UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 7, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Deadlock in Kosovo Assembly remains even after 12th attempt (media)
Murati: LDK’s approach is a return to the time of UNMIK (Sinjali)
Bajrami reacts to Murati: VV has returned Kosovo to time of UNMIK (Nacionale)
Haradinaj: Better to go to elections; cannot delay Kosovo indefinitely (Express)
Limaj: There is potential to form a government of the majority (Koha)
Bajrami: For now a transitional government is the only solution (Nacionale)
Krasniqi: Abdixhiku excluded non-majority communities (Koha)
Abdixhiku: Misuse of some parties about our proposal is regrettable (media)
Kos: Time has come to gradually remove measures against Kosovo (AP)
Sultan of Brunei awards President Osmani Royal Order (RTK)
Police found weapons workshop in Mitrovica North (media)
Two arrested for espionage are suspected of helping Serbian BIA (Koha)
AJK condemns threats against editorial office of Insajderi (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic flew to Moscow (N1)
Picula presents Serbia report to European Parliament (N1)
Kallas: Respect for inviolability of borders is only way to preserve a rules-based order (Kosovo Online)
Djuric meets Coptic Church Patriarch, informs him of challenges faced by Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, media)
Kosovo Journalists’ Association condemns threats against Insajderi newsroom (KoSSev)
Rada Trajkovic: Kurti's strategy leads to new elections in spring (Danas, FoNet, Jugpress)
Haxhiu did not appear in a hearing on tear-gas in Assembly case (KoSSev)
Students discovered which three groups of people cannot be candidates for the student list in the elections (Blic, N1)
Student runners in Stuttgart (N1)

Opinion:

A turning point for Serbia – and the region (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media

Deadlock in Kosovo Assembly remains even after 12th attempt (media)

All news websites report that the deadlock in constituting the new Assembly of Kosovo continues after another failed attempt today to form a committee for a secret vote on the new Assembly Speaker.

Murati: LDK’s approach is a return to the time of UNMIK (Sinjali)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Hekuran Murati, accused the opposition parties today for obstructing the process of a secret vote on the new Speaker of the Assembly. He argued that their insistence not to allow such a vote comes as a result of pressure and political interests. “This cannot be called anything else except hypocrisy. I call on them to reflect and give the secret vote a chance. We have seen that the secret vote has not even been tested until now. This [the refusal] is about pressure and the personal interests of MPs,” he said.

Murati also criticized the proposal of the Democratic League of Kosovo for a transitional government. “In cases when there is a civil war or unprecedented crisis, and the Assembly is left without a government, then such ideas are proposed. In reality, a transitional government would be a return to the time of UNMIK, but we are not there,” he argued.

Bajrami reacts to Murati: VV has returned Kosovo to time of UNMIK (Nacionale)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Hykmete Bajrami, has reacted to a statement by Vetevendosje MP Hekuran Murati who argued that by proposing a transitional government, the LDK wants to return Kosovo to the time of UNMIK. In a reaction on Facebook, Bajrami responded by saying, “VV has returned the country to the time of UNMIK and even before that, because in the time of UNMIK there were no international sanctions against Kosovo, state officials answered to judicial institutions and did not deny them, politicians that violated the Constitution resigned, they did not take the institutions hostage, the Assembly did not meet 12 times in a row and fail to elect a Speaker”. “Moreover, the VV accepted an agreement with Serbia which refers to Resolution 1244 based on which UNMIK operates. Today, Kosovo is in a crisis, because VV cannot admit it cannot form a majority, VV is keeping the state hostage, because the interest of their party is before the interest of the state and their personal interests are before the people’s interests. Do not accept our proposal, this is your right, we don’t impose ourselves, we have proposed a solution, so please form the majority and do not ridicule the state and the citizens. The proposal for a Transitional Government through an agreement is not against anyone but above all for the good of all citizens”.

Haradinaj: Better to go to elections; cannot delay Kosovo indefinitely (Express)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said today that it is better to go to new elections if a solution is not found for the deadlock in the Kosovo Assembly. “Many problems have accumulated in the country, and it is regrettable for our lives to be completely focused on these discussions, who did what. If this is really the case, it is better to go to elections. It is not good to delay Kosovo indefinitely,” he argued.

Haradinaj said that he talked today with LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku in the Assembly. “We constantly discuss with Abdixhiku also about developments in the Assembly, we have talked about this several times. We also talked about the proposal for consultations, and I explained to him that it is a good idea to have consultations, and although we have some differences in our positions we should not close our doors to initiatives. Every initiative is useful. My position and the position of the Alliance is to help [create] a government by the opposition. This is an option, but we are open for consultations,” he said.

Haradinaj said that he also communicates with PDK leader Memli Krasniqi and other MPs.

Limaj: There is potential to form a government of the majority (Koha)

NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj said today that he prefers a government of the majority, when asked to comment on the proposal of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) for a transitional government. “We prefer a government of the majority. Kosovo needs a government of the majority. Yes it can happen because there is potential to form a majority,” he said.

Bajrami: For now a transitional government is the only solution (Nacionale)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Hykmete Bajrami said today that for the time being a transitional government is the only solution for the deadlock in the Assembly. “Today was the 12th session as an attempt to constitute the new Assembly. We feel sorry but it is obvious who is blocking the process and who lacks the readiness to unblock the process. When you don’t have the numbers [votes], you cannot impose on others a way to unblock the process. The LDK has expressed its political readiness. It has made a clear proposal for a transitional government that would unblock the situation and result in the formation of new institutions … We are waiting for official responses from the leaders of political parties, and we believe that for now this [the transitional government] is the only solution to unblock the institutions,” she argued.

Krasniqi: Abdixhiku excluded non-majority communities (Koha)

Elbert Krasniqi, MP from the Egyptian community, on behalf of the group of several non-majority non-Serb parties, said today that they have remarks about the remarks of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku about a possible transitional government. Krasniqi argued that in his call, Abdixhiku excluded non-majority communities. “We want the new institutions to be formed as soon as possible. We are closely following the latest developments. As parties in a political group, we have a major remark about the media statement by Lumir Abdixhiku where he calls upon only Albanian political parties and excludes the non-majority communities,” he argued.

The news website notes that although in his letter to VV leader Albin Kurti, Abdixhiku mentioned representatives of non-majority parties, Krasniqi said that their remark concerns only Abdixhiku’s statement to the media.

Abdixhiku: Misuse of some parties about our proposal is regrettable (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku, in a Facebook post today, expressed regret over what he called “misuse of some minority parties about our latest proposal [for a transitional government]. Their instrumentalization in the effort for a political and parliamentary solution leaves a bad mark on the representation of minorities in Kosovo and their relations with Albanian parties. Uninterested in the content but regrettably interested in imitating the insulting language of polarizers, three minority representatives, members of the acting government, held a press conference today accusing the LDK of not including them in the transitional proposal. Some even went so far as to call the Democratic League for the first time in the history of the Republic of Kosovo as chauvinistic. Such a position, a damaging imitation of unnecessary hatred is a low instrumentalization of representatives of communities that today need a dignifying representation with all Albanian parliamentary parties. Above all to be an Albanian is not a crime. To seek inter-Albanian unity is not a crime. To call for political unity among Albanians is not a crime. Inter-Albanian political cooperation has been the political mission of the Democratic League of Kosovo since 1989 to this day. Truth be told, in 17 years of being a state, agreement among Albanian parties has been a precondition for the later minority inclusion; an inclusion guaranteed by the Constitution. A Constitution drafted by the LDK. Unfortunately, for the first time in our state’s history, representatives of non-majority communities hold party sides. Not only do they hold a side, but they join a series of lengthy accusations against an Albanian party, even in this legislative, and against the will of the Albanian parliamentary majority represented with 52 MPs. Such an approach is damaging for both non-majority communities and parliamentary democracy”.

Abdixhiku also shared the full text of the letter “for all interested, especially for our honorable fellow citizens from non-majority communities”: “A National Transitional Government, formed by all Albanian parties, and in line with constitutional provisions, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES OF NON-MAJORITY COMMUNITIES, will have a specific timeline (until the process of the election of a new President), clear political and executive objectives, an agreed executive program and agenda, and a representing and unifying Prime Minister and government”.

Kos: Time has come to gradually remove measures against Kosovo (AP)

European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, said today that the normalization of relations with Serbia is crucial for Kosovo’s European path. She said that there is no alternative to dialogue and that the process must continue “in strong and constructive fashion”.

Commenting on the EU’s penalty measures against Kosovo, which were introduced in June 2023, Kos said “the time has come to gradually remove them”.

Sultan of Brunei awards President Osmani Royal Order (RTK)

The Sultan of Brunei has awarded President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani the Royal Order that he had awarded to Queen Elizabeth. "It is an extraordinary honor that the Sultan of Brunei has awarded me the Royal Family Order "Laila Utama" and the honorary title "Datin Laila Utama". This is one of the highest honors given to foreign leaders, therefore I consider it an honor for the people of Kosovo and a testament to the friendship that we are strengthening with the state and people of Brunei. Deep gratitude for this honor and respect", Osmani wrote in a Facebook post.

Police found weapons workshop in Mitrovica North (media)

The Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica said in a statement today that “in coordination with the Kosovo Police - Directorate against Organized Crime in Pristina, by the order of the court, have issued a check order in three locations, with one of the locations in North Mitrovica found and seized amounts of ammunition, various parts of weapons, cars that have been used in weapons interference. A person has been arrested and remanded into custody for the offenses of ‘import, export, supply, transport, manufacture, exchange, mediation or unauthorized sale of weapons or explosive materials’ and ‘unauthorized possession, control or possession of weapons’.”

Two arrested for espionage are suspected of helping Serbian BIA (Koha)

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution confirmed to the news website that two people recently arrested for espionage are believed to have helped Serbia’s Intelligence Service, BIA. The news website notes that Kosovo Police recently arrested H.S. and that in March they arrested Jelena Djukanovic. For both persons, the prosecution confirmed that “the arrested persons helped the Serbian BIA!”. Asked to comment on the telephones that were confiscated in the arrests, the prosecution said it cannot disclose any further information.

AJK condemns threats against editorial office of Insajderi (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) expressed deep concern over the recent threat directed at the editorial office of the Insajderi. “According to the media's report, an individual named A.I. went to the newsroom in Prishtina and threatened the journalists, demanding the removal of a video featuring a Kosovar participant in the Iraq war. ‘Blerim Heta is alive, remove that video or else you won’t be safe. You have greetings from Blerim Heta’, he reportedly told the journalists. The person who issued the threat has been questioned by the police but was released by the prosecutor. For AJK, this is an extremely serious threat to the safety of the Insajderi journalists, and it urges the relevant authorities to address the situation with urgency and seriousness, ensuring that the individual responsible is held accountable. Furthermore, AJK calls on the Kosovo Police to provide the necessary security for the portal’s team, as their safety has been severely compromised,” the statement notes.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic flew to Moscow (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic flew to Moscow, where he will attend the Victory Parade on Red Square, reported N1, citing Sputnik.

The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that the President of Serbia will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, May 9.

Before leaving for Moscow, Vucic met with the Russian ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandar Botsan Kharchenko, on Wednesday morning.

In recent days, media in Serbia have speculated that Latvia and Lithuania have banned the flight of the Serbian president to Moscow, so it is not known which air corridor Vucic took to the Russian capital, reported Sputnik.

On May 9, Russia commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism in World War II with a parade on Red Square in Moscow and a series of other events.

More than 20 world leaders are expected to attend.

Picula presents Serbia report to European Parliament (N1)

European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula presented his report to MEPs on Tuesday, saying that the country faces some serious problems with the media, judiciary and other issues.

“The collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad has become a tragic symbol of systemic corruption, nepotism, and inadequate control mechanisms that should protect citizens but fail to do so…. The media are largely neither free nor accessible to all, the REM (electronic media watchdog) does not function properly, the judiciary selectively dispenses justice, and those who point out problems are subjected to public attacks,” he said.

Picula said he wrote his first report to the European Parliament under conditions that involved undiplomatic practices, baseless accusations, manipulation, and personal attacks. "Despite this, I approached this task professionally, with the best intentions, firmly believing in the openness of the common European project, the transformative potential of membership in the European Union, and the benefits it brings to the citizens of member states, as well as candidate countries," he said.

He said the political reality in Serbia has been extremely complex for a long time, especially in the last six months. “The collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, when 16 people lost their lives, has become a tragic symbol of systemic corruption, nepotism, and inadequate control mechanisms that should protect citizens. Today we are discussing the situation in a country where electoral legislation has serious shortcomings.

He warned of cases of personal data of protesters being published and illegal means being used against them along with investigations by Russian services, EU citizens being expelled and detained over social media posts and the authorities accusing EU member states of being behind what they call the colored revolution.

Picula added that Serbia stubbornly refuses to align with the EU sanctions policy on Russia.

He said Serbia faces major obstacles on its path to the EU despite some progress.

"In the last decade, the EU has invested billions of euros in Serbia, but public perception, and even the communication of Serbian leaders, largely does not reflect this. Economic growth is often based on non-transparent contracts, which are exempted from the application of public procurement law. Such contracts, in addition to their economic impact, also have a direct political impact," he added.

He said the EU was partly to blame for that situation adding that European Commissioner Marta Kos sent some important messages on her visit to Serbia. According to Picula, statements by top Serbian officials about a formal commitment to European integration sound truly unconvincing and added that President Aleksandar Vucic is planning to go to Moscow and sign new energy agreements with Russia.

He also had words for the Serbian students on a marathon relay run to Strasbourg and Brussels: "I appreciate their dedication and struggle. I have heard their messages clearly from the very beginning and in the report I emphasize the same goals that they advocate . Since they, as young people, represent the future of their country, the authorities' attitude towards them speaks much more than any party programs about the future”.

Kallas: Respect for inviolability of borders is only way to preserve a rules-based order (Kosovo Online)

The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said today in response to US President Donald Trump’s efforts for the United States to take control of the island, that the people of Greenland should make their own decisions about their future, Kosovo Online portal reported citing Reuters.

"Any decisions about Greenland’s future should be made by the people of Greenland. The only way to maintain a rules-based world order is through full respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders", Kallas said before the European Parliament.

She confirmed the EU’s cooperation with Greenland, emphasizing that the EU fully supports Greenland’s goals regarding education, green growth, raw materials, renewable energy, and security.

Trump said last week that he does not rule out the use of military force to take control of Greenland. "I'm not saying I will do it, but I'm not ruling anything out. We desperately need Greenland. It is a very small group of people, and we will take care of them, nurture them, all of that. But we need it for international security", Trump said.

Djuric meets Coptic Church Patriarch, informs him of challenges faced by Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met today with the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Tawadros II, who is currently on his first official visit to Serbia, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Expressing his pleasure at the opportunity to host the head of the Coptic Church, Minister Djuric conveyed his belief that this historic visit would further contribute to the deepening of the traditional friendship between Serbia and Egypt, the strengthening of ties between the Serbian and Coptic Orthodox Churches, and the promotion of harmonious relations between Christian and Muslim communities in both countries.

“The tragic suffering and struggle for survival endured by our people in recent decades, along with the endangerment and destruction of sacred sites and cultural monuments in Kosovo and Metohija at the hands of ethno-nationalist extremists, represent a red alert not only for the Christian world but for the entire political, cultural, and academic community globally”, Djuric stressed, reminding that several monasteries and churches in Kosovo are under UNESCO protection.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/1rQHj

Rada Trajkovic: Kurti's strategy leads to new elections in spring (Danas, FoNet, Jugpress)

Serbian politician from Kosovo Rada Trajkovic said that the constitution of Kosovo's institutions is increasingly complicated, because the leader of Self-Determination and Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti is close to the idea of having a minimum majority in the parliament, which would mean postponing the vote for an agreement on the position of the president and new elections already in the spring, reported Danas.

Trajkovic told the Jugpress agency that Kurti expects to improve his party rating by spring and to avoid a division of power, which would threaten the dominance of Self-Determination. Also, he would avoid cohabitation, which is almost inevitable for the position of the president of Kosovo.

According to Trajkovic's assessment, Kurti "strives for absolute power", and his "only success is the expulsion of Serbian institutions from Kosovo".

"What he does around Kosovo and with Kosovo is not a permanent solution that offers the sustainable survival of the Serbs," said Rada Trajkovic, who believes that the future government in Pristina must face the solving of this issue.

Rada Trajkovic believes that the position of the current president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, is "very prominent" on the international level, but that she is increasingly weak on the internal level.

"There is almost no Albanian party that would like to support her for re-election, although in recent days she has been increasingly exposing herself on the recognition of Kosovo in Muslim countries, which was a result of lobbying by Turkey that shows an obsessive determination to keep Kosovo and Albania under their zone of influence," said Trajkovic.

According to her opinion, the struggle for the position of the president of Kosovo is included in the agreement on the constitution of the parliament and a stable government.

For all that, according to her assessment, there is currently no readiness of the parliamentary parties, and what is even more important - the American leadership of the entire process is also missing.

Haxhiu did not appear in a hearing on tear-gas in Assembly case (KoSSev)

The hearing in the case of discharging tear-gas in Kosovo Assembly in 2016, has been adjourned again over the absence of defendant Albulena Haxhiu, outgoing Kosovo Minister of Justice, KoSSev portal reported.

The judge in this case, Bujar Ahmeti said Haxhiu informed the court that she can not attend the hearing as the constitutive Assembly session is supposed to take place on the same day.

The next hearing is scheduled on June 20.

Haxhiu was present in a hearing before, however other defendants in this case failed to appear, leading to postponement of the hearing.

Students discovered which three groups of people cannot be candidates for the student list in the elections (Blic, N1)

Balsa Bulatovic, a student of Novi Sad Faculty of Technical Sciences in the blockade, told N1 yesterday that the faculty's proposal was that candidates for the student list in the possible extraordinary parliamentary elections "must not be students", current or former members of the ruling coalition, or current officials of opposition parties.

As he said, the proposal at the faculty level is that the student list should include "groups of people who have supported the student movement the most so far, which includes professors, farmers, educators, doctors and the like".

- Regarding the distribution of mandates, we agreed at the state level that all five university cities will receive a certain number of places on that list according to their size. We, as engineers, had a mathematical approach, so we formed a couple of proposals based on a variation of the so-called D'Ont system, and now we will propose that idea to other colleagues and move on to negotiations related to it - said Bulatovic, clarifying the views of the students in the blockades on the extraordinary elections that they requested on Monday evening.

He then explained how the candidates on the student list will be proposed.

- Currently the rules voted on at the state level, related to qualification criteria, are still valid. That is that the candidates must not be students, they have never been members of the ruling coalition, and they are not currently officials of the opposition party - concluded Bulatovic.

Student runners in Stuttgart (N1)

The Serbian students running to Brussels were not allowed to continue on foot from the city of Ulm on Tuesday because they were late with their scheduled start, N1 said.

An N1 reporter with the students said that the city police did not allow them to start their run until they were past the city limits. They reached the city of Stuttgart in the evening and were met by a crowd of local Serbian and German supporters. The crowd and students sang traditional Serbian songs as well as the Italian Bella Ciao and danced a traditional folk dance.

Opinion

A turning point for Serbia – and the region (KoSSev)

By Sasa Jankovic, former Serbian Ombudsperson and presidential candidate

Skopje, 6 May 2025

Dear Iljir,

Serbia may finally be stepping out of a long, dark tunnel. For the first time in years, a genuine sense of possibility is in the air. Last night, the informal student movement – a force that has grown in strength, support, objectives, maturity and political clarity – called for early parliamentary elections and announced its intention to run with its own list of candidates.

Their emergence, only a few months ago, has reshaped the political landscape. They are not just another protest or fleeting movement – they are bringing a generational reset. These students, by their persistence, solidarity, and principled resistance to corruption, repression and manipulation, have done more than to challenge the system. They have reset the moral compass of a society long caught between fear and cynicism.

Now they are stepping into the electoral arena. And with that, they pose a question to the rest of us: will we support this rare chance for change, or allow it to be drowned out by old political patterns and personal egos?

It is time for all actors who claim to support democratic transformation to demonstrate it. That means not just offering kind words but providing real support to these young leaders and their future candidates – legal, logistical, organizational… any kind needed. It also means stepping aside when necessary: refraining from fielding competing lists, avoiding calls for boycotts due to the anticipated theft (that this time can be overpowered with an extraordinary volume of authentic votes), and resisting the temptation to undermine this new energy for personal or party gain, or simply a hurt ego.