Albanian Language Media:

•    Kurti: Opposition cannot postpone elections indefinitely (Koha)
•    Stano on report on EU measures for Kosovo: No exact date, don’t speculate (RTK)
•    Svecla: Partners did not criticize us, they expressed concern (media)
•    Rasic: Vucic and Serbian List used the north for money laundering (media)
•    Osmani meets leaders at Peace Summit for Ukraine (media)
•    Svecla: Serbian government is financing terrorism (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

•    Djuric meets Jenca, discusses Kosovo issue (Kosovo Online, media)
•    Dacic: Role of UNMIK of crucial importance for security of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
•    Petkovic meets ASG Jenca, SRSG Ziadeh, informs them of unilateral Pristina acts (Radio KIM, media)
•    Kosovo police entered two schools in Leposavic without warrant, photographed premises (Kosovo Online, media)
•    Kosovo police searched for “illegal things” at two schools in Leposavic, without explaining what it was (KoSSev, social media)
•    Two Serb youths say they were mistreated by Kosovo police in Leposavic (Kosovo Online, social media)
•    Serbian List, Office for KiM react to Rasic’s remarks he is ready to engage in preparing CSM draft statute (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)
•    Mortal remains of three Serbian civilians killed in Kosovo to be handed over to Belgrade delegation at Merdare (media)
•    25 years since kidnapping of several Serbs in Orahovac (Radio Gorazdevac, media)
•    Insulting graffiti written on House of Culture, children’s playground in Susica (KoSSev, media)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Opposition cannot postpone elections indefinitely (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister and leader of Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, said in a meeting with his party structures on Sunday that elections will be held in 2025 “because the opposition cannot postpone them indefinitely”. “For central and local governance, in the parliamentary and local elections, the Vetevendosje Movement should win in 2025 both the championship and the cup. This requires us to be ready and brave for a team play and individual excellence. I am confident that we will make it. Kosovo needs development and change for a strong sovereignty and democracy,” he argued.

Stano on report on EU measures for Kosovo: No exact date, don’t speculate (RTK)

EU High Representative Josep Borrell has not yet submitted his report regarding the possibility of lifting the EU penalty measures for Kosovo. His spokesman, Peter Stano, has said that there is no exact date when this will happen, and at the same time he refused to speculate about the content of the report, which some Pristina officials have warned will be positive.

"This is an institutional issue between the member countries of the European Union and the high representative. So, of course, we don't need anyone from the outside trying to speculate on content and timelines. It will be done at a time that is convenient for the High Representative and the member states. While the content of the report will first be clarified for the member states who will see and discuss the report, and then make the necessary decisions. And when this would have happened or when this will happen, then we will, of course, notify our counterparts in Kosovo, so there is no place and we see no reason for public speculation and announcements from different actors", Stano said.

Svecla: Partners did not criticize us, they expressed concern (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, commented on earlier criticism by the U.S. State Department and the QUINT countries about the actions of the Kosovo Police in the north. “That is not criticism, those are concerns that they express from time to time. We cooperate closely with everyone, we understand their concerns, but the government of Kosovo too has an obligation to the current and also future generations to once and for all stabilize the situation there and the rule of law,” he argued.
Svecla also said that “with the experience gained with engaged capacities above all with the unparalleled will of each member of the Kosovo Police, whatever the next challenge, will be managed in the best possible way. The police there are ensuring that order and law serve the citizens”.

Rasic: Vucic and Serbian List used the north for money laundering (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, in an interview with Tirana-based A2CNN, accused the Serbian List and its members who used to lead the northern municipalities for abuse of funds and money laundering. He said that he notified the prosecution for every suspected cases and that they are ready to cooperate with the prosecution.

Osmani meets leaders at Peace Summit for Ukraine (media)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, delivered the closing speech at the Peace Summit for Ukraine in Switzerland, where leaders from 100 countries of all continents participated.
She informed in the social media about her meetings there. She met at the Peace Summit with President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and Ambassador Michael Carpenter - Senior Director for Europe at the White House Security Council.

"An important meeting with President Biden's National Security Advisor, Mr. Jake Sullivan, and Ambassador Michael Carpenter - Senior Director for Europe at the White House Security Council, on the vital role of the United States for lasting peace and security, as well as the importance of increasing our cooperation," President Osmani wrote.
She also met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Osmani said that Metsola continues to be unsparing in its support of Kosovo, on the right path to the EU.
Osmani also met the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. She said that she spoke with him about the Euro-Atlantic future of Kosovo.
“Always substantive discussions with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, for the benefit of the people of Kosovo and its Euro-Atlantic future,” she wrote.
She also informed that she has met with the president of Kenya, William Ruto.

Svecla: Serbian government is financing terrorism (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that investing in the security of Kosovo is a necessity and claimed that “the Serbian government is supporting and financing terrorism”. Svecla, who attended the Eurosatory 2024 defense, security, and technology industry fair in Paris, said that democracy and security are going through difficult times and challenges across the world.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric meets Jenca, discusses Kosovo issue (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric met on Monday with Miroslav Jenca, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, who is on an official visit to Serbia, and on this occasion, Djuric expressed concern over tendencies to lift restrictive measures imposed on Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Positively evaluating the ongoing cooperation with the United Nations team in Serbia, Djuric emphasised that the role of the United Nations in preserving Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty is of vital importance, as noted in a statement from the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In this context, he expressed concern over the tendencies to lift restrictive measures imposed on Pristina. "Potentially lifting the already very limited and insufficient measures against Albin Kurti's regime would implicitly mean accepting the consequences of his ethno-nationalist agenda, which has been detrimental to the life and survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija for almost three years", Djuric underlined.

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

Dacic: Role of UNMIK of crucial importance for security of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic met with Assistant Secretary-General of the UN for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Miroslav Jenca, and noted on this occasion that the role of UN Mission in Kosovo is of crucial importance for the security of Serbs there, Kosovo Online portal reported. UNMIK Head, SRSG Caroline Ziadeh attended the meeting, the portal added.

During the meeting Dacic positively evaluated cooperation with the United Nations team in Serbia. He reiterated that the role of the UN Mission in Kosovo was of crucial importance for preserving security of the Serbs there, recalling a series of unilateral acts by Pristina, which, as he said, the most grossly violate the basic human rights, and carries out physical and institutional violence against the Serbs.

The interlocutors have also exchanged stances on current security and political situation in the region, Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.

Petkovic meets ASG Jenca, SRSG Ziadeh, informs them of unilateral Pristina acts (Radio KIM, media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director, Petar Petkovic met with Assistant Secretary-General of the UN for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Miroslav Jenca. The meeting was attended by Head of the UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh as well, Radio KIM reported.

According to the press statement issued by Office for KiM, Petkovic informed them in detail about situation in Kosovo, dangers threatening the region by “unilateral and increasingly irrational Pristina’s acts”, pointing out that Pristina by series of unilateral acts jeopardised for years built upon stability on the ground and basic human rights of the Serbian population.

As the statement further added Petkovic informed them of the series of recent attacks against Serbs in Kosovo, intention of Pristina to evict more than 100 Serbian families from their own apartments in the north, thus attempting to forcefully change the ethnic composition in this part of Kosovo, and recalled the ban on Serbian goods import, in place for a year already. It was also said that latest Pristina’s decision to ban use of dinar in payment transactions in Kosovo leads to the new escalations on the ground, and aims at depriving Serbs of all forms of remittances, hampering their medical treatments and education, with the ultimate goal of expelling Serbian institutions and Serbian people from Kosovo. Petkovic also expressed concern over Pristina’s refusal to establish a Community of Serbian Municipalities and frequent bans on Serbian officials to visit Kosovo, including a ban on Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije.

Kosovo police entered two schools in Leposavic without warrant, photographed premises (Kosovo Online, media)

Over the weekend when there were no classes, Kosovo police entered the Elementary School and High School Nikola Tesla in Leposavic, inspected it and photographed the premises, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Nikola Tesla High School director Sladjan Radovic told the portal that two Kosovo police officers arrived on Saturday, just before 5 p.m., and asked the caretaker to unlock certain rooms – the boiler room and auxiliary rooms where caretakers keep tools, without any warrant or explanation. "Yesterday afternoon, precisely at 4:30, the caretaker called me and said that two police officers had arrived, without a warrant. They didn't have any written authorization to enter our school and take pictures of the boiler room. I told him to open the door, so as not to cause problems for the man, but they deliberately entered without any announcement. They took pictures of the boiler room and left", Radovic said.

The police officers then went to Leposavic Elementary School with the same request – they asked the porter to open the boiler room. However, since he didn't have the key, the police officers entered and photographed the room where the caretaker's tools for maintaining the school are kept, the portal added.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/f1XrO

Kosovo police searched for “illegal things” at two schools in Leposavic, without explaining what it was (KoSSev, social media)

Kosovo police carried out a checkup, respectively, looked for “illegal things” at two schools in Leposavic municipality on Saturday, June 15, police told KoSSev portal. They came, as they said, acting upon previously received information that something illegal was in the schools. The checkup was done in presence of staff members, school guards, they added. “There was information that something illegal was there. Together with the people who care for the schools we entered and looked”, Kosovo police deputy commander for the region North, Veton Elshani told the portal, and confirmed that they did not find what they were looking for.

Asked by KoSSev portal what “illegal things” they were looking for at those schools, Elshani did not provide a concrete response. He also said if police took photos in those schools, they had the right to do so “to see that there is nothing there”.

Reacting to this recent Kosovo police act, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in a post on X social platform said “that Kosovo police without any warrant or explanation entered two Serbian schools in Leposavic and photographed school premises without permits”. He added Kosovo police have nothing to do in the Serbian 
institutions which are the foundation for establishing the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM).

Two Serb youths say they were mistreated by Kosovo police in Leposavic (Kosovo Online, social media)

On the night between Friday and Saturday, an hour after midnight, in the centre of Leposavic, two minors were detained for, as they confirmed, singing songs at a birthday party. The Kosovo police, they say, sprayed tear gas and used force on them all the way to the police station, Kosovo Online portal reported.
The youths from Leposavic say they are now scared of what they are allowed to do and how to act in their hometown. Aleksa Babic says that the police officers mistreated them all the way to the police station.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/ki5eZ

Serbian List, Office for KiM react to Rasic’s remarks he is ready to engage in preparing CSM draft statute (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)

Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic expressed his readiness to engage in preparing the Community of the Serbian Municipalities (CSM) draft statue, respectively giving his contribution once the Kosovo Government starts this process, Serbian media reported.

Reacting to Rasic’s statement Serbian List said he was appointed minister “as a choice of Albin Kurti and not of the Serbian people”, adding that he has no legitimacy to talk about Community of the Serbian Municipalities as no Serb MP in Kosovo Assembly voted for his appointment nor he has any MP in the Assembly. Serbian List also said that while Serbs are denied their rights, Serbian products banned in Kosovo, including medications, properties confiscated and Serbs arrested without evidence and beaten up by Albin Kurti regime “Rasic drinks coffees with him, and obviously approves such acts”.

“Anti-Serbian minister Nenad Rasic represents no one but his patron Albin Kurti and is doing everything to the detriment of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Therefore he has neither moral nor intellectual capacities to engage in preparing the Community of Serbian Municipalities Draft Statute”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in his reaction to Rasic’s remarks. Petkovic also recalled that there is a Draft Statute prepared by the Management Team in line with the Brussels Agreement, and as of last year there is also an EU Draft Statute on the table, for which Belgrade said it represents a good foundation in order to reach establishment of ZSO.

Mortal remains of three Serbian civilians killed in Kosovo to be handed over to Belgrade delegation at Merdare (media)

Representatives of the Belgrade Working Group for Missing Persons, within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, will take over at Merdare crossing point today at noon mortal remains of three Serbian civilians killed in Urosevac, Prizren and Pristina during 1999, Serbian Government said in a statement.

These persons were identified using DNA samples provided by the families’ members to the Missing Persons Commission aiming to identify mortal remains that still remain in a morgue in Pristina. Mortal remains of two persons will be taken over by Belgrade delegation as per request of the families, while the third one will be taken over by his family members. The burials will take place in Velika Plana, Krusevac and Belgrade as per the wish of the families. According to official records of the Serbian Government Missing Persons Commission, 567 Serbs are still listed as missing in relation to the conflict in Kosovo.

25 years since kidnapping of several Serbs in Orahovac (Radio Gorazdevac, media)

On June 16 and 17, 25 years ago in front of their wives and neighbours several elderly Serbian men in Orahovac were taken away in an unknown direction, Radio Gorazdevac reported. Pensioner Panta Grkovic (1939) was later found dead and buried in a cemetery behind the Orthodox Church in Orahovac, while Tika Miljkovic managed to escape after being held in captivity for several days.

Whereabouts of the other three kidnapped Serbs remain unknown. Peka Pelevic (1935), Marko Vitosevic (1938) and Sveta Grkovic (1933) were taken from their homes and remain missing. Their wives and neighbours recognized the people who took them away. According to their testimonies some were wearing KLA uniforms, some were in plain clothes. They took elderly Serbs, under the pretext they would release them after interrogation. No one was held responsible for those crimes and families until today received no information as to what happened to them.

In addition to these five Serbs, refugees from Croatia, also Serbs have been kidnapped on these dates – Jovan, Nikola, Simo and Blazo from the same Begovic family and their friend Mihajlo Velimirovic. They fled “Storm” (military operation resulting in expulsion of a large number of Serb civilian population) and found shelter in a premise of wine cellar Orvin in Orahovac, which served as an improvised refugee shelter. In a new “storm” they vanished in Orahovac. Their destinies until today remain unknown, Radio Gorazdevac recalled. In the period from 1998 to 2000, 86 Serbs were kidnapped in Orahovac municipality, including Radio Pristina journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic.

Insulting graffiti written on House of Culture, children’s playground in Susica (KoSSev, media)

Insulting graffiti “F…k Serbia”, and “Albania” have been written on the walls of the House of Culture and children’s playground in Susica village, Gracanica municipality, KoSSev portal reported citing Radio KIM. The case had been reported to the police.

The graffiti were written before a football match between Serbia and England, part of the European football championship. Susica is an ethnically mixed village, and this is not the first time that insulting graffiti had been written on the premises used by the Serbian community, Radio KIM recalled.

Reacting to the incident the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said it represents a new provocation and a threat to the remain and survival of the Serbian population as well as a message that Serbian children are not safe in Kosovo.