular joint security assessments with EULEX and KFOR as necessary, considering the possibility of further reducing the presence, not making any move that could escalate the situation and encourage extraordinary elections, as well as creating a legal basis for elections", said the spokesperson.

He also confirmed that Lajcak has invited the chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia to a meeting next week to continue discussions on the implementation of the Agreement towards the normalisation of relations.

"We expect the parties to agree on the next steps which will enable the start of the full implementation of the agreement, without new delays", said the spokesperson.

Haradinaj: The government is stabbing us in the back (media)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj, reacted after the government on Thursday approved the Law on the minimum wage, which does not guarantee a pension equal to this wage to war veterans.

According to Haradinaj, with this law, the government has stabbed them in their backs, as he said, where it hurts the most.

"The disclosure of the secret coordination of Albin Kurti's representatives with the enemies of the Kosovo state, to overthrow the most sacred category - the freedom fighters, is a stab in the back," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

Another stabbing, according to him, is also the breakdown of relations with Kosovo's allies, the EU and the USA, which resulted in the exclusion of Kosovo from the 'Defender 23', overcomplicating Kosovo's aspiration for membership in the Euro-Atlantic structures.

"His withdrawal from the north, with an inexplicable delay and only after Kosovo has been put under EU and U.S. sanctions, thus causing irreparable damage to the country, cannot be considered other than as an anti-state and anti-national policy. "Yesterday's events in the Assembly of Kosovo and the violence that occurred are a warning that the situation can escalate, not only in the Assembly of Kosovo but also outside it," Haradinaj wrote.

The leader of AAK has said that Kosovo cannot remain calm, ‘at a time when the government is stabbing us in the back where it hurts us the most, in the most sacred connection of Kosovo, with NATO , America and with the categories of freedom.’

"We will be uncompromising and more determined than ever in defence of the interests of the state and the citizen, our aspiration for membership in NATO, in maintaining friendship with our allies, America and the EU and in defence of the values of our freedom," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

Hydro-economic enterprise CEO arrested for suspected corruption (media)

Citing sources in the prosecution, Betimi per Drejtesi reports today that Faruk Mujka, chief executive officer of the board of the hydro-economic enterprise Iber Lepenci, has been arrested today for suspected corruption for the time he served as deputy mayor of Mitrovica. Mujka held the position when the municipality was led by Agim Bahtiri, and was head of the Vetevendosje branch in Mitrovica.

A local news website in Mitrovica reports that as part of the anti-corruption operation, police also arrested Hysen Muzliukaj, who used to be a department director in the municipality of Mitrovica during Bahtiri’s term. Muzliukaj currently serves as advisor to Minister for Agriculture, Faton Peci.

Citing a statement issued by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, Telegrafi news website reports that Mujka’s property was raided by the Special Investigations Unit and that €60,000 were confiscated.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

Sarrazin: ZSO crucial for the international community, the people in the north of Kosovo literally suffering because of the situation (RTS)

Whether Pristina's steps are sufficient, is Berlin talking to Pristina about the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and where are Serbia and Germany stumbling in their relations - the country's special envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, spoke to Radio Television of Serbia.

Manuel Sarrazin spoke to RTS about the de-escalation in the north of Kosovo. He points out that the current situation has a negative impact on the European perspective of the entire region. He notes that work must be done on the Ohrid Agreement and that the focus should be on calming the situation and returning to the implementation of the agreement.

RTS: Mr. Sarrazin, the Kosovo government has agreed to reduce the police presence near municipal buildings in northern Kosovo and organise elections after the summer. But the Serbs demand that the special Kosovo forces withdraw from the north. Is that possible?

- I have to say that this announcement by the Kosovo government is the first step and it is a positive first step, but it is only a small first step, and it is not over. The EU has set a clear three-point plan that implies no more presence of special police forces in the north and near municipal buildings, and the 25 percent reduction is a step towards that, but clearly not meeting the Union's demands.

RTS: The EU introduced measures against Pristina, suspended meetings with European officials and economic aid. It is obvious that the EU has a way to force Pristina to do something. Is there a mechanism to make it fulfil what was signed 10 years ago?

- The best way to do this is de-escalation on both sides. I know it sounds funny when Western diplomats come and say that both sides should refrain, but here we have an example of how both sides can contribute positively. We need confirmation of the clear will of the Serbian side to implement Ohrid agreement and for Pristina to do what we are calling on it to do, which is to move the mayor to other facilities from the municipal buildings and remove the police force, as well as elections for four mayors with the participation of the Serbian List, of course.

RTS: If, let's assume, there is a de-escalation, is it time to work on the Ohrid Agreement?

- We have to work on the Ohrid Agreement, the current situation, whoever is more or less responsible and whatever the perspective is in Serbia and Kosovo, this situation has a negative impact on the European perspective of the entire region.

The agreement is not perfect, nothing in the world is usually perfect, but it is a great chance to resolve the deadlock in the relationship.

Serbia must change its rhetoric regarding the Ohrid Agreement and fully implement it. On the other hand, we need the commitment of the Kosovo side. For us, the international community, the Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities is key.

RTS: Yes, but nobody talks about ZSO these days.

- We talk about it every day with our Kosovo partners. We have to calm tensions, we have a dangerous situation, I have to admit that I am often in Mitrovica, also in North Mitrovica, I talk to many Serbs, people are literally suffering because of this situation.

The situation must calm down so that people can have a normal life without daily emergency situations, without the fear that something could happen every minute. This is a prerequisite for them to return to the table, for the dialogue to begin and for the Community/Association of Serbian Municipalities to be formed.

RTS: You stated that Berlin's position is that Serbia cannot become a member of the EU without recognizing Kosovo. Can you explain why this is necessary? Then why are we negotiating if we have to say in the end that Kosovo is independent?

- Berlin's position on this has not changed, but I will not repeat this again, because at this moment we should focus on the next steps for de-escalation and return to the implementation of the agreement.

RTS: Is that your position or that of the government you represent here in the Western Balkans?

- I think I just repeated the chancellor's words.

RTS: You said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the expansion of the EU a geopolitical imperative and that the Union would not be complete without the countries of the Western Balkans. How did we get from the story about meeting the criteria to the story about geopolitics?

- It's always both. In the region we are in, we are currently afraid that geopolitics has returned, but the process in the EU is still technical, and the European Union has realised that enlargement is a geopolitical gain, perhaps the most powerful geopolitical instrument that the European Union has in general. On the other hand, we also need to protect the functioning of the European Union as an internal market.

RTS: You said that the economies of Serbia and Germany are fantastically compatible. But there are always political disagreements. Can we somehow overcome it?

- I would say that we have honest political disagreements, for example, about Russia. Also, I think that President Vucic's communication about the Ohrid Agreement was not good. It undermined confidence in his work both in Kosovo and among a large part of German public opinion.

But, on the other hand, we have good relations. I just heard on your program in the news about the bombing of the library on April 6, 1941. The Germans are grateful that today they are friends with the Serbian people. And our bilateral relations are good despite the difficult past.

So, you see us as a friend who has disagreements with you on really important issues and we hope to overcome them on the way to the European Union, said Sarrazin to RTS.

Dacic: We will insist to present situation in Kosovo at UN SC session (RTV)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today it remains uncertain if UN Security Council will be able to make some decision about Kosovo, as it requires majority of this body, but that holding a session is a legitimate Serbia’s right and it will insist to present the situation in Kosovo at that session, Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV) reports.

Dacic termed Pristina’s decision to reduce the presence of Kosovo police in and around municipal facilities in three northern municipalities as an attempt to demonstrate as if they have made some concession.

“Those are tricks, as if you would put the feet on a door and consider that you have entered (the room)”, Dacic said.

He assessed that in fact there is no de-escalation and no withdrawal of mayors.

“There is no de-escalation, withdrawal of mayors from municipalities in the north and complete withdrawal of Kosovo special police units from there”, Dacic said.   

Milivojevic: Returning to previous situation necessary for de-escalation (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Former high ranking Serbian diplomat Zoran Milivojevic said only complete withdrawal of all Kosovo special police and other forces, Albanian mayors whom Serbs in northern Kosovo deem illegitimate and return to previous situation can lead to de-escalation there, RTS reports.

He added that the Community of Serb Municipalities remains above all other conditions.  

Withdrawal of 25 percent of police forces from and around municipal buildings in three northern Kosovo municipalities Milivojevic sees as a tactical move by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to defuse pressure he is exposed to by the West.  

He also said it was good to hear German special envoy Manuel Sarazzin speaking about the Community of Serb Municipalities.

According to Milivojevic true de-escalation is only possible if demands of the Serbian people are taken into consideration same as the need to have a Community of the Serb Municipalities on the agenda. 

Petkovic meets Hungarian Ambassador, tells him violence on ethnic and religious grounds carried out in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met today Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia, Jozsef Zoltan Magyar and informed him about difficult political and security situation in Kosovo, threatening to jeopardise peace and stability in entire region, reads the statement of Office for KiM, Kosovo Online portal reports.

During the meeting Petkovic also voiced concerns over unfounded and illegal arrests of Serbs, violence and everyday pressure exerted on Serbian people by Pristina authorities, adding that more than 350 attacks against Serbs, their properties and Serbian Orthodox Church took place in Kosovo since Albin Kurti came to power, the statement adds.

He also recalled the refusal of Pristina authorities to implement the Constitutional Court decision from 2016 on returning the land to Visoki Decani Monastery, adding it indicates that “legal lawlessness and violence on ethnic and religious grounds is being carried out in Kosovo at all levels”. 

Ambassador of France: Normalisation of relations has no alternative, that is clearer today than ever (NMagazin, Beta, Politika)

The Ambassador of France to Serbia, Pierre Cochard, stated that there is no alternative to the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and that "this is clearer today than ever before".

"First of all, because the population living there is oversaturated with constant periods of crisis and tension. Second, normalisation is necessary and because it conditions Serbia's European integration. Third, for geopolitical reasons, we cannot allow a new crisis hotspot to exist in Europe," said Cochard for the Politika daily, cited NMagazin. 

He said that France, together with its German partners, therefore undertook an initiative (the Franco-German plan for Kosovo and Metohija) that received the support of the European Union, and that is why it fully supports European mediation, and the plan on de-escalation sent to both sides by special envoy Miroslav Lajcak. 

"Unfortunately, we note that the decisions made in Pristina do not lead to de-escalation and the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. That is why we took steps both bilaterally and on the European level, which resulted in the suspension of certain European funds and cooperation that existed," Cochard stated.

He pointed out that "it is imperative to move towards de-escalation and implementation of the Ohrid Agreement as soon as possible".

"This implies the organisation of early local elections with the participation of Serbs and the immediate start of talks on the establishment of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority. It implies that a reasonable choice is made on all sides and that the parties refrain from gestures that could contribute to intensifying tensions," he said.

Timothy Less: Decision to withdraw KP a reluctant concession to please US and EU (Tanjug)

Timothy Less, an associate at the Center for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge, said last night that the decision of the Pristina authorities to withdraw 25 percent of the Kosovo police forces from the municipalities with a Serbian majority in the north of Kosovo, is an unwilling concession to the international community, as evidenced by the fact that only the minimum is withdrawn in order to please the USA and the EU.

Less told Tanjug that the latest concessions by the authorities in Pristina are solely a response to international sanctions that are painful for Pristina and painful for the prime minister Albin Kurti, who is vulnerable to attacks by the political opposition.

When it comes to continuing the dialogue, Less believes that Kurti's latest moves suggest that there is a reasonable chance of resuming negotiations, but that this does not automatically mean progress on the key sticking point - the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

PM adviser asked media to turn off cameras and leave event (KiM radio, KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio)

The Office for Community Affairs at Kosovo Prime Minister Office, together with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, organised a round table in Pristina to discuss the integration of non-majority communities in the field of sports. After the introductory presentation, the advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister, Elizabeth Gowing, asked the media who were following the event to turn off the cameras and leave the hall, reported KiM radio yesterday.

At the event, the translation into Serbian language was unusable, however, the invited journalists and camera men still intended to stay to accompany the opening presentation and watch the presentation to familiarise the public with the possibilities of applying for projects of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Before the start of the event, Elizabeth Gowing, adviser to the PM for Communities, informed the media would only be able to record the introductory speeches of the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and the President of Kosovo Olympic Committee, as well as a presentation on how to register for public invitations from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, while during the open discussion in which they were supposed to talk about the integration of communities in sports policies, challenges and needs as well as opportunities for cooperation and support for non-majority clubs through sports federations, they will have to leave the conference room.

A few minutes after the official of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Bariu Zenelaj started with the presentation, Gowing first approached the cameramen, telling them that they were talking about "technical details" and to turn off the cameras and leave the event, and then she told the journalists to leave the hall.

When the Kim Radio journalist stated that they were informed before the start of the event that they could record the presentation, but also that those who did not attend today's event could use the media to find out about the ways to apply, Gowing said that the media can contact her for all questions via email, as well as the details of the presentation (how to register for public invitations of the MCYS) interested parties can find on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Kosovo. 

On the website of the mentioned ministry, the last news in the Serbian language was published on August 5, 2022.

According to the organisers, the translation into Serbian, which was provided by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, was poor and unusable, so the journalists of the Serbian newsrooms were not able to understand most of the panellists' speeches.

KiM radio recalls that the media in the Serbian language repeatedly pointed out the problem with translation in the institutions of Kosovo, which Gowing was aware of.

Four journalistic teams covered this event, out of which, three reporting in the Serbian language.

In her introductory speech, Gowing said, among other things, that the round table was organised to hear the voice of members of non-majority communities and their ideas.

Ismet Krasniqi, the president of the Kosovo Olympic Committee, invited all communities to participate in sports events, noting that they will have equal treatment, without discrimination.

The round table on the integration of communities in the field of sports was attended by representatives of sports organisations of Bosniak, Turkish and Roma communities, as well as one Serb, reported KiM radio.

Vucic meets Foreign Minister of Venezuela, thanks him for respecting territorial integrity of Serbia (Kosovo Online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met Foreign Minister of Venezuela Yvan Gil Pinto and thanked him for his country’s respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Vucic also thanked Venezuelan FM for support extended to Serbia to be elected as EXPO 2027 exhibition host.

“Serbia and Venezuela are true friends. I am happy to have hosted Yvan Gil Pinto. Thank you for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and supporting our bid to host EXPO 2027”, Vucic wrote in a post on Instagram account.

Krajiste: The celebration of the Saint Vraci holiday followed by a loud music in praise of ‘’UQK” and Jashari (KiM radio, gracanicaonline.info)

KiM radio reports that in the village Krajiste near Lipljan, during the celebration of the Saint Vraci holiday, Albanian locals “provoked the gathered Serbian returnees and believers, showing them the symbol of the double-headed eagle”. During the liturgy in the Church and procession around the church, loud music was heard all the time in which "UQK" and Adem Jashari were mentioned.

In the desecrated church dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian, a liturgy was held today on the village's celebration, where believers and displaced persons from this village gathered.

The Liturgy was served by the priest Dragisa Jerinic from Lipjan. During the procession around the church, loud music could be heard from the nearby Albanian houses, which the residents of this village used to provoke those gathered in the temple, according to KiM radio.

Albanian, Kosovo and American flags are displayed on the street near the church. The commemoration of the glory was secured by the Kosovo police officers who did not react to the provocations of the Albanian locals, but they forbade the cameramen of the Serbian crew to film the houses from which the loud music was coming. The police officers and one of the Albanian locals asked the media from which television station they recorded it.

Ivan Nedeljkovic, a displaced Serb from Krajiste who hosted the celebration today, said in a statement to KiM radio that he was in Krajiste last night cleaning the churchyard and preparing for today's holiday, and that no flags were displayed then, but that the locals asked when a holiday will be celebrated. However, this morning near the church they appeared. 

"We are not very comfortable because our neighbours did not welcome us properly, but we are here, and we will be here next year in even greater numbers to show that we have not forgotten our village. We were there last night, we brought tables and benches, not a single flag was placed. We were there to fill up the water, and an Albanian asked us when our holiday is, and congratulated me. I was really surprised when I saw it this morning," said Nedeljkovic.

Lipljan parish priest Dragisa Jerinic said that the number of people visiting this temple is increasing every year and that he hopes that the temple will be restored soon.

"We made an effort to clean up in and around the temple on the eve of the holiday, our neighbours noticed it and now they cheer us up. Although they try to cause anger with their music, they cannot cause it in us because we are happy about our holiday and that the Lord gathered us in the Temple. I hope that soon we will meet in this village as well, that this village will be multi-ethnic as before and that there will be someone waiting for us in this holy temple".

Slavica Popovic, who was displaced from Krajiste and currently resides in Gracanica, said that there used to be 25 Serbian houses in this village, but that they were all burned down and that her property was usurped.

"I was born here, I was baptised in this church. The house was burned down, the furniture was taken away. Now I pass by my field, everything has been cultivated, for 24 years they have been taking the income from my land and I buy bread to feed my children. I would like to know how it is for them to eat that wheat with my tears, 21 acres of land, 2 hectares of land, that's property, and I lived in a rented accommodation in Gracanica," says Slavica.

Displaced people from Krajiste said that coming to this village, especially on a holiday, means a lot to them, but that such provocations do not disturb them, but that they show the "face" of their former neighbours.

"I can't describe how nice it is, to come back and live. It's hard for me because my uncle's brother has been lying here for 21 years and I can't go near him to light a candle. The fact that they play music is theirs, but they don't behave normally even towards the dead who are not guilty of anything like us. That is their face, we as Serbs have our face, they have theirs. We came on our land, in our native village, in our sanctuary".

Stefana Djekic came to her mother's hometown for the first time.

"This means a lot to me because my mother was born and raised here, it was beautiful."

Milan Joksimovic, the president of the Provisional Authority of Lipjan, said that "this year, like every year, the Albanian neighbours are playing patriotic songs", but that they should suppress it during the celebration of the holiday.

"After the expulsion and persecution of local Serbs from Krajiste, who gathered to celebrate the glory of the temple again. This means a lot to them; I see that they have the faith and strength to come to visit this temple every year even though they are exiled from here. They are not allowed to approach their yards and estates, but even this, in front of the Temple is enough for them to feel like residents of this village,’’ he told KiM radio. 

The church in this village was desecrated immediately after the bombing in 1999, recalled KiM radio.

 

 

International 

 

Platinum Wolf 23 and Defender 23: Two military exercises show changing relationship of Serbia and Kosovo with the West? (EWB)

In June, two international military exercises in the Balkans involving NATO members were completed: Platinum Wolf 23 and Defender 23. While both of them were a part of regular activities of the Alliance in the region, the participation of Serbia in the former and the interruption of participation of Kosovo in the latter was interpreted as a sign of their changing relationship with NATO and, more broadly, the West.

Serbia, which has continued to maintain strong ties with China and Russia, refusing to impose sanctions on the latter following the escalation of its war in Ukraine, terminated its moratorium on participation in military exercises in order to take part in the Platinum Wolf 23, making one of the rare open pro-Western moves in recent years and raising the question of whether a more significant foreign policy shift should be expected.

On the other hand, Kosovo, which has since its declaration of independence in 2008 been the most pro-Western country in the region, has been excluded from the final phase of the Defender 23 exercise as a form of sanctions for the actions of its government,. As the tensions in the Serb-populated North of Kosovo once again escalated at the end of May, the Western allies put the bulk of the responsibility on the Government of Albin Kurti, highlighting the continuous shaky relationship with the current Kosovo authorities.

Read more at: https://rb.gy/4t2gp