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UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, June 13, 2025

 

Albanian Language Media: 

  • Kurti: Kosovo remains deeply thankful to NATO and our friends (media)
  • Bislimi accuses Petkovic of disinformation after Brussels meeting (RTK)
  • Kurti on Mitrovica Joint Board: They have my support (RTK)
  • Konjufca: If Kurti doesn't have the numbers, it's Hamza's turn (Klan) 
  • Bislimi: I have legitimate mandate to represent Kosovo in Brussels (AP)
  • After 30 failures to form new legislative, MPs will meet again today (media)
  • EU received no response from Serbia about attack on Iber Lepenci canal (Koha)
  • Serbia concerned about Montenegro's support for Kosovo (media)
  • Devolli meets CNN CEO Thompson in London (Dukagjini)

 

Serbian Language Media: 

  • Petkovic meets Chinese Ambassador, discuss situation in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
  • Serbian tricolor on trial: Which flags disturb public order in Kosovo – and which do not? (Kosovo Online)
  • Arsenijevic: See you at Gazimestan with my national symbol (KoSSev)
  • Radakovic on ban of Serbian flag for Vidovdan: Why isn’t Albanian flag banned at public gatherings in Kosovo? (media)
  • Joint Committee of North and South Mitrovica formed under Kurti’s oversight – echoes of Ahtisaari Plan (KoSSev)
  • Vucic arrives in Prague, to attend GLOBSEC 2025 forum Friday (Tanjug)
  • EC spokesman: Vucic visit to Ukraine important signal (N1)
  • UN Rapporteur Edwards: Belgrade needs to fully investigate sound weapon use allegations (N1)

 

International Media: 

  • Kosovo calls for blood samples and witnesses to identify war missing (PI)

 

Albanian Language Media 

 

Kurti: Kosovo remains deeply thankful to NATO and our friends (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the occasion of June 12 the 26th anniversary of NATO troops deployment into Kosovo in 1999, said that it was “a turning point — not the end of the road, but a powerful shift from brutality toward dignity, from despair toward a future”.

“What followed was a long and determined journey: the building of a state, the declaration of independence, and the establishment of a vibrant democracy that stands today. But in that moment, 26 years ago, it was a breath of life after cruel repression — a chance to begin again. Perhaps no image captures it better than the children greeting NATO troops: the purity of their gratitude and the innocent joy in their faces. To the friends who stood by us then and remain by our side now, to NATO and all those who chose the right side of history, we remain deeply thankful,” Kurti wrote in a post on X.

Bislimi accuses Petkovic of disinformation after Brussels meeting (RTK)

Kosovo’s caretaker Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, through a letter published on the social network X, has accused Serbian chief negotiator, Petar Petkovic, of deliberate disinformation after the trilateral meeting in Brussels on June 10, 2025. “I consider it necessary to inform the public about the misleading statements made by Serbia’s chief negotiator, Mr. Petar Petkovic, who is deliberately misleading the Serbian public about the content of the discussions during the trilateral meeting,” Bislimi wrote in his response.

According to him, only three points were proposed by the European mediator at the meeting: the basic principles of mediation, steps forward in the implementation of the Normalization Agreement, and other possible issues (“any other business”). But Serbia had rejected this agenda and had attempted to impose a new one, which, according to Bislimi, blocked the discussion of at least eight topics important to the people of both sides.

“Destructively, Serbia insisted on abandoning the entire proposed order of the meeting and imposing a new hierarchy of topics,” he stressed. Bislimi announced that the disinformation made by Petkovic has been spread in various media in Serbia, while the official statement published on the website of the so-called "Office for Kosovo", according to him, was later modified without any note indicating the change. "The modified version on the website retains the original date without any note that it was later changed. The rest of the text has also been changed, but continues to follow Serbia's propaganda script to incite hatred," Bislimi wrote.

The caretaker Deputy Prime Minister added that this type of approach from the Serbian side harms the normalization process and aims to discourage Kosovo Serbs from integration and interethnic cooperation.

Kurti on Mitrovica Joint Board: They have my support (RTK)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who attended the first meeting of the Mitrovica Joint Board with representatives and members from the South Mitrovica Municipality and the North Mitrovica Municipality, has promised them support in the face of the challenges he said they may face.

Kurti, who a day earlier appointed Elbert Krasniqi as head of this board, thanked the two mayors, the one of South Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza and Erden Atiq of North Mitrovica for the proposals of the board members, the Prime Minister’s Office informed through a statement.

They said that the Joint Functional Board is of particular importance for the close cooperation between the two municipalities. "It is foreseen in the Law on Administrative Boundaries of Municipalities. Through coordination in key areas such as infrastructure, environment, economic development and municipal services, this Board will provide a concrete mechanism for the implementation of joint projects and building mutual trust. With equal participation from both municipalities and under the chairmanship of the representative of the Prime Minister, this cooperation is proof of commitment to the interest of all citizens, without any distinction," the Prime Minister's statement says at the end.

Konjufca: If Kurti doesn't have the numbers, it's Hamza's turn (Klan) 

The deputy leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Glauk Konjufca, said that his party has ruled out a coalition with the PDK, while indicating that they were willing to cooperate with Fatmir Limaj. According to Konjufca, the LDK has twice rejected Kurti's invitation to cooperate, while Limaj is the only option that has shown openness to an agreement.

"The LDK opposed us twice. We, Prime Minister Kurti, sent two letters while Vetevendosje does not have the will for a coalition with the PDK. With whom are we willing to form the government, and we have also encountered this from the other side, in this case, I am talking about Mr. Limaj, for example," Konjufca told ATV.

He stressed that the constitution of the Assembly will reveal whether Kurti has the numbers to form the government, otherwise the way is open to other parties or elections. "If Mr. Kurti does not have the capacity to build the government, then it is Bedri Hamza's turn or whoever is at the discretion of the President to give a second chance. After this, all are exhausted and we have a clear path towards elections," said Konjufca.

Konjufca has assessed that the next challenge that awaits Kosovo, if new institutions are formed, will be the election of the president in 2026.

Konjufca has emphasized that there are great possibilities for him to take the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the next Kosovo government.

Bislimi: I have legitimate mandate to represent country in Brussels (AP)

Kosovo’s caretaker Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, responding to criticism from the Democratic League of Kosovo that he does not have a mandate to represent Kosovo in the dialogue, has said that “the Republic of Kosovo has a government”. “It is not the ‘former government’. For the LDK institutionalists, it is strange how they want the state to be without institutions, how can the state function without a government”, he wrote on the social platform, Facebook.

According to him, as long as the government is in office, he as Deputy Prime Minister has predetermined obligations and serves Kosovo precisely according to “the mandate and obligations that I owe to the state, citizens and government, both for European integration, development and dialogue”.

“There are no new agreements or obligations emanating from Brussels. They already exist and must be implemented. At this stage, a new agreement is not being negotiated in Brussels. We have had the Basic Agreement for more than two years, but it must be implemented,” he added. 

The mandate as acting deputy prime minister, according to Bislimi’s assessment, is a legitimate, democratic, constitutional and legal mandate, to lead according to competences the pillars of European integration, development and dialogue.

“On what legal provisions and facts does this party rely when it says that the responsibilities of the acting deputy prime minister are illegitimate, undemocratic, unconstitutional and illegal? This is more than the ignorance of the academic illiterates of the LDK, it is a deliberate attempt to manipulate public opinion and misinform citizens.”

After 30 failures to form new legislative, MPs will meet again today (media)

Most news websites report this morning that members of the Kosovo Assembly will meet again today in what will be the 31st attempt to form the new legislative. The main dispute is the election of the new Speaker of the Assembly, with Vetevendosje’s candidate for the post Albulena Haxhiu failing to get the required number of votes, and also parties that were in the opposition in the previous mandate refusing to support a committee that would oversee a secret vote for the new speaker.

EU received no response from Serbia about attack on Iber Lepenci canal (Koha)

The European Union confirmed on Thursday that it has not received any response from Serbian authorities about Kosovo’s request to cooperate in investigating the attack against the Iber Lepenci water canal in the north of Kosovo in November last year. An EU spokesperson told the news website that the EU is closely following developments and stands ready to facilitate cooperation between both parties. “The European Union Special Representative for Kosovo, in January, mediated the submission of a request for mutual legal assistance from the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office (SPRK) to the Serbian authorities, regarding the attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal. No response has been received to date on this matter,” an EU spokesperson said in an answer,” the spokesperson said.

Serbia concerned about Montenegro's support for Kosovo (media)

The Serbian Foreign Ministry has reacted after Montenegro’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ervin Ibrahimovic, expressed support for Kosovo’s membership in the European Union or the Council of Europe. Ibrahimovic, in an interview with Montenegrin state broadcaster, TVCG, said that he “will give clear support when the question is whether Kosovo should be in the European Union or the Council of Europe”. He said that such a stance “cannot threaten” the ruling coalition, which also includes pro-Serbian parties, “because Montenegro has clear foreign policy priorities”, among which are good neighborly relations.

“Montenegro is recognized by international partners as a country that fosters good neighborly relations. Therefore, we will support the friendly neighboring state of Kosovo, because it is a foreign policy priority to be a future member of the European Union and this does not contradict that path”, said Ibrahimovic.

The Serbian Foreign Ministry has reacted to the statements. “The ministry expresses deep concern about the statements by Montenegro, in the context of support for the so-called independence of Kosovo and active lobbying for Pristina’s membership in international organizations, which is against international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as good neighborly relations,” the response says. The response says that “such statements, certainly, further aggravate regional tensions and do not contribute to stability in this part of the Balkans.”

Devolli meets CNN CEO Thompson in London (Dukagjini)

Shkelqim Devolli, shareholder in the Devolli Corporation, met on Thursday in London with the director and chairman of the board of CNN, Mark Thompson, and made official the partnership for opening D1 CNN in Kosovo, Dukagjini reported on Thursday. Thompspon congratulated the team from the Devolli Corporation for launching a new TV news station in Kosovo and promised that the CNN would support their Kosovo partners at all times. Devolli said: “On this special day, June 12, when 26 years ago the whole world learned from CNN reports that Kosovo, our country, was liberated, we are making official the entering of CNN into Kosovo. Now in the free Kosovo, in Albanian, the CNN will speak about the independent country. It is a dream come true”.

 

Serbian Language Media

 

Petkovic meets Chinese Ambassador, discuss situation in Kosovo (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met with Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade, Li Ming and discussed with him recent escalatory and unilateral Pristina’s acts, reads the statement from the Office for KiM, Radio KIM reported. The two officials also discussed the latest round of negotiations in Brussels.

"Petkovic informed Ambassador Ming in detail about the latest wave of closures of Serbian institutions by the regime in Pristina, which is doing everything to make the life of the Serbian people difficult and force Serbs out from their centuries-old places with physical and institutional terror. In this regard, Petkovic also mentioned the latest worrying decision of the court in Pristina to prohibit Serbs from displaying Serbian flags and symbols on the most important national holiday Vidovdan, which represents an unprecedented example of oppression and disenfranchisement of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija", the statement added.

Petkovic also said such an undoubtedly political decision followed immediately after the last round of trilateral talks in Brussels, which speaks of Pristina's attitude towards the dialogue, because every time after or before the talks, as he said, Pristina reaches for some anti-Serbian, unilateral or illegal measure.

Serbian tricolor on trial: Which flags disturb public order in Kosovo – and which do not? (Kosovo Online)

In the main street of Gracanica, worn-out Serbian flags were replaced with new ones last June, just ahead of Vidovdan. This year, however, the celebration of this important Serbian holiday was preceded by a ruling from the Basic Court in Pristina: the decision by the Municipality of Gracanica to display “the flag of another state” was deemed to “seriously undermine the unitary and constitutional character of Kosovo” and to “threaten public order and interethnic coexistence.” Analysts view the ruling as politically motivated and ask - why has such a ban not yet applied to the Albanian flag?

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/zOIog

Arsenijevic: See you at Gazimestan with my national symbol (KoSSev)

“See you at Gazimestan for Saint Vitus Day (June 28) with my national symbol”, this was the message conveyed last night by Serbian Democracy President Aleksandar Arsenijevic, KoSSev portal reported.

The message comes after the Basic Court in Pristina annulled a decision of Gracanica municipality relating to display and use of the Serbian flags on the occasion of Saint Vitus Day, an important holiday of the Serbian community. The court decision was made as per complaint of the Kosovo Ministry of Administration and Local Governance ahead of the holiday due on June 28.

In addition to Arsenijevic, the court’s decision was condemned by the Serbian National Forum from Gracanica. It said that in a place calling itself democratic and multiethnic - banning the symbols of one people and that on the occasion of a religious-cultural holiday – is an act of discrimination, political pressure and attempt of defacing Serbian presence in Kosovo.

Previously the Serbian List and Office for Kosovo and Metohija condemned the court’s decision. Serbian List announced that Gracanica Municipality will file an appeal to it.

Radakovic on ban of Serbian flag for Vidovdan: Why isn’t Albanian flag banned at public gatherings in Kosovo? (media)

Dusan Radakovic, Advocacy Centre for Democratic Culture Executive Director criticized the recent decision of the Basic Court in Pristina to ban the display of Serbian flags and national symbols during the Vidovdan celebration. He described the ruling as a political decision made under pressure from political activists and the ruling party, questioning why the Albanian flag continues to be displayed freely at gatherings in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reported. 

“The court, in my view, misinterpreted and politicized the entire situation. Nowhere is the use of a national flag forbidden. How is it that the Albanian flag is used at public events across Kosovo and is never banned? Vidovdan has been celebrated for centuries - since 1389 - in Gazimestan. And now, suddenly, due to ongoing political developments surrounding the Assembly and the general situation in Kosovo, the court has issued a ruling banning Serbian flags. This raises the possibility that people could even be arrested for carrying a Serbian flag on that day, whether at Gazimestan or any other celebration in Kosovo”, Radakovic said.

He stressed that the entire matter is highly politicized and expressed confidence that the decision will ultimately be overturned. “I can freely say that the court’s decision is a political one - clearly made under pressure from political activists and the ruling party in Kosovo”, Radakovic concluded.

Joint Committee of North and South Mitrovica formed under Kurti’s oversight – echoes of the Ahtisaari Plan (KoSSev)

North and South Mitrovica have formally established a Joint Committee – a move facilitated and overseen by Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla. This initiative comes after Kurti met separately with local leaders from both municipalities earlier this week, during which he emphasized the importance of inter-municipal cooperation.

The founding meeting took place Thursday at the Department of the Ministry of Local Government Administration, located in North Mitrovica. In addition to Kurti and Svecla, attendees included North Mitrovica mayor Erden Atiq, South Mitrovica deputy mayor Arian Tahiri, and members of the newly formed committee.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/2XCs3

Vucic arrives in Prague, to attend GLOBSEC 2025 forum Friday (Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has arrived in Prague, where he will attend the GLOBSEC 2025 Global Security Forum on Friday. Vucic will address panels on the strategic and economic significance of Southeast Europe and on creating a lasting partnership in the neighbourhood, Tanjug news agency reported.

 

Vucic will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with world and European officials, as well as with representatives of international institutions, institutes and companies. The forum will be held from June 12 through 14.

 

EC spokesman: Vucic visit to Ukraine important signal (N1)

 

European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said on Thursday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's visit to Ukraine is an important signal which the Commission welcomes, N1 reported.
 
"Our objective is clear - we are reiterating our call for a complete and unconditional ceasefire of at least 30 days. This pause in hostilities could serve as a vital step towards reducing civilian suffering and allow space for meaningful talks on a genuine peace", he told the daily briefing.

UN Rapporteur Edwards: Belgrade needs to fully investigate sound weapon use allegations (N1)

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Alice Edwards told N1 that the Serbian authorities need to investigate the alleged use of a sound weapon at a mass protest in Belgrade on March 15.
 
She said a communique was sent to the Serbian authorities asking them to investigate the alleged use of a sound weapon which they denied. “My view is that the Serbian authorities, despite denying this, really need to investigate what caused this response by the crowds at those protests. It's not enough to simply say it wasn't us. I think there are still questions to be answered there as we know that the Serbian authorities have actually in their possession, according to their own information, such sound weapons. but also the fact that there was something that triggered this movement of people that was unexpected and that cannot be explained. That must be investigated”, she said.

 

International 

 

Kosovo calls for blood samples and witnesses to identify war missing (PI)

 

More than two decades after the Kosovo war, the fate of around 1,600 missing persons remains unresolved. State institutions are now urging families to provide DNA samples and for witnesses to come forward—regardless of their ethnicity or role during the conflict.

 

Bekim Gashi, whose mother and four sisters were murdered and disappeared during the March 1999 massacre in the village of Terrne in the Suhareka area, some 60 kilometres south of Kosovo’s capital, Prishtina, provided a “blood sample 15 years ago,” for their potential identification.

 

“My two brothers [currently living] in Switzerland [also provided samples], and even our uncles gave samples for our mother,” he told Prishtina Insight.

 

Serbian forces surrounded Terrne on the morning of March 25, 1999, the day after NATO launched air strikes on Yugoslavia aimed at forcing President Slobodan Milosevic to end his military campaign in Kosovo.

 

Twenty seven people, including the elderly and a four-year-old boy, were killed by Serbian forces during the attack on Terrne.

 

Watching from a small window of the attic of his house, Gashi, then 23, saw how the Serbian soldiers took all the civilians outside the house and shot at them. One by one, his mother and four sisters fell to the ground under the onslaught of bullets.

 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/OZtoV