UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 23, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: No agreement reached on Serbia's elections; we have information of protest plans (media)
First year in office: Kurti describes it as a turnaround time (Koha/Telegrafi)
Tahiri: A year with Kurti-led government, Kosovo at crossroads, citizens poorer (EO)
Kosovo pledges €100,000 as first instalment of aid to Ukraine (media)
Mehaj: Kosovo and Israel are advancing diplomatic relations (media)
COVID-19: 40 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Quint issued statement on Kosovo Serb voting within Kosovo in Serbia’s elections (gov.uk website)
Vucic: Kurti causes instability in region, to be seen if Quint will succeed (KoSSev)
Voting in Serbia, peaceful protests announced in central and northern Kosovo on Friday (Radio KIM)
Jevtic: We do not want to take part in institutional violence against Serbs (RTS)
Radojevic with Rhode on elections, challenges of Serb community (Kosovo-online)
Vucic spoke with Russian Ambassador and Chinese Chargé d'affaires (Kosovo-online)
The European Union sees Serbia as a problem, which can be bad but also good news (Danas)
UNS and DNKiM condemned robbery of RTK2 journalist (KiM radio)
Serbian Patriarch calls faithful to aid Ukraine refugees (N1)
Montenegro allows more polling stations for Serbian elections (N1)
KLA graffiti painted on Serbian Consulate in Germany (N1)

Opinion:

Kosovo’s Undiplomatic Diplomacy is Getting Country Nowhere (Balkan Insight)
One year of Kurti’s government: How is it going? (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: No agreement reached on Serbia's elections; we have information of protest plans (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said at a press conference today that the Government of Kosovo did not decide not to allow Serbian elections in its territory but that no prior agreement on the issue was reached.

He also said the EU was not happy that the Government of Kosovo did not agree on having the issue settled through a letter exchange between liaison officers. "I am convinced that the correspondence should be between the Government of Kosovo and the Government of Serbia. As it stands, the issue has taken a different direction, we have expressed our regret and beyond this there is nothing more we can do," Kurti said.

Kurti commented on the meeting of Serbia's Security Council and noted that he has received information that preparations for protests in the north are underway for Friday. "I think protests are unnecessary for this matter. Allow me to call on the Serbs not to organise and not attend such protests." He said that as a protest organiser himself, he does not think that this is the right timing citing the current geopolitical and security circumstances.

Asked about reports that judges from the Basic Court in Mitrovica and Kosovo Police senior officials in the north attended Serbia's Security Council meeting yesterday, Kurti said he was not aware but that security institutions will look into it.

First year in office: Kurti describes it as a turnaround time (Koha/Telegrafi)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti described the first year of being in office as a turnaround point towards development. In addition to economic development, the Government of Kosovo also focused on fighting corruption, he added.

During the meeting of the Government of Kosovo today, Kurti said the first year was characterised by navigation of global crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis.

"Apart from the pandemic we also had the energy crisis which is still present. We have taken emergency measures by subsidising the additional costs so that the crisis does not burden those earning less. There is no doubt that the problems we have inherited are great and the challenges ahead are even greater, but our citizens have put their trust in us to make the change."

Tahiri: A year with Kurti-led government, Kosovo at crossroads, citizens poorer (EO)

Besnik Tahiri, head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, commented on the first 100 days of the Government of Kosovo led by Albin Kurti saying that the citizens have become more insecure and hopeless.

"Populist statements melted away like snowflakes," he said. "A year on, Kosovo is at a crossroads without vision, and the citizens are poorer. The delayed response, a government of justifications has caused the energy increase 100 percent on the back of the citizens; oil and every food item has increased to incomparable levels while the public and private sector wages have remained unchanged," he added.

Tahiri however noted that the only positive thing the Government of Kosovo has done was to establish the Security Fund but at the same time accused it, for as he said, damaging relations with the United States and the EU. "It treats the dialogue at the level of technicians while the relations with Serbia are treated from topic to topic, such as the case with the 3 April elections. Meanwhile, the achievement of the final agreement, that concludes with recognition, seems unclear."

Kosovo pledges €100,000 as first instalment of aid to Ukraine (media)

The Government of Kosovo decided today to pledge funds as part of the first contingent of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The proposal to allocate €100,000 came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. Minister Donika Gervalla on the occasion said that the move is intended to express Kosovo's "unreserved support" for Ukraine.

The Government of Kosovo has also decided to expand sanctions against Russia and Belarus which will include freezing of bank assets, prohibition of propaganda media and restrictions to import of technology goods.

Mehaj: Kosovo and Israel are advancing diplomatic relations (media)

Kosovo's Minister of Defence Armend Mehaj has begun his three-day visit to Israel. On the first day of the visit, he met the country's Minister of Intelligence Elazar Stern and spoke at the Crisis Management Conference - ISDEF 2022 - on the topic: Kosovo - Crisis management at national level.

"Kosovo and Israel are advancing diplomatic relations to an even higher level. In my meetings with the Israeli state authorities, during my visit, I met the head of the Department for the Balkans, Ambassador Dan Oryan, as well as Ms. Tamar Ziv, who is expected to be the Ambassador of Israel to our country. On this occasion, we discussed the further deepening of cooperation and strengthening of diplomatic relations in general, with a focus on cooperation in the field of defence diplomacy," Mehaj wrote on Facebook.

COVID-19: 40 new cases, no deaths (media)

40 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health today. 31 persons recovered during this time.

There are 650 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Quint issued statement on Kosovo Serb voting within Kosovo in Serbia’s elections (gov.uk website)

The governments of France, Germany, Italy, UK and USA regret the lack of agreement to enable Kosovo Serb voting within Kosovo in Serbia’s forthcoming elections.

Joint statement by the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States:

France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have intensely engaged with the governments of Kosovo and Serbia in the past months in order to find a pragmatic solution to allow eligible Kosovo citizens to exercise their right to participate in Serbia’s elections on 3 April 3 2022.

We acknowledge that it is the Kosovo Government’s prerogative to decide whether or not to permit facilitation of voting in another country’s elections. While we appreciate Serbia’s availability to find a solution, it is with great disappointment that we take note of the Kosovo Government’s decision to reject a constructive proposal presented by the Quint. With this decision, Kosovo’s Government failed to demonstrate its commitment to the principle of protecting the civil and political rights of all its citizens, including of members of minority groups.

Such an attitude of the Kosovo Government is not in line with our values and principles and will undermine their European aspirations.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we welcomed Kosovo’s alignment with the statements and declarations EU and the Quint members adopted. However, Kosovo is also expected to uphold its core values and responsibility towards regional stability and respect democratic processes, as well as to commit to protection of the rights of members of minority groups.

We expect the Kosovo Government to act in the interests of all its citizens, to work to decrease tensions and to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue on normalisation of relations with Serbia. This is crucial to achieve progress towards a comprehensive normalisation agreement that will ultimately unlock the EU perspective of Kosovo.

We reiterate our strong call upon Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from any actions and rhetoric that increase tensions and may lead to incidents.

The statement is available at: https://bit.ly/3isZSrk

Vucic: Kurti causes instability in region, to be seen if Quint will succeed (KoSSev)

“We have accepted many things, but the problem was because we didn’t want to say from the Serbian Government to Kosovo Government, as this would be de facto recognition. They knew it and insisted on it. We refused”, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said once again this morning, KoSSev portal reports.

He also warned that “everything goes in direction” of Serbs leaving the Pristina institutions.

Vucic told TV Pink morning program that Belgrade in the case of elections accepted many compromises, even that, as he said, liaison officer addresses Kosovo government, but Pristina insisted on government to government address, which Belgrade refused as it would imply recognition.

“I think even the most developed countries in the West realised that today and we are waiting for their statement today. On the other hand, the Russian and Chinese sides understood fully what we told them”, Vucic said.

He recalled that Pristina banned holding of the Serbian referendum in Kosovo, adding that the Western countries said back then referendum was one issue, but that elections were something else.

“The West told us referendum was one issue, but elections were something else. Back then it was a constitutional matter, and that would be a humiliation to Kurti’s government to resolve constitutional matters of Serbia in Kosovo”, Vucic said.

He added Quint representatives told him yesterday they “made their utmost”.

“The world is ready to remain silent not only to the lack of constructiveness, but also to the intention of Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti to cause instability in the region”, Vucic said.

However it be, Vucic said, the solution must be found, but the one that would not endanger the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

“Whether the voting will take place with organised bus transportation or be symbolic, or perhaps Quint will fight it over and the voting will take place in Kosovo, this is still an issue and solution is sought”.

Voting in Serbia, peaceful protests announced in central and northern Kosovo on Friday (Radio KIM)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met yesterday Quint ambassadors following the session of the Serbian National Security Council and meeting with Serb political representatives from Kosovo and Metohija, Radio KIM reports.

The Serbs from Kosovo previously announced that they would leave all Pristina institutions because of the situation created around holding of Serbian elections in Kosovo, including the police. Dalibor Jevtic, Serbian List Vice President announced protests in the Serb-populated areas to take place on Friday, the Radio added.

Addressing the media yesterday, Vucic said Serb representatives from Kosovo and Metohija almost unanimously requested to leave all Pristina institutions, but that also 435 police officers in northern Kosovo leave regional Kosovo police.

He said he informed Quint ambassadors about Pristina’s decision, adding he expects from them “a sharp condemnation” of Pristina's act.

Vucic announced that special polling stations will be prepared in neighbouring municipalities in central Serbia, where citizens from Kosovo and Metohija will be able to cast their ballots. He added there would be additional meetings with Serb representatives from Kosovo in the days to come.

Serbian List Vice President Dalibor Jevtic also spoke to the media and said that “someone obviously had intention to place us in a difficult position and cause reactions, thus bringing us and our state to an even more difficult position in the world”.

He said while they disagree with the Serbian President on the issue of leaving the Pristina institutions, they agreed to make a joint decision that will put no one in central Serbia in a bad position.

“We will fight in a democratic manner and on Friday we will have peaceful protests in central and northern Kosovo with a message that we do not want anyone depriving us from our fundamental human rights and that we do not want to be second-class citizens”, Jevtic said.

He also noted “position of the Serbian people is unbearable”.

Jevtic: We do not want to take part in institutional violence against Serbs (RTS)

Serbian List Vice President and Strpce mayor Dalibor Jevtic told Serbian public broadcaster RTS last night that Serbs do not want to take part in institutional violence against the Serbs. He said decisions of the Pristina authorities were dangerous to the extent that they endanger human rights of the Serbs, adding the Serbs in Kosovo feel endangered institutionally and in any other way.

Jevtic also said he has been part of Pristina institutions for a long time and advocated for a better position of the Serb community, however, as he said, the situation now is so serious that he thinks Serbs should leave those institutions.

“The situation is dramatic, we are under pressure. Decisions of (Pristina) authorities are dangerous to the extent that they endanger our human rights, we are criminalised, endangered institutionally and in any other way”, Jevtic said, recalling arrests of the Serbs and intrusion into their houses under the pretext of fighting corruption.

Asked what effect they want to make by leaving Pristina institutions, Jevtic said “that they do not want to take part in institutional violence against the Serbs”.

“The President (Aleksandar Vucic) was right when he asked what shall we do a day after, however the day today and the day yesterday were not good either, all previous days were not good”, he said, adding this was the first time they had different opinion than Vucic.

Commenting on possibility that Serbs leave police and judiciary, Jevtic said that “even in this segment it is not respected what laws in Kosovo stipulate, e.g. for Serbs to make ten percent in those institutions, and there are four percent compared to the number of Albanians”, adding they must not allow to be part of the institutions so one could only say that there are Serbs there.

“I think we have reached the point that our survival is endangered. If someone in the XXI century, by using institutions, arrests Serbs without evidence, storms the houses, does not allow us to vote, then the question is “what is security like today”? Jevtic said.

Radojevic with Rohde on elections, challenges of Serb community (Kosovo-online)

Mitrovica North mayor Milan Radojevic met today German Ambassador in Pristina Jorn Rohde and discussed with him upcoming Serbian elections and refusal of Pristina to allow those elections to be held in Kosovo, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Radojevic wrote on Instagram that “refusal of the government in Pristina to enable Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to exercise their right to vote at upcoming April elections demonstrates true attitude of Pristina institutions towards the Serbian community and respect of fundamental human rights, but also an attitude towards international community by ignoring their clear calls and proposals to enable Serbs to cast the ballots”.

Radojevic added he hopes that the German Embassy will offer stronger help to the Serbian community to exercise their rights and that conditions for potential German investments will be created.

He also informed Ambassador Rohde about the problems Serb community is facing in Kosovo, including in obtaining personal documents, property records, central registry documents, non-recognition of diplomas, lack of respect of the Law on Use of Languages, and about diminished trust of the Serbian community in central-level institutions.

Rdaojevic also voiced concerns of the citizens regarding the high number of unresolved cases of the attacks against the Serbs, their properties and properties of the Serbian Orthodox Church, all leading, as he said, to the deterioration of the security situation in Kosovo.

Vucic spoke with Russian Ambassador and Chinese Chargé d'affaires (Kosovo-online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke yesterday with the Russian Federation Ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Belgrade, Kosovo-online portal reports.

The topics of the conversations included the crisis caused by Pristina’s decision not to allow holding of Serbian elections and to prevent Serbs in Kosovo from voting at April 3 elections.

The meetings followed Vucic’s meetings with Serb representatives from Kosovo and Metohija, Quint ambassadors and the National Security Council session.

The European Union sees Serbia as a problem, which can be bad but also good news (Danas)

In the EU Strategic Compass, the Western Balkans is recognized as a security challenge and a terrain suitable for manipulation and foreign influences, reported daily Danas.

Igor Novakovic, director of research at the ISAC Fund, told Danas daily that while it is not good that someone perceive a candidate country as a problem, it is good because then potentially much more resources will be invested to close certain issues and probably for speeding up the process of integration or rapprochement of the Western Balkans towards the EU. Novakovic thus commented on the EU's State Compass, which received the green light from the Union's foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels yesterday.

As Radio Free Europe reported last night, the document specifically mentions BiH and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and states that the process of negotiations on the normalisation of relations between Pristina and Belgrade "needs to be improved", recalled daily.

Novakovic explains that this document is a logical continuation of everything that has been cooked in the EU for the last 30 years.

- The goal is for the EU as a collective to become a real security player, which is the goal from Helsinki, which stipulates that the EU has its own troops for quick reaction. But the problem was that certain member states were unwilling to go all the way in the process and discussions were constantly ongoing. The last step that was initiated before this crisis was the constant cooperation in the EU on security and defence, where an attempt was made to strengthen cooperation in the field of military projects or the military industry in the Union - says Novakovic.

According to him, now the paradigm is shifting because everything that certain parties have advocated is shifting due to the crisis, i.e., ''the war in Ukraine''.

- It is finally understood that the EU as an entity should be able to act, if nothing else in its immediate environment, that is, to react to those crises that may endanger the security of the Union. In this context, the Western Balkan has always been recognized as a neuralgic point. In the previous period, during which the EU went through various crises, from financial, Brexit and others, it did not come on the agenda. Now, it seems to me, there is an agreement that there is no overlap between the EU and NATO, that is, that these two organisations should act complementary, and that is emphasised in this strategic compass - Novakovic points out.

He adds that it is very indicative that some countries that refused to participate in the common security and defence policy of the EU from the beginning, such as Denmark, which is the only one remaining in that status, have expressed their intention to talk about it.

- If we talk about the Western Balkans, this document recognizes that the Western Balkans is still a security challenge and a terrain suitable for manipulation and foreign influences. At the same time, it is a region surrounded by the EU and which is on strategic routes, which we saw during the refugee crisis. The EU, if nothing else, must be able to react in the immediate environment - he states.

Asked whether that is why the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is mentioned, he said that for 15 years we have been talking about the fact that the EU has not invested enough capacity to close neuralgic issues in the Western Balkans.

He adds that without the engagement of America, some issues, such as reaching an agreement in Prespa, would not be resolved, which showed the impotence of the EU.

- Since 2014, in a certain way, apart from bilateral negotiations with the EU, which remained as a certain stabilisation mechanism, we have been reduced to the Berlin Process. It was the framework through which attempts were made to maintain a certain level of stability in the Western Balkans. And all that was not enough. It is important that the EU began to see the Western Balkans as primarily a security challenge. While it is not good that as a candidate country you are perceived as a problem, it is good because then much more resources will be invested to close certain issues and probably to accelerate the process of integration or rapprochement of the Western Balkans to the EU, which has not been the case in the past ten years, Novakovic concluded.

UNS and DNKiM condemned robbery of RTK2 journalist (KiM radio)

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM), strongly condemn the robbery of Tijana Danic, RTK2 journalist, which took place on Saturday, March 19 at 10.30 pm in Pristina in front of the RTK main building, reported KiM radio.

UNS and DNKiM warn that such incidents encourage a sense of insecurity among journalists and media workers who are permanently exposed to various forms of pressure.

UNS and DNKiM demand that the Kosovo police urgently find the perpetrators and remind that this part of the city is covered by a large number of security cameras.

The robbery that took place in front of RTK in the centre of Pristina shows the difficult working conditions of the journalists of this media house, who mostly travel from their enclaves to the editorial office whose headquarters are in inadequate premises.

UNS and DNKiM recalled that the Kosovo institutions have not fulfilled the constitutional obligation according to which the Serbian community should have received an independent television channel in the Serbian language, which covers the entire territory of Kosovo.

Fulfilment of this obligation means the constitution of the Management Board with a Serbian majority, the normal election of the director of the Public Service in the Serbian language based in Gracanica, cited KiM radio.

Serbian Patriarch calls faithful to aid Ukraine refugees (N1)

Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije called the faithful to provide every kind of aid to refugees from Ukraine, regardless of their religion, N1 reports.

Patriarch Porfirije said during a visit with the Gerashchenko refugee family that the most important thing is for the war to stop in Ukraine. He said that the Church will do everything in its power to help the refugees and send aid to the war-torn country.

“Our people know full well the horror of war, especially the hardships of refugees. We pray for your wonderful family to return home, for the children to feel the warmth of the parental home”, the Patriarch is quoted as saying in a Church press release.

Montenegro allows more polling stations for Serbian elections (N1)

The Montenegrin authorities have approved Belgrade’s request to set up polling stations in places where Serbia does not have diplomatic missions, Podgorica daily Vijesti reported on Tuesday citing Foreign Minister Djordje Radulovic.

It said that polling stations for the April 3 presidential and parliamentary elections will be opened in Niksic, Berane and Sutomore. Serbian citizens can also vote at the embassy in Podgorica and consulate in Herceg Novi.

Ambassador Vladimir Bozovic told Vijesti that Serbia’s consul met with Foreign Ministry officials to elaborate the reasons for more polling stations. Radulovic issued a statement saying that the Serbian Embassy’s request was met partly with permission withheld to open polling stations in Berane, Budva and Sutomore.

KLA graffiti painted on Serbian Consulate in Germany (N1)

The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that graffiti glorifying the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was painted on the Serbian Consulate in the city of Stuttgart, N1 reports.

Consulate staff removed the graffiti from the door of the garage and informed the German authorities about the incident, a press release said.

“The Serbian Foreign Ministry sharply condemns this provocative act of vandalism and expects the perpetrators to be found,” the press release said.

Opinion

Kosovo’s Undiplomatic Diplomacy is Getting Country Nowhere (Balkan Insight)

By Visar Xhambazi

Albin Kurti promised to make ‘innovative’ foreign policy a priority; his government’s ineffective performance so far reveals the need for a new approach.

When Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje party came to power in March 2021, it promised a new approach to foreign policy, one unlike that of previous governments. “We pledge to pursue an active, innovative and principled foreign policy” the program of the party said.

Since then, however, the institutions representing Kosovo’s interests abroad, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Diaspora Ministry mainly, have made poor decisions and harmed their reputation. This all reveals the lack of strategy to deal with Kosovo’s most pressing challenges in the international arena.

Kosovo’s foreign policy priorities can be summarised as “in progress,” which is the only phrase seen on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.

No sign of new memberships or recognitions

Prime Minister Kurti has stated often that one of his key priorities is to strengthen Kosovo’s international legitimacy by gaining membership in international organisations and new state recognitions.

A moratorium on seeking new recognitions imposed on Kosovo as a result of the so-called “Washington Agreement,” signed under Donald Trump’s auspices, ended in September 2021.

However, the Kurti government has not shown any sign of preparing to apply afresh for memberships of international organisations.