UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, November 4, 2022

Osmani: Agreements to contribute to strengthening regional cooperation (media)
Kurti: I won’t sign any agreement that violates Kosovo integrity (media)
Konjufca: Serbia, threatening security in the region (media)
Bosnia, Kosovo take down last visa “wall” in Balkans (BIRN)
Lajcak praises Berlin Process Summit (RTK)
Next Berlin Process Summit in Tirana in December (Albanian Daily News)
Kosovo Police director in the north suspended, Serbia reacts (RFE)
Rakic will call on Serbs to withdraw from Kosovo institutions in north (media)
Vucic: Serbia will ‘play naïve’ on who sent downed drone (BIRN)
Despite best efforts, Kosovo’s trade ties with Serbia hard to supplant (BIRN)
Nurses’ assault of elderly woman in care centre horrifies Kosovo (BIRN)
Nurses that assaulted elderly woman placed in one-month detention (media)

Osmani: Agreements to contribute to strengthening regional cooperation (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, welcomed on Thursday the agreements reached in Berlin, within the framework of the Berlin Process, emphasizing the importance of this process towards strengthening of the regional cooperation between the Western Balkan countries and the establishment of the Common Regional Market. A press release issued by the President’s Office quotes Osmani as saying: “the agreements on free movement with identity cards of the citizens of the region, the recognition of university degrees and the recognition of the professional qualifications of doctors, dentists and architects will contribute to the strengthening of regional cooperation and the removal of administrative barriers between the states of the Western Balkans, bringing European values and practices of cooperation even closer.”

Osmani also thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and leaders of the European Union for their commitment to Kosovo's and Western Balkan’s European integration, stressing that Kosovo will continue to remain a party that is fully committed to the Berlin process and regional cooperation in the spirit of equality.

Kurti: I won’t sign any agreement that violates Kosovo integrity (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, told reporters in Berlin on Thursday that he will not sign any agreement that violates the integrity and independence of Kosovo. “We signed three agreements that have been negotiated for two years. The agreement on free movement in all six countries of the Western Balkans with ID cards, the agreement on recognition of qualifications from high education institutions, and the agreement on recognition of professional qualifications, which includes three professions,” he said.

Kurti said there are no other alternatives to the process of the European Union. “First, the options, models and ideas that are being presented lately are without a doubt an advancement because they concern universal notions such as territorial integrity, sovereignty, and equality. I believe this is very good for the future agreement, which in our minds must be a final agreement, a legally binding agreement on full normalisation which must have mutual recognition at its center,” he said.

Kurti said it is too early to say what the final agreement will include, but that he is optimistic. “What the EU considers as values are democracy, the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity … I believe this is very important, but for an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia we don’t need special solutions for problems, but an agreement with a general framework based on European values. This is both righteous and good for everyone, and it is useful for Kosovo,” he said.

Kurti argued that the Kosovo government will not enter into an agreement that violates the constitutionality and the enforcement of the law in Kosovo. “I want to emphasise that whenever Brussels invites us to meetings, our government will be ready. We want a principled and symmetrical dialogue, based on European values, and maybe others will need strategies on how to reach something that is inevitable and necessary for us and this is mutual recognition”.

According to Kurti there is transparency in the process. “First we are on the right path to discuss the general framework of the agreement because so far we have often discussed small steps. I believe the moment of change happened on August 18 in Brussels … We are on the right track, and we have a good basis but there is still a lot of work to be done to have the final content.”

“It is too early to say because there is respect for the mediator – confidentiality. I am transparent about the process, but there is the principle of the confidentiality of the talks, and I can say that there have been no leaks from our side”.

Kurti also talked about the meetings he had in Berlin and said that he informed the authorities there about the criminal actions in the north and the terror against the citizens in the north.

Asked to comment on the U.S. request to postpone the implementation of the decision on licence plates in the north, Kurti said there cannot be a one-year postponement because his government is only enforcing the law.

Konjufca: Serbia, threatening security in the region (media)

President of the Kosovo Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, argued on Thursday that Serbia was threatening and undermining stability in the region. He said that the deployment of Serbian military forces near the border with Kosovo is not the message from a state that wants good neighborly relations. He called on the European Union to condemn this action.

“The Republic of Kosovo in its strategic orientation policies is strongly aligned with the European Union, the United States of America and NATO for peace and stability … We want peace and stability in our region, but we are fully aware that Serbia is threatening and undermining peace and stability. The latest deployment of Serbian military along the border with Kosovo is not the message of a state that wants to build good neighborly relations with Kosovo. Therefore, this action should be condemned by all, including the European Union,” Konjufca said.

Bosnia, Kosovo take down last visa “wall” in Balkans (BIRN)

New agreements allow visa-free travel between Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as mutual recognition of college degrees and professional qualifications.

Prime Ministers of six Western Balkan countries signed three new agreements in Berlin on Thursday, enabling their citizens to cross borders using only identity cards and ensuring mutual recognition of college degrees and professional qualifications for doctors, dentists and architects.

The agreement scrapped the last visa “wall” in the region, which Kosovo imposed on Bosnia in 2014. Kosovo citizens needed visas to enter Bosnia since the declaration of the independence in 2008.

Beside Serbia, Bosnia is the only former Yugoslav country that does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, although it has recognised Kosovo passports since 2012.

The agreements were signed as a part of Berlin Process, a German-led initiative designed to facilitate regional cooperation between the six Western Balkans countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – known as the WB6 in international politics.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3ftfRIp

Lajcak praises Berlin Process Summit (RTK)

Special Representative of the European Union for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, took to Twitter on Thursday to say that “today’s Berlin Process Summit was a good opportunity to strengthen closer and inclusive regional cooperation among the Western Balkans Six, reinforce the commitment to their EU future, discuss urgent issues, including energy.”

Next Berlin Process Summit in Tirana in December (Albanian Daily News)

Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said on Thursday that on December 6, the Summit of the European Union with the Western Balkans will be held for the first time in Albania. Rama declared that upon the proposal of German Chancellor Scholz, Albania has been given the presidency of the Berlin Process and the organization of the next summit in Tirana. According to him, this shows the respect that Albania has gained internationally. "On the proposal of Chancellor Scholz Albania was given the presidency of the Berlin Process and the organization of the next Summit in Tirana. On December 6, Albania will host the first Summit of the European Union with the Western Balkans in our region. These major international events that have never happened before in Albania, unimaginable until some time ago to be trusted to an Albanian government, are significant for the degree of respect that Albania has gained internationally. We remain a small country, with our troubles and problems that need our time, patience and work to be solved, but today we have gained respect by giving everyone respect, but also by demanding respect from everyone. I pray every day that all of us, Albanians, first of all those who communicate with the world, politicians, journalists, artists, sportsmen and others, learn from other peoples without wasting infinite time, that Albania is our home, which is never reviled in a foreign language, but only defended and promoted for its benefits. As for the defects and deficiencies, damages and repairs that need it, it is more than enough for us to do it in our beautiful and rich Albanian" Rama said.

Kosovo Police director in the north suspended, Serbia reacts (RFE)

Acting Director of Kosovo Police, Fehmi Hoti, suspended on Thursday the regional police director in the north, Nenad Djuric, after he refused to implement the government’s decision on licence plates. A police statement notes that Djuric was suspended for failing to implement legal authorisations and legal decisions. The Police Inspectorate recommended earlier on Thursday the suspension saying that Djuric was suspected of “sabotage” and “call to resistance”.

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said that the refusal to implement decisions of institutions constitutes a serious violation of security and stability in Kosovo. “Kosovo Police is one and all its members must have the same mission: the rule of law and creating a safe environment for all citizens without any differences. We will not allow any action that undermines this mission and together with Kosovo Police will continue to implement this mission,” Svecla said.

Head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, told a press conference in Belgrade that Djuric was suspended “because he stood in the defense of the Serbian people”. “They [the Serb police officers] don’t want to take part in the persecution of the Serbian people because this is not the objective of the Brussels Agreement. What did Djuric do wrong when he said that he does not want to take part in Albin Kurti’s decisions which are political,” he argued.

Rakic will call on Serbs to withdraw from Kosovo institutions in north (media)

Leader of the Serbian List and a minister in the Kosovo government, Goran Rakic, has called a meeting on Saturday in the north of Kosovo and according to a press release issued by the Serbian List he will suggest to Serbs to withdraw from Kosovo’s institutions in the north, starting with him and including Serbs working in local self-government, prosecution, courts, police, and all other institutions.

Vucic: Serbia will ‘play naïve’ on who sent downed drone (BIRN)

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is not in conflict with anyone, but cannot allow anyone to spy on its armed forces.

Referring to Wednesday’s downing of a mystery drone flying over military facilities near Raska area, in south-central Serbia, Vucic said it was not the first time that such aircraft had been spotted over army barracks.

“We noticed them days before and warned them. This type of reconnaissance and illegal intelligence work represents a kind of aggression against a sovereign country,” Vucic said at the Pasuljanska Livada training ground near Cuprija, where a demonstration of the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces was held as part of the joint exercise “Maneuvers 2022”.

“We are not in conflict with anyone but do you want someone to spy on our army, to enter every hangar in the territory of central Serbia and count how many bullets and grenades we have?” said Vucic.