UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, April 5, 2022

Osmani: Kosovo stands determined on its Euro-Atlantic path (media)
Prime Minister Kurti’s interview with CNN
Osmani: Kosovo remains committed to joining NATO family (media)
Escobar: Ukraine crisis renews Europe’s interest in the Balkans (media)
Kurti: KSF a modern force for security in Kosovo and the region (media)
EU expects Serbia to be more constructive in dialogue after elections (Koha)
Haxhiu: Everyone’s wealth can be checked (media)
Kosovo criticised for slow progress in prosecuting war crimes (BIRN)
COVID-19: 27 new cases, no deaths (media)

Osmani: Kosovo stands determined on its Euro-Atlantic path (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Monday, one year after taking office, that by standing alongside Ukraine in the war with Russia Kosovo has proved it stands determined on its Euro-Atlantic path. Osmani told a press conference that Kosovo institutions are ready to dialogue with Serbia every time they are invited by the European Union. She argued that Serbia on the other hand is trying to delay the process of dialogue in an attempt to present the Kosovo status as an unfinished process.

Osmani said that this year Kosovo will apply for membership in the Council of Europe and that institutions are on the final phase of preparations for the membership bid. She also said that Kosovo institutions are working on a membership bid for NATO but that this process will be more difficult because of the four non-recognising countries.

Prime Minister Kurti’s interview with CNN

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with CNN on Monday that Kosovo stands with Ukraine and that it condemns the Russian invasion. He said Ukraine needs greater support from NATO and that what Russia is doing in Ukraine is genocide. “I think that sooner or later Putin will have to face the International Tribunal for War Crimes,” he argued.

Asked if there is fear that Russia will try to shift the conflict to the Western Balkans, Kurti said Kosovo is not afraid but that there is concern. “Kosovo is not in NATO, but we have NATO here. We want to join the Partnership for Peace first. NATO is part of Kosovo’s history, but Kosovo too is part of NATO’s history,” he said.

See full interview at: https://bit.ly/35J4s28

Osmani: Kosovo remains committed to joining NATO family (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani took to Twitter on Monday to say that 73 years ago, the founding members of NATO came together with a shared vision for peace, stability and sovereignty. “The Alliance came to our rescue two decades ago & continues to be a significant contributor to peace in the world. Kosovo remains committed to joining the NATO family,” Osmani said.

Escobar: Ukraine crisis renews Europe’s interest in the Balkans (media)

The United States Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Monday that the Ukraine crisis is renewing Europe’s interest in the reforming path of countries in the Western Balkans toward the European Union. “A certain level of vision and unity has been created, especially among NATO member states, which has helped us understand what this is really about. This is about European defense, about defending democracy and values. So, I see among our European partners a need to renew the objective in terms of relations with aspiring countries. And this is why I think there will be new efforts to push those countries toward reforms in their way to full membership,” Escobar said.

Kurti: KSF a modern force for security in Kosovo and the region (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Defense Minister Armend Mehaj met on Monday with Kosovo Security Force Commander Major General Bashkim Jashari. A press release issued by the government noted that they discussed the increased budget for defense in 2022 and the government’s support for the KSF. “Discussions focused on the security situation in the country and in neighboring countries and also developments in Ukraine following the Russian invasion and military aggression … Prime Minister Kurti and Major General Jashari talked about concrete plans to meet common objectives and make the KSF a modern force capable of protecting the country and contributing to peace, security and stability in the region and the world,” the press release notes.

EU expects Serbia to be more constructive in dialogue after elections (Koha)

Koha quotes EU diplomats in Brussels as saying that they don’t expect major changes after the elections in Serbia, but that they expect Belgrade to be more constructive in the dialogue with Kosovo, and more cooperative with the European Union in foreign policy and security, and especially in terms of sanctions against Russia.

Haxhiu: Everyone’s wealth can be checked (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said on Monday that the new law on the confiscation of unjustifiable wealth will not include public officials, not even some former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are awaiting trial in the Hague.

Haxhiu said in an interview with Kanal 10: “I believe we need to strengthen our institutions in the sense of checking the wealth of politicians that cannot be justified. Kosovo is a small country. Everyone knows who acted in what way before and after the war. We want to strengthen our institutions and if needed create new institutions too. Not only the wealth of those that were in power so far, but everyone’s wealth, will be verified … The moment that the institution is formed by the Assembly, when it starts working, and we see that an official has wealth that is much bigger than their income, because we need to stress that with a €1,200 or €1,500 salary, be it even the President or the Prime Minister, you cannot become a millionaire or have businesses. The official positions in Kosovo were misused. No one is immune from wealth checks, including myself, them (Thaci and Veseli) no one.”

Kosovo criticised for slow progress in prosecuting war crimes (BIRN)

Only one indictment was filed last year for war crimes committed in the 1998-99 conflict and only two suspects were arrested, said a new report by the Humanitarian Law Centre Kosovo.

A report on war crimes prosecutions published by the Humanitarian Law Centre Kosovo on Monday said that only one new indictment was raised in 2021, only two people were arrested on suspicion of war crimes, while five cases were ongoing in the courts.

The head of the War Crimes Department at the Kosovo Special Prosecution, Drita Hajdari, said investigating and prosecuting war crimes remains a challenge because many suspects are not in the country.

“The prosecution has handled cases and filed indictments in cases where we have secured the physical presence of the defendant. We cannot file indictments in cases when we do not have the presence of the perpetrators,” said Hajdari.