UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 10, 2022

Osmani: Erdogan can convince Vucic to recognize Kosovo independence (media)
Kurti: I am optimistic about Prishtina-Belgrade agreement (euronews.al)
“Parallel structures more aggressive after Ukraine invasion” (euronews.al)
Kajari: Ukraine war brought tensions in Kosovo too, situation now calm (media)
Bislimi: The distance between Kosovo and Serbia is now bigger (RTK)
Gervalla: Europe has not asked Serbia to meet duties from dialogue (media)
Szunyog: Non-recognising states expect progress in dialogue (RTK)
Kosovo health minister quits after mounting criticism (BIRN)
Vucic says French, Germans squeezing Serbia to swap Kosovo recognition for quick EU entry (RFE)
Bus from Kosovo attacked with stones in Serbia (Kallxo)

Osmani: Erdogan can convince Vucic to recognize Kosovo independence (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani believes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can convince Serbia to recognize the independence of Kosovo. During an interview for TRT World, Osmani asked her Turkish counterpart to visit Kosovo. "I believe that the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has an important role in convincing Vucic that the only way to stability and peace in the Western Balkans is to accept the independence of Kosovo," Osmani said.

Osmani added that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is mediated by the European Union and that Serbia is not respecting many of the agreements.

Osmani also spoke about Russia's influence in the Western Balkans, linking it to the situation in Ukraine.

Kurti: I am optimistic about Prishtina-Belgrade agreement (euronews.al)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said on Sunday he is optimistic about an agreement between Prishtina and Belgrade. He said that the first topic at the August 18 meeting in Brussels was the agreement between the two countries.

At the seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Prishtina, Kurti emphasized that he expects the agreement to be reached after the new approach that was created in Brussels. “I’m not saying that there won’t be other points in the agreement, but the central part will be mutual recognition,” said Kurti.

“Parallel structures more aggressive after Ukraine invasion” (euronews.al)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said that the parallel structures in the north of Kosovo have become more aggressive after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to him, these structures are paid for by Belgrade and he sees them as the cause of the problems of the Serbian population in the north.

“The illegal structures of Serbia and in general the war veterans of Serbia have become more aggressive this year since the invasion and military aggression on Ukraine, because in general all or most of them are pro-Putin. They consider Russia’s war in Ukraine as an opportunity for them. Many of them have been blacklisted by the US Treasury and some of them have arrest warrants from our government, but it never puts a sign of equality between the people and the state, nor between the population and the structures, this makes the difference,” he said.

Regarding the dialogue, Kurti was optimistic saying that this process has entered a new phase, just as he was optimistic about the liberalization of visas.

Kajari: War in Ukraine brought tensions in Kosovo too, situation now calm (media)

Outgoing commander of KFOR peacekeeping troops, Ferenc Kajari, said in an interview with Kosovapress news agency that when the war in Ukraine started in late February there were increased tensions in Kosovo too. “But I think this could have been the case in many other countries in Europe too, because a long time has passed since we had a war in Europe. So immediately after the start of the Russian invasion, we saw some tensions in Kosovo, people were more scared, but then these tensions were reduced and now we don’t have this high level of tensions,” he said.

Kajari said that since February 24, KFOR has not identified any increased threat in Kosovo.

Kajari also said that the security situation in Kosovo is overall stable, including the Serb-majority municipalities. “I would say that after the July 31 developments, there was a tense period in the northern municipalities. As you know, in that area there were some roadblocks, and many people took part in the roadblocks. We received reports that there were armed men in the roadblocks, and this is a dangerous development looking at it from a security standpoint. I must also say that following a responsible behavior from both sides, this tense period was resolved successfully. As far as I know there were no injured people. The blocking of roads was solved in a relatively short period of time, because I think the institutions in Kosovo and the leaders of the Kosovo Serbs were able to negotiate and we managed to find a solution,” he said.

Bislimi: The distance between Kosovo and Serbia is now bigger (RTK)

In the afternoon sessions of the 102nd Rose Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which is taking place in Pristina, panelists and representatives of the institutions of Kosovo and various NATO member countries discussed the reform in the sector of security in Kosovo, the European perspective of the region and the steps in this process, as well as the economic situation of the region after Covid-19.

Under the moderation of the deputy head of the Europe and Central Asia Division Antje Fritz, Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj spoke about the governance of the security sector in Kosovo, seeking cooperation with partner states for other KSF engagements in peacekeeping missions around the world and Kosovo's membership in the Adriatic Charter.

The discussion of MP Anton Quni, member of the Committee for Security and Defense of the Assembly of Kosovo, meanwhile, focused on the parliamentary supervision over security institutions in Kosovo.

The director of the Kosovo Center for Security Studies Mentor Vrajolli, spoke about the inclusion of minorities and the participation of women in the institutions of Kosovo's security sector.

The steps that the region should take in the process of European integration was the next session, which was led by the Deputy Head of the Portuguese Delegation, at the same time the Chairman of the NATO AP Subcommittee on NATO Partnerships (PCNP) and Acting PCNP reporters Marcos Perestrello De Vasconcellos. The first discussant in this session was Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, who spoke about the progress that Kosovo has made on the road to European integration, but also the challenges that it faces. He said that there is a will to come together with European values and standards, while he expressed the belief that visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens will happen soon.

Deputy Prime Minister Bisimi said that the dialogue with Serbia did not have clear objectives while adding that the distance between Kosovo and Serbia is now bigger than in 2011.

Gervalla: Europe has not asked Serbia to meet duties from dialogue (media)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Donika Gervalla has stated that the West must accept the new reality and change its approach towards Serbia, as the latter slapped its Western partners on the face and aligned itself with a war criminal who threatens peace even with use of nuclear weapons.

Gervalla made these statements at the 102nd Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, with the theme "Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans: prolonged challenges, new realities and future perspectives".

According to her, in this era we must either be with Europe, democracy, peace or with the evil forces who are ready to use war as means to achieve ideological and political goals.

"The leadership of Serbia has decided to align its foreign policy with the Russian regime. Recently, at the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministers of Serbia and Russia have signed an agreement on this alignment... Serbia does not only have problems with Kosovo as a neighbor, Serbia with the help of Russia at different levels tries to cause problems also with other neighbors in the region, who are not yet members of the EU, from Montenegro to North Macedonia and Bosnia," she said.

"The dialogue with Serbia has nothing to do with vehicle license plates, Europe has not complained nor has it asked Serbia to fulfill the duties arising from the agreements signed in the dialogue", Gervalla said.

She said that the Russian president himself refers to Kosovo trying to manipulate the West, and added that ‘he uses the example of our country as a justification for his criminal acts, but the truth is the opposite.’

Szunyog: Non-recognising states expect progress in dialogue (RTK)

Head of the European Union’s Office in Pristina, Tomas Szunyog, said that according to the discussions he had with representatives of the EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo, they expect progress in the dialogue with Serbia.

"According to what I have seen during my discussions with representatives of liaison offices of countries that have not recognized Kosovo but have their offices in Pristina, they expect to see progress in the dialogue with Serbia and normalization of relations. I think this can influence these states to see how they will continue," Szunyog stated.

Kosovo health minister quits after mounting criticism (BIRN)

Rifat Latifi announced his resignation as Health Minister on Thursday in a letter sent to Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

In his letter, Latifi stated that after many reflections over the last few months, he was offering his resignation.

“With deep disappointment and regret after many reflections over the last few months, I am informing you that I am offering my resignation from the post of Minister of Health … as of today, October 6, 2022,” the letter says.

Latifi emphasized that he had attached a 10-month report of findings and challenges as well as his achievements during his time at the Ministry.