UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 11, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti meets with Borrell and Lajcak (media)
Chollet to visit Kosovo in early December, sources say (Klan Kosova)
Osmani: Cannot make friends with someone with war tendencies or goals (Indeksonline)
Kurti: Ready to stretch our hand to Serbia if it is ready to free its fists (Koha)
Osmani expected to announce extraordinary elections for north municipalities (RTK)
Kurti in Paris: Serbia wants more conflict than cooperation (media)
Konjufca: We feel threatened by Serbia’s claims over our country (Koha)
Two envoys for Balkans, Sarrazin and Franges, visit Jarinje border crossing (Telegrafi)
Guerot: We are waiting for a favourable decision on visas (media)
Abazi: Government has wrong approach to internationals’ requests (RFE)
Abdixhiku: French-German plan is not the one that is circulating in the media (media)
Krasniqi's to travel for official visits to Washington and Brussels (Indeksonline)
Musliu: Kurti to safeguard sovereignty and friendships created by PDK (EO)
Haradinaj proposes a resolution on the situation in the north (Koha)
Austrian MP: All EU member states and Serbia should recognise Kosovo (Klan Kosova)
Ex-Interior Minister warns: Serbia may victimise Serb citizens in north (media)
Molliqaj: Way we treated north and Serbs lately, I think there is small similarity to how Milosevic treated us (Gazeta Express/T7)
Maloku: Molliqaj’s statement about Serbs treatment is hatred against Kurti (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucevic: There were drones on the administrative line, I can't say whose they were (NMagazin, Beta, RTV)
Vucic at working lunch with Borrell and Lajcak (RTS)
Vucic says good talk with Macron, no meeting with Kurti (N1)
Vucic tells Chollet that Serbia is focused on peace, despite provocations (N1)
Vucic on sanctions on Russia, pressure Serbia is facing (N1)
Vucic met Hungarian president in Paris (Tanjug, media)
Dacic: Independent Kosovo the starting point of Franco-German proposal (Beta, N1)
Kosovo officials meet Macron, accuse Serbia of destabilising north Kosovo (KoSSev, N1)
Jaksic: Vehicle plates nonsense to Kurti, for Serbs the only remaining link with Serbia (N1)
Poll: Citizens’ opinions on issues concerning the north are divided (KoSSev)
Arlov sends letter to Ambassador of Croatia in Pristina over his latest ban to enter Kosovo (Radio KIM)
Ambassador of Slovakia: Bratislava's clear position on the independence of Kosovo, which is based on international law (RTS, Tanjug)
Miners about their fate, Todic claims: KoSSev spreads disinformation, there is no strike (KoSSev)

International:

EU might mulled in Kosovo-Serbia Paris rendez-vous (euractive.com)
Decision on Visas for Kosovo to be Taken Soon: EU Countries Support France’s Proposal for Visa-Free Regime on November 2023 (schengenvisainfo.com)
The Kosovo Crisis: A risky all-or-nothing game (EWB)
Metsola: Western Balkans should receive strong signal from the EU (EWB)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti meets with Borrell and Lajcak (media)

The government of Kosovo informed about the meeting between Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, and the Special Representative of the European Union for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, in Paris.

They discussed the dynamism of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the implementation of the decision on illegal license plates, the latest developments in Kosovo, and other current issues.

According to the press release, Kurti emphasised the elements of the framework of the agreement for the full normalisation of relations with mutual recognition at the centre, while he said that the French-German proposal, which has the support of the United States of America and the European Union, presented by the emissaries Jens Plotner and Emmanuel Bonne, serves as a good basis for further discussion.

"Discussing the recent developments in the north of the country, Kurti reiterated that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has shown determination for the rule of law and commitment to maintaining peace and security in the country," the announcement reads.

Chollet to visit Kosovo in early December, sources say (Klan Kosova)

Derek Chollet, Counselor of the U.S. Department of State will visit Kosovo in early December, the news website reports citing unnamed international sources.

The news website also notes that Chollet said in a Twitter post on Thursday that he was disappointed by the Kosovo government’s decision on the licence plates and the result of current developments.

Osmani: Cannot make friends with someone with war tendencies or goals (Indeksonline)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, in her address at the Paris Peace Forum, talked about the situation in Kosovo and said that “you cannot make friends with someone that has war tendencies against neighbours”. Osmani said that the situation between Russia and Ukraine is the second lesson that if the aggressor is rewarded it would only encourage them to attack the same country several years later.

“In the 1990s some viewed Milosevic as a peacemaker and that only with him peace could be achieved, but we know the outcome. The outcome was 150,000 innocent people killed in the wars in Yugoslavia. The lesson is that you cannot get close or make friends with an autocrat that has war tendencies or objectives against a neighbour, someone that does not recognise and continues to deny the existence of their neighbours,” she said.

Kurti: Ready to stretch our hand to Serbia if it is ready to free its fists (Koha)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said today that “peace and security in Europe is not challenged only in the east by Russia, but also in the south-east by Serbia”. “They don’t have common borders, but they have common objectives. They see states with the lenses of ethnicity because they don’t believe in the values of democracy,” he said.

During a debate at the Paris Peace Forum, Kurti said that Kosovo is ready to stretch its hand to Serbia and create good neighbourly relations, but that he is sceptical if Serbia wants to do the same. “11 years later, relations are not better than they were a decade ago and there is a reason for this. Serbia has failed in its democratisation and wants more conflict than cooperation. It still glorifies war criminals instead of trying and punishing them. I fear that Serbia is neither democratic nor independent. It is a regime that is led by the Orthodox Church and dominated by Putin’s Russia. Kosovo wants good neighborly relations with Serbia and we are ready to stretch our hand to a country that has committed genocide against our country, if they are ready to free their fists. What we cannot offer are concessions to divide our country along ethnic lines, but if Serbia is not ready to recognise, the five member states of Europe don’t have to wait, they can help Serbia to recognise us by recognising us first,” Kurti said.

Osmani expected to announce extraordinary elections for north municipalities (RTK)

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has invited the political subjects to set the date of the extraordinary elections for mayors of the municipalities in the north of Kosovo.

Considering the legal deadlines set by the legislation in force, Osmani today sent invitations to political subjects for consultation on setting the date of the extraordinary elections for mayors of municipalities: North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. The consultative meeting with the political subjects will be held on November 14.

"Such an invitation has been sent after the mayors of the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok have resigned from their positions. These resignations have been submitted to the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLAP), for which the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo was also notified. After consultation with the political parties, President Osmani is expected to announce the date of the extraordinary elections for the mayors of these four municipalities within the legal deadlines," the announcement of the Office of the Presidency states.

Kurti in Paris: Serbia wants more conflict than cooperation (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said while addressing the Peace Forum in Paris that Kosovo has started to normalise relations with Serbia, however even after 11 years, the relations are not better than a decade ago and according to him there is a clear reason for this.

According to the head of government, Serbia has failed its own democratisation and requires more conflict than cooperation.

"Serbia still glorifies war criminals instead of condemning and judging them. I am afraid that Serbia is neither democratic nor independent, it is a regime led by the Orthodox Church and dominated by Putin's Russia," Kurti said. He added further that the country he leads seeks good neighbourly relations with Serbia.

"We are ready to extend our hand to a country that has committed genocide against our country. If they are ready to release their fists. What we no longer offer are concessions to divide our country along ethnic and other lines," he continued.

"If Serbia is not ready, let the five member states of Europe recognize us. They don't need to wait, they can help Serbia to accept us faster if they accept us first," Kurti said.

During this speech, he stressed that peace and security in Europe is not only being challenged in the east by Russia, but also in the southeast by Serbia.

"They have no common borders, but they have common goals for domination. They see the states through the lens of ethnicity because they do not believe in the values of democracy, where citizenship is about obeying legal institutions and embracing the values of freedom, democracy, and equal rights. This is fundamental and we must be vigilant, and we cannot allow fascism to gain legitimacy because our continent has been set on fire several times. What we see in Ukraine is clear, it is Russian fascism," Kurti said.

Konjufca: We feel threatened by Serbia’s claims over our country (Koha)

President of the Kosovo Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, said today that Kosovo “feels threatened by Serbia’s claims over our country”. In his address before the new members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), Konjufca said: “23 years ago NATO stopped Serbia’s genocide against our people. We are not a country with territorial claims, we are a democratic republic, but we feel threatened by Serbia’s claims over our country. Peace in the world today is jeopardised by the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. There can be no peace and stability in Europe without Russia giving up on Ukraine and Serbia giving up on Kosovo”.

Konjufca also said that “Kosovo is a country equal for all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity, gender or religion”.

“We are aware that everything we achieved we did so together with our precious friends, the United States of America and other countries of the European and Western democratic world. Our orientation is clear, we want to be part of NATO”.

Two envoys for Balkans, Sarrazin and Franges, visit Jarinje border crossing (Telegrafi)

German Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, and Slovenian Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Anzej Franges, visited the Jarinje border crossing on Thursday, several days after the Serbian List decided to withdraw from Kosovo institutions. During their stay in Kosovo, the two envoys met with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla.

Guerot: We are waiting for a favourable decision on visas (media)

The French Ambassador to Kosovo Olivier Guerot, said that his country is in favour of removing visas for Kosovo, with some measures that must be implemented.

"In June of this year, President Macron told President Osmani that we are in favour of liberalisation with some measures that must be implemented. We are honouring this commitment. We are waiting for a positive decision and to reach an agreement regarding this matter."

However, Guerot did not give many details about the French-German plan.

"Yesterday there were two meetings between President Macron and President Vucic and President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti where they talked about the situation in Kosovo and discussed the French-German plan. Today there will be two meetings between them," he said.

"I cannot give more explanations. France and Germany have proposed a plan and I would not like to comment on the position and statement of the different parties with that plan. The statements that have been given by different countries do not help in the realisation of that plan," he said.

Abazi: Government has wrong approach to internationals’ requests (RFE)

Head of the Kosovo Assembly Committee for Foreign Affairs and MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Haki Abazi, told a press conference today that the government ignored his initiatives to help the process of dialogue and Kosovo’s foreign policy. According to Abazi, Kosovo’s relations with its partners and especially with the United States of America have been hurt.

Commenting on the decision for licence plates, Abazi said the issue could have waited until the signing of an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. “The withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo’s institutions is a card and key for Serbia to ruin the level of implementation of agreements reached in Berlin, as well as to keep at a minimum the international pressure for its failure to impose sanctions against Russia,” he argued.

Abazi said the government should have considered the requests coming from international officials. He supported the idea for Kosovo to start consultations on the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. He argued that the Association should not have any executive competencies, but that since there is a ruling of the Constitutional Court, Kosovo must make the first step.

Abdixhiku: French-German plan is not the one that is circulating in the media (media)

The chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku, said that in the last meeting he had with the prime minister Albin Kurti, he was presented with the French-German plan for the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia and added that the plan is not the one that was published in the media. Hehowever refused to give comments regarding the plan.

Furthermore, the leader of the LDK held the Kurti government responsible for the redesigned format of the dialogue in the last two years.

"It is a right basis for the final agreement and I believe that this is the biggest damage that has been done in this period because until now we have had the principle of 'nothing is accepted until everything is accepted and everything is accepted when recognition is accepted' and I believe that this was the biggest success that Kosovo has ever achieved," Abdixhiku said.

Krasniqi's to travel for official visits to Washington and Brussels (Indeksonline)

The chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi, accompanied by PDK vice-president Vlora Citaku and party’s Foreign Relations Secretary Bernard Nikaj will leave on Saturday for an official visit to Brussels and Washington.

The news portal learned that Krasniqi in the USA will have a special meeting with the representative of the USA for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and will hold important meetings in both houses of Congress, that of representatives and the Senate. He will also have a separate meeting at the U.S. National Security Council.

Prior to the meetings in the USA, Krasniqi will stay on a two-day visit to Brussels, where he will meet with the EU special envoy for the Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak, as well as with several MEPs.

Musliu: Kurti to safeguard sovereignty and friendships created by PDK (EO)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Ganimete Musliu, said in an interview with the news website today that Prime Minister Albin Kurti should set aside his ego and act like a true leader of a state. She said that advice coming from the United States must be taken into consideration because Kosovo cannot move forward without the U.S. and the EU. “Any decision that is made in opposition with the United States is damaging for Kosovo and Kurti himself. We as the opposition have offered our support to Albin Kurti but they have never accepted it … We were never against the sovereignty of our country. The PDK has proved that it supports this government in safeguarding the sovereignty we have wielded while we were in government,” she said.

Haradinaj proposes a resolution on the situation in the north (Koha)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj has proposed a four-point resolution which he will send to the Assembly of Kosovo for voting. If the resolution is not approved, Haradinaj said "we will consider other measures".

The government should immediately make a decision to postpone the decision on license plates until the final agreement on recognition with Serbia;

The institutions of Kosovo begin intensive dialogue with the Serbs of Kosovo to return to the institutions of Kosovo;

The government should start intensive communication with the relevant factors in the country, including the opposition, as a necessity to get out of the created situation;

Request a summit in the USA, a meeting of several days, until the conclusion of the final agreement on Kosovo-Serbia recognition.

Austrian MP: All EU member states and Serbia should recognise Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

Member of the Austrian Parliament, Helmut Brandstatter, said today that all member states of the European Union should recognise Kosovo’s independence. He said that Serbia too should recognise Kosovo. He made these remarks after meeting senior member and MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Enver Hoxhaj.

“I met today with Enver Hoxhaj in the Austrian Parliament. We agreed that all EU member states, and Serbia should recognise the Republic of Kosovo,” Brandstatter wrote after the meeting. “There is no war now, but we need permanent peace in the region of the Balkans, which is an important part of Europe.”

Ex-Interior Minister warns: Serbia may victimise Serb citizens in north (media)

Kosovo’s former Minister of Interior Affairs, Ekrem Mustafa, said on Thursday that “criminal groups following orders from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic are destabilising the north of Kosovo”.

“The current situation in Kosovo is complicated because of the fragility in the northern part of Mitrovica, and because some citizens there are incriminated by the Serbian government and follow direct orders from President Vucic. It does not suit Serbia to sit at the table at this point and is using technical problems to create excesses. We need to be vigilant because Serbia may victimise Serb citizens in the north, cause technical problems, in order to delay the talks that will resolve the final status between the two countries,” he said.

According to Mustafa, “the issue of licence plates should not have been on the table because it was resolved in 2011. We were not able to implement the decision because of problems created by criminal groups incriminated by Serbia”.

Mustafa also argued that Prime Minister Albin Kurti should have postponed the deadline as requested by the international community. “I said it should not be postponed but after internationals insisted on a 10-month extension, then it should have happened, because even after that period of time, the situation would have been the same,” he said.

Molliqaj: Way we treated north and Serbs lately, I think there is small similarity to how Milosevic treated us (Gazeta Express/T7)

Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Kosovo (PSD) Dardan Molliqaj said on Thursday evening that the Kosovo government needs to be careful not to slip into what he called fascist positions when dealing with the Serbs in the north. In a debate on T7, Molliqaj said there is similarities between the treatment of the Serbs in the north and the way that the Milosevic regime used to treat Albanians.

“The problem in the north cannot be treated by using force and power. The way we have treated the problem of the north lately and Serbs in the north, I think there is a risk and there is a small similarity to the way Milosevic treated us. We need to be careful because there is a slight similarity,” he said.

Molliqaj argued that the latest actions of the Kosovo government proved that the north is controlled by Serbia. “I think that Kurti has miscalculated his measure for reciprocity. We were against it, because the problem in the north is not legal but political. Now they showed us that in reality the north is controlled by Serbia,” he said.

According to Molliqaj, one cannot say that all Serbs are instrumentalised. “There is a tendency not only by the government to say that Serbs are instrumentalised. We all know that 98 percent of the votes were won by the Serbian List. We can say that they vote the wrong way, but we cannot say that all of them are instrumentalised,” he argued.

Molliqaj also said that problems between Kosovo and Serbia can be resolved only through a political agreement and not through the demonstration of force by either Kosovo or Serbia.

Maloku: Molliqaj’s statement about Serbs treatment is hatred against Kurti (Nacionale)

Political commentator Albinot Maloku commented on a statement by PSD leader Dardan Molliqaj who said on Thursday that the way Serbs in the north are treated bears similarities to the way Milosevic treated Albanians in the 1990s. Maloku argued that there is plenty of room to criticise Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti but that Molliqaj’s statement is hatred against Kurti “and a tendency to benefit from all opportunities and damage the others”.

According to Maloku, “there is not a single similarity between the resignation of Serbs from Kosovo’s legitimate institutions and the forceful expulsion of Albanians from all institutions” when Slobodan Milosevic came to power in Yugoslavia and Serbia.

Serbian Language Media

Vucevic: There were drones on the administrative line, I can't say whose they were (NMagazin, Beta, RTV)

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said last night that there were drones on the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija the night before, but he did not want to specify whose aircraft it was, except that, as he said, there were also drones of the KFOR mission, reported portal NMmagazin.

Vucevic said that there were also drones that were activated "by our citizens" in the vicinity of military facilities on the territory of the Raska administrative district.

"We are not creating any mystification; it is a topic that concerns national security. There are constant activities of using drones in the directions where the infrastructure and units of the Serbian Armed Forces are located. Some cross the administrative line and try to enter the territory of central Serbia. Some are real military drones and some semi-commercial ones that can carry cameras that take pictures, but also something else," said Vucevic for Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV).

He denied media reports that a few days ago, fighter jets were raised to shoot down drones.

"The Serbian Army is led by serious generals, do you really think that someone would raise the most expensive aircraft to follow drones of half a metre, a metre? Fighter aviation performs regular control of the sky, as was the case that day," said the minister.

He confirmed that the National Security Council of Serbia unanimously rejected the Franco-German proposal for the normalisation of relations with Pristina because, as he said, with that plan, Kosovo would become a member of the UN at the end of the process.

Speaking about the procurement of weapons, the minister said that everything Serbia buys was "exclusively of a defensive nature".

"We buy where it is best for us, we buy the equipment that the army is looking for and on the best terms," said the minister.

Asked whether, in the current situation due to the war in Ukraine, Serbia would agree to receive a "new gift" from Russia in the form of a MiG aircraft, Vucevic said that Russia "first needs to deliver what was contracted and paid for", stating that this is valid and for France, which has not yet delivered paid Mistral missiles to Serbia, cited the portal.

Vucic at working lunch with Borrell and Lajcak (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who is paying a two-day visit to Paris and attends the Peace Forum there, had a working lunch with EU High Representative Josep Borrell and EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks, Miroslav Lajcak, RTS reports.

It is expected that the meeting will focus on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, while statements for the media were planned following the meeting.

RTS also recalled that Borrell and Lajcak spoke today with Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and the topics included decision on licence plates, dialogue between the two parties and the recent developments in Kosovo.

Vucic says good talk with Macron, no meeting with Kurti (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he was pleased with his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday which he said was the most important of all meetings in the French capital. Vucic said he and Macron also discussed the situation in Kosovo, N1 reports.

“I think he respects the fact that I don’t lie to him, and I tell the truth and that we do what we say. I believe that we can sign big things in Belgrade when he comes, there will be many details to talk about. Today is not the time for everything“, Vucic said.

Asked if Macron proposed any solutions for the situation in Kosovo, Vucic said Kosovo Serbs issued an official statement listing the terms for their return to Kosovo institutions, but that we are “very far from that”.

“A good meeting from the point of view of our bilateral relations and some other relations, but I cannot talk about everything”, Vucic said, adding that he showed Macron the documents proving it is possible to use in Kosovo both the status-neutral KS plates and the “RKS” plates requested by Pristina.

Regarding his potential meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Paris, Vucic said there was a possibility of a meeting and that he is always ready, but he does not believe it will happen.

When asked to comment on an alleged three-point plan for resolving the situation in Kosovo, which foresees a commitment to the Franco-German proposal and Serbia agreeing to discuss the Community of Serb Municipalities within this proposal, Vucic replied with a question: “How do you think someone can put something that we are supposedly going to get in some final agreement, when that is the first thing that should have been honoured by the first agreement”?

“That’s not going to happen”, the Serbian President said.

Vucic tells Chollet that Serbia is focused on peace, despite provocations (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State senior policy advisor Derek Chollet about the situation in Kosovo and reiterated that Serbia is focused on preserving peace and stability despite Pristina’s provocations, a press release from the Serbian Presidency said, N1 reports.

Chollet said the US was concerned about the latest developments and said the institutions in Pristina have been urged to extend the implementation period for the new licence plate regime.

He pointed to the need to resume the European Union (EU)-facilitated dialogue in a constructive atmosphere as soon as possible.

Vucic on sanctions on Russia, pressure Serbia is facing (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia could change its position on imposing sanctions on Russia only if, as he said, the sword of Damocles “literally” hangs over it. Right now that is not the case, he added.

“No one knows better than I because no one has such direct contacts in Europe and the world as I do. I know best how far we can go”, Vucic told the media in Paris following his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He said that, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Belgrade has endured “270 days of the most difficult pressures in modern Serbian history“.

“After four days we went public with the Council for National Security conclusions. Those conclusions were not written by some team, but by me personally. Those conclusions are the policy that we pursue, they are my life and the life of a free and freedom-loving Serbia. They are our essence, our being. Maybe we can give that up only if the sword of Damocles literally hangs over our heads”, Vucic is quoted as saying.

He added that Serbia never deviates from the policy that is based on the preservation of international public law, condemnation of those who violate that law and enter the territory of other countries, as well as on the position of not pursuing a policy of sanctions, “especially not against those who protected us in 2015 and helped us preserve our territorial integrity“.

“These conclusions contain all that we are fighting for. It is written down so that it would go down in history that a small free and libertarian country dared to say something different from everyone. And the fact that I’m going to hear from a million sides that I have to do something, well, you see, I don’t have to. If and when I have to, not for myself but for the sake of the nation, then I will stand before the people and say that“, Vucic said.

Vucic met Hungarian president in Paris (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak in Paris on Friday, reported Tanjug agency.

"The president of Hungary and I reconfirmed that Serbia-Hungary relations are at a historic high and discussed all important bilateral affairs, and I took the opportunity to also inform Katalin Novak of all developments in Kosovo-Metohija," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account that also included photos from the meeting.

Vucic is on a two-day visit to Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.

On the second day of the visit, Vucic will have a series of bilateral meetings with European officials and officials of countries attending the Paris Peace Forum, including EU foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell and the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, Miroslav Lajcak.

After the bilateral meetings, Vucic will attend an afternoon session of the Forum.

Dacic: Independent Kosovo the starting point of Franco-German proposal (Beta, N1)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said the fundamentals of the Franco-German proposal are unacceptable to Serbia because the starting point of this plan is that Kosovo is independent, reported N1, citing TV Pink.

Dacic, who is also Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, said Serbia cannot support a political solution on what Kosovo as an independent state should look like if, as far as it is concerned, the issue of its independence is not resolved.

“Our decisions on imposing sanctions on Russia both directly and indirectly affect our position on Kosovo, if we do that, we will anger our traditional friends a little,” Dacic told the pro-regime Pink TV.

He added that Serbia should hold its hand out to all sides of the world and that it should focus on its national interests.

“Serbia would risk a great deal by imposing sanctions on Russia, and it has no guarantees that, by doing so, it would not endanger its national interests. There are no guarantees from anyone in the West that our interests will be protected,” said the Serbian Foreign Minister.

Kosovo officials meet Macron, accuse Serbia of destabilising north Kosovo (KoSSev, N1)

At a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Belgrade of intimidating Kosovo Serbs and encouraging criminal groups in north Kosovo, reported N1, citing KoSSev portal.

Osmani and Kurti issued a joint statement following the meeting in which they said that they thanked Macron for the commitment of France and Germany to giving new dynamics to the Brussels dialogue process, KoSSev reported.

International

EU might mulled in Kosovo-Serbia Paris rendez-vous (euractive.com)

The EU and France are set to press Kosovo and Serbia to discuss proposals to normalise ties in the latest episode of the region’s explosive will-they-won’t-they when the Balkan leaders meet in Paris on Friday.

However, analysts are not convinced as they say results from EU-backed dialogue are few and far between while the EU side lacks the grit needed to hold Serbia accountable.