UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 3, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Kosovo will strengthen relations with Turkey in two areas (media)
Kurti: We’re not against Serbs, Serbia is against us (Sinjali)
Swedish Ambassador: Comparing Association with Republika Srpska is unfair (media)
Szunyog: EU supports Kosovo with € 75 million as part of Energy Package (Reporteri)
LVV Secretary to French media: We cannot stop people from leaving, some even return (media)
Haradinaj: Government is harming state, it has betrayed trust of every citizen (media)
Opposition: Differences between president and prime minister, obvious (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Djuric meets Babity: The alarming situation in Kosovo, the fight against extermination (Kosovo Online)
Census in Kosovo completed: Data on the number of Serbs will not reflect the real situation (N1, NMagazin)
Vasic: Nepotism and political influence in institutions - the causes of youth emigration (KiM radio, medijacentar.info)
Cooperation between the Ministry of Communities and Return and the Property Agency agreed (KiM radio)
SNS claims victory in all but 4 municipalities (N1)
Opposition claims victory in city of Nis (N1)

International:

Disinformation stoking interethnic tensions in Kosovo (Prishtina Insight)
Opposition discord weakens pressure in Kosovo for snap election (BIRN)
Serbia's ruling party wins local polls marred by irregularities (RFE)
Tensions soar in Serbia municipal election as ruling party seeks to retain power (VoA)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Kosovo will strengthen relations with Turkey in two areas (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in his speech held at the first Turkey-Kosovo Economic Forum said that there are two areas where Kosovo wants to strengthen the relations between the two states that were called excellent at the start of this event. According to him, those areas are security and defense as well as economic development.

In Istanbul, Kurti spoke about the economic potentials of Kosovo, while thanking the Republic of Turkey for being one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state and called for new investors.

Prior to the Forum, Kurti met with Turkey’s Minister of Trade Omer Bolat.

The latter said that he hopes that bilateral relations between Kosovo and Turkey will become more fruitful in the coming times. He also stated that Turkey supports the integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo, where, among other things, he said that a stable Kosovo means a stable Balkans.

Kurti: We’re not against Serbs, Serbia is against us (Sinjali)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said during his stay in Turkey that Serbia does not accept the crimes committed by the Milosevic regime in Kosovo and that Kosovo will not remain silent and will seek justice for the victims.

“We have problems with Serbia because it does not recognize our independence and they don’t accept the crimes committed by the Milosevic regime in Kosovo, which are war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocidal crimes. We will never keep silent about this, and we will always seek justice for the victims. They killed 10,000 unarmed and defenseless civilians. 1,113 children were killed, and 20,000 women and girls were raped,” he argued. “They deny these atrocities and they don’t want to accept the existence of the Republic of Kosovo as an independent, sovereign and democratic country, which is a champion in the Balkans in terms of progress in democracy and the rule of law”.

Kurti also said that Kosovo is not against the Serbs. “We’re not against the Serbs, Serbia is against us, but we will stop developing and making progress,” he said.

Swedish Ambassador: Comparing Association with Republika Srpska is unfair (Koha)

The ambassador of Sweden to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, has said that he understands Kosovo's concern about the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority, but that he does not see any danger for the functioning of the state.

"I understand the concern for the Association. I am quite old, and I remember when I participated in the creation of a similar association in Croatia, when I was working for the United Nations in 1996-1998. We set up a similar structure for Croatian Serbs. This structure has not threatened the Croatian state in any way, so I think it has a history of success. I think the reference to Republika Srpska in Bosnia is a bit unfair because this is a completely different context. So, I respect the fear, or rather the concerns, but I think this can be done in a calm way. I can only underline and support the other EU member states and the USA by saying that we recommend the government to create an association", Westerlund said.

"I do not share the concern, or the references made to Republika Srpska. This is a different context. We have a much smaller number of minorities in this country compared to the ethnic composition in Bosnia. So, for me this is unfounded", said the Swedish ambassador.

Asked about the recent action of the Kosovo Police in the financial offices in the north, Westerlund has said that this issue should be addressed in the dialogue facilitated by the European Union, between the two neighboring states, Kosovo and Serbia.

He has said that Sweden recognizes the legitimacy of Kosovo to undertake any actions in its territory, but that more coordination with international allies is needed, if Kosovo intends to be part of the Euro-Atlantic structures.

Szunyog: EU supports Kosovo with € 75 million as part of Energy Package (Reporteri)

The head of the European Union office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, has met with the delegation of the Secretary of the Energy Community, regarding the performance of Kosovo in accordance with the Energy Community. He said that the Growth Plan provides an additional incentive for accelerated reforms and provides financial resources for important projects. He announced through the "X" social network, that the Growth Plan provides an additional incentive for accelerated reforms and provides financial resources for important projects.

"Emphasizing that the green transition, integration and decarbonization of the energy sector are an integral part of the Kosovo Reform Agenda, we also discussed the latest developments in the energy sector. It was emphasized that the EU supports Kosovo with 75 million euros within the Energy Support Package", the announcement states.

LVV Secretary to French media: We cannot stop people from leaving, some even return (media)

Speaking on the French podcast of "Radio France", the General Secretary of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), Alim Rama, said that the Kosovar government "cannot stop people from leaving the country" but he expressed hope as "some even return and invest in the country".

In a conversation where the topic was the socio-economic landscape in addition to the emigration of citizens abroad to aim for a better economic life, Rama said "if Russia manages to influence the region, it will create more problems for Europe, not only for us. Since the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, we have heard about the opening of new fronts in the Balkans. This influence will not be good for Europe".

He further added that "Kosovo is on the right track" and expressed concerns about the new European elections and the rise of right-wing political forces. Their coming to power, Rama said, "will undoubtedly slow down the process of (Kosovo's) membership in the EU".

"It will not stop it, but it would make it more difficult, but even so, it has not been easy", said Rama.

Haradinaj: Government is harming state, it has betrayed trust of every citizen (media)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, has written on Facebook social network that his party and the coalition partners have offered a governing alternative to make possible the great change that Kosovo needs, a government with a vision for the restoration of hope, for the orientation of Kosovo towards prosperity and Euro-Atlantic integration. Among other things, the former prime minister said that the current government is harming the state and has betrayed the trust of every citizen ‘as it brought the opposite of what it promised, putting the country into poverty and the citizens into deep disappointment’.

Opposition: Differences between president and prime minister, obvious (RTK)

Kosovo’s opposition parties expressed concern about manifested differences between President Vjosa Osmani and the government. According to them, these differences show that there are serious problems with the functioning of the state.

Lutfi Haziri from the Democratic League of Kosovo, in a statement for Radio Kosovo, said that the differences between the president and the Foreign Ministry are surprising, since, as he said, the powers of foreign policy fall to the Presidency. He said that the institutional disagreement shows that the state has serious problems.

"It was an obligation for the Assembly and the government to coordinate, so that the letter of commitment that the president, the speaker of the parliament and the prime minister would make the letter to be more powerful as a guarantee, as an assurance that they will implement the obligations, but what happened is the opposite. This clearly shows that there are serious problems in terms of the functioning of the state and most of them see the Republic of Kosovo as temporary, unfortunately," Haziri stated.

According to the MP of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Time Kadrijaj, the president remained silent until now, even about the mistakes that, according to her, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has made.

"Even though Prime Minister Kurti has made successive mistakes, it is up to the President to highlight those actions of the Prime Minister, but she has remained silent and now she is suddenly contradicting him. It means that the differences between the Presidency and the government are revealed", stated Kadrijaj.

Radio Kosova has tried to get the opinion of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on the matter, however the PDK did not want to make any statement on this issue.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric meets Babity: The alarming situation in Kosovo, the fight against extermination (Kosovo Online)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Marko Djuric, met today the head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Janos Babity. Djuric said that the two-decade cooperation with the CoE is good, and that the support of this organization in implementing reforms in the field of the rule of law, human rights and democracy is important.

According to Djuric, the burning political issue for Serbia is the Pristina regime's attempt to accede to the Council of Europe, where he reiterated his strong opposition to the very consideration of such a request beyond all principles of public international law, reported Kosovo Online.

"The situation in Kosovo and Metohija is alarming, where the Serbian people, living in fear, day by day and month by month are faced with the struggle for bare survival, with the struggle against extermination, in unbearable conditions in which they are threatened not only for their security, but also basic human and civil rights," Djuric pointed out.

Appealing to the necessity of protecting the rights and freedoms of Serbs in Kosovo, Djuric added that the worrying situation is further evidenced by the fact that, in the last year alone, more than 14 percent of the remaining Serbs left the territory.

The eventual admission of Pristina, as underlined by minister Djuric, would represent a violation not only of Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, the Statute of the Council of Europe, but also of the UN Charter, and as such, would become a dangerous precedent with very certain negative consequences on the global level.

With congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the founding of this organization, which is being celebrated this year, Djuric pointed out that the principles on which the CoE was founded are important for Serbia and the entire region, as well as that Serbia will continue to be a constructive partner in achievement of common goals.

Census in Kosovo completed: Data on the number of Serbs will not reflect the real situation (N1, NMagazin)

The population census has been completed in Kosovo. It is estimated that there are about 1.6 million inhabitants in Kosovo. Citizens in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo boycotted the census, reports NMagazin portal.

Although the data is still not officially published, it seems that the population of Kosovo will be 8 percent less compared to the last census that was organized in 2011.

The census was carried out in all municipalities, except for those in the north of Kosovo where there were calls to boycott.

However, in majority Serb municipalities in central and southern Kosovo, the census was conducted, and the most active was in the last week.

"In the last days or last week, the Serbian community, seeing the need to register, got involved. In the first five weeks, they did not respond to the census, because they had an internal discussion or political pressure, while in the last week they responded and engaged in the census," said Avni Kastrati from the Kosovo Statistics Agency

Certainly, the data on the number of Serbs in Kosovo will not give the real situation on the ground, on the other hand, the Albanians responded to the census, and thus it will be clear how much fewer there are.

Analysts point out that today not only poor people are leaving, but also educated people and those who have a good life, and the legal reliefs of the countries of the European Union increasingly contribute to making leaving easier.

"The first thing is the lack of political stability, especially in Kosovo, the second thing is the economic situation, the third thing is the psychological component that simply, the more people talk about war and conflicts, the more they don't trust to stay here, and they try to find ways to leave Kosovo," said analyst Safet Gerxhaliu.

Compared to the neighbors, according to analysts, emigration from Kosovo is still not alarming.

"I think that Kosovo stands much better when compared to north Macedonia or Albania, and other countries. But that is not a reason for us to be satisfied, we must do our best to strengthen the economy, to solve political problems and open issues with Serbia," added Gerxhaliu.

Although the census was originally supposed to end on May 17, it was extended until May 24, but this does not apply to the census of people from the diaspora, because they have this opportunity until August 31.

So far, 600,000 citizens living abroad have been registered.

Vasic: Nepotism and political influence in institutions - the causes of youth emigration (KiM radio, medijacentar.info)

Speaking on the show Slobodno Srpski (Free in Serbian) the coordinator of the Humanitarian Organization "Kosovsko Pomoravlje" Marija Vasic said that the trend of Serbs leaving their homes, especially to countries in Western Europe, is a result of multiple problems, including young people searching for work, the sense of strong political influence on institutions, and the bad overall situation in Kosovo, KiM radio reported.

"Generally, people complain about nepotism, party recruitment, and simply being a young person who has formed a family, or plans to form one, or plans to build his or her own career, does not see future here," said Vasic and stated that a year ago prior to the coronavirus pandemic, 360 mostly young Serbs left Partes, Pasjane and Budriga alone.

The general decline in the birth rate also affects Serbian families in Kosovo Pomoravlje, and society does not do enough to motivate women and awaken in them the desire to give birth.

"And that policy of some monetary incentives, in my opinion, me as a woman and as a mother I can say that this is completely wrong. Because no woman will be motivated by the one-time financial aid to give birth to a child. Primarily, the woman needs a normal environment, she needs love and support, both in the family and in work, business, and in the state," she said.

Unemployment among young women, above all in public institutions, is a special problem, the interlocutor pointed out.

"I know at least three or four women from my neighborhood who have children, who have families, who have graduated from the faculties, and who do not have contracts, do not have a permanent employment and at the same time they are constantly under stress as to whether that contract will be extended, how, when, for how long. New people are constantly being brought in to work, although there is no room for those who are already working either. That woman has two children, will she dare to give birth to a third? I think that probably she will not, so women should be provided with an environment that will not make them worry about having children," she said.

Cooperation between the Ministry of Communities and Return and the Property Agency agreed (KiM radio)

The Minister of Communities and Return, Nenad Rasic, met with the director of the Kosovo Agency for Property Comparison and Verification, Aferdita Beka Arifaj, to discuss the establishment of legal norms, and to improve communication and cooperation as a basis for strengthening citizens' rights, it was announced to the media.

Rasic and Beka Arifaj agreed on the formation of a working group that will identify all previous shortcomings and develop a general agreement that will serve as a basis for further cooperation between these institutions.

"The goals of the future agreement are for the Ministry of Communities and Return to be a bridge in connecting citizens and the agency for comparing and verifying assets," the announcement read.

This agreement, as further stated, derives from the strategic document adopted at the end of last year at the session of the Government of Kosovo - "Strategy for the protection of the rights and interests of communities and their members" which, among other things, foresees speeding up the resolution of the issue of alienation, usurpation or illegal use of land.

SNS claims victory in all but 4 municipalities (N1)

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) spoke out first following the vote at Sunday’s local elections to claim victory in all but 4 of the cities and municipalities where votes were cast.

SNS leader, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic told a news conference that the ruling party claimed victory in all but 4 municipalities, all of them with majority national minority populations. According to him, the SNS lost in Backa Topola, Senta and Kanjiza in the norther Vojvodina province, all 3 municipalities with majority ethnic Hungarian populations who traditionally vote for the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) and other ethnic Hungarian parties. He said the party also lost in Tutin where the majority population is Bosniak and vote for their local Bosniak/Muslim parties.

The SNS leader said that the party scored “a clear and convincing victory” at the country-wide local elections.

Traditionally, the SNS, as the strongest individual party, addresses the media first after polling stations close.

International

Disinformation stoking interethnic tensions in Kosovo (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo is struggling with widespread disinformation spread on various online platforms which aims to exacerbate interethnic tensions and undermine trust in law enforcement, often misrepresenting incidents, manipulating facts, and presenting a climate of instability and suspicion between communities.

The reporting methods used by various websites and media outlets in Kosovo and neighbouring countries are considered key contributors to citizen disinformation and strained relations between communities.

Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor at Kallxo.com, stated on Kallxo Përnime TV Programme on May 17 that these types of reports exploit interethnic relations by republishing fake news, making it seem as though the situation is always unstable.

“There was a case where Serbia’s flag was removed from the Zvecan fortress. However, we learned that the flag was simply replaced. It was just a brief snapshot taken about two months ago, but it continues to be broadcast daily in Albanian media that attempt to push a nationalist agenda,” Gashi stated.

According to Gashi, information about police arrests is also misinterpreted.