• COVID-19: 217 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• “We want vaccines fast – not coffins for our parents” (RTK)
• EU: Non-paper does not present the position of the EU (RFE)
• Osmani: Every destabilising idea originates from Serbia (media)
• Bajrami: Points described in non-paper are talked about in dialogue (media)
• Content of non-paper not denied (Koha Ditore)
• Bislimi: Kurti will have informative meeting with Lajcak (media)
• Vetevendosje MP reacts to non-paper (media)
• Government plans “long-term” solution for paying electricity in north (Koha)
• Kurti pays homage to missing persons: Our future misses them (media)
• Freedom House: Kosovo marks decrease in level of democracy (media)

COVID-19: 217 new cases, 8 deaths (media)

217 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 697 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 10,221 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

“We want vaccines fast – not coffins for our parents” (RTK)

The news website reports that several youths lit up 352 candles on Tuesday evening in front of the Ministry of Health in the memory of 352 people that succumbed to COVID-19 since the formation of the new government. “We want vaccines fast – and not coffins for our parents and grandparents,” the youths wrote in a message.

EU: Non-paper does not present the position of the EU (RFE)

Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Union, said on Tuesday that the EU does not share the positions mentioned in a non-paper about a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia published by Koha Ditore daily newspaper on Monday.

“As a general rule, we don’t comment on any alleged non-paper or documents pretending to be a non-paper, and which are published in different media. About the case in hand, the alleged document does not present the position of the EU and neither the EU Special Representative nor the High Representative have received the document,” Stano said.

Osmani: Every destabilising idea originates from Serbia (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani commented on Tuesday on the recent non-paper for a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia, saying that every destabilising idea originates from Serbia. “This is an old strategy by Serbia … with the aim of making this approach part of the daily debate and then part of the agenda of the dialogue. This is a dangerous and destabilising request from Serbia, but also from Russia too. This is why we should not fall for such a trap. We need to have faith in our allies, but above all faith in ourselves. We will not only reject such non-papers but moreover they can never determine our actions or the course of the dialogue,” Osmani said in a Facebook post.

Osmani also argued that upon carefully reading the non-papers and ideas presented there, such as border changes, creating autonomous regions or third tiers of governments, it becomes clear who the authors of such documents are.

Bajrami: Points described in non-paper are talked about in dialogue (media)

Koha Ditore editor-in-chief Agron Bajrami took to Twitter on Tuesday to note that the points mentioned in the non-paper about a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia are talked about in the EU-facilitated dialogue. “As we said in the article, it is purportedly German-French... but the points described in this non-paper are talked about within EU-led dialogue,” Bajrami tweeted.

Content of non-paper not denied (Koha Ditore)

The daily newspaper reports in its leading front-page story that authorities in Kosovo have not denied receiving the non-paper suggesting a solution for a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia. The non-paper notes that Kosovo and Serbia would recognise each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty but that the solution would also include the creation of an autonomous district of the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north. Germany and France have denied they are behind what was presented as a purportedly German-French document. Political commentators in Prishtina however are saying that the document soon be presented to the parties.

Bislimi: Kurti will have informative meeting with Lajcak (media)

Kosovo’s Principal Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, said in a Facebook post that he had informative meetings with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak on Tuesday. The purpose of the meetings, he said, was to fully inform Lajcak and his team about the meetings held in the process of dialogue so far, the issues that were addressed and the agreements reached between Kosovo and Serbia. Bislimi also said that Prime Minister Kurti is also scheduled to meet Lajcak and that the meetings will be informative and that there will be no negotiations. “Upon my return to Kosovo, I will immediately inform the leaders of the parliamentary political parties about the content of our discussions,” Bislimi added.

Vetevendosje MP reacts to non-paper (media)

Vetevendosje Movement (VV) MP Dimal Basha reacted to the latest non-paper about a Kosovo – Serbia final settlement, saying that it was released intentionally to create confusion and put Kosovo in a disadvantage. “If Germany and France refuted it as fake news, what is the interest of seriously addressing this piece of paper? Some want to politically damage Albin Kurti but this cannot be done to Kosovo’s detriment! You cannot take away power from Albin Kurti in Kosovo by making a coalition with Vucic in Serbia!!!” Basha argued.

Government plans “long-term” solution for paying electricity in north (Koha)

The daily newspaper reports in one of the front-page stories that KOSTT representatives submitted a request to the Kosovo Assembly and Government for an additional €11 million to compensate the production of electricity in the northern part of Kosovo. Kosovo’s Minister for Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, who reported to the parliamentary committee on economy, did not say if the government will allocate the funds and added that the current budget does not include any funds for KOSTT. Rizvanolli also said that the government is working on a long-term solution for the electricity bills of the residents in the north.

Kurti pays homage to missing persons: Our future misses them (media)

“Victims of enforced disappearances must be part of institutional responsibility and civic activities. We miss all of them, all of us miss them, especially their families, but not only their families; our society, our people, our state, our future misses them,” said Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, paying homage at the Missing Persons Memorial on the occasion of April 27, National Day of the Missing.

At the event, Prime Minister Kurti, who was accompanied by President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani and Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, said that this day also marks the 22nd anniversary of the Meja massacre, which is another proof of Serbia’s genocide in Kosovo.

“The genocide in Kosovo is the truth of Serbia as a state, but this does not suffice. The persons who ordered, and those who executed, the genocide in Kosovo, the countless massacres of innocent, unarmed and unprotected, civilians must be brought to justice, to be accused, tried and punished,” stated Prime Minister Kurti, adding that the pain increases, instead of subsiding, with the passing of time.

Further Kurti, Osmani and Konjufca pledged to do everything in their power to stand by the families of the missing persons, as well as to bring justice and to shed light on the truth.

“They tried to bury the truth in Batajnica, Perucac and other mass graves in fields, mountains and lakes, but the truth came out, because the truth cannot be concealed and suppressed forever; sooner or later the truth comes out and the Albanian who was murdered, massacred, buried, exhumed, transported, buried in Serbia and exhumed again is the truth which cannot be kept under water or under the ground,” Kurti said.

Therefore, in relation to Serbia and for the sake of our future and our history, according to Prime Minister Kurti, we must come together and seek responsibility by being responsible in our institutions and in every position we hold.

“I would like to thank and to express my appreciation to the families; they never stopped their activity; through protests and petitions, in the snow and in the rain, amid heat and frost, with tears in their eyes they have waited for the bones of their loved ones, not even sure those bones were really theirs. This pain, which is more angst than grief must be put to an end, and we are committed to stop it,” Kurti said.

Freedom House: Kosovo marks decrease in level of democracy (media)

Most media cover the latest report published by the Freedom House highlighting the remarks that elected leaders in central and eastern Europe are undermining the institutions that brought them to power, rejecting democratic norms, and that they are promoting alternative systems of authoritarian governance. The report notes that Kosovo has marked a decline in the level of democracy compared to last year, dropping from 3.18 to 3.14.