UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 21, 2022

Government: Ethnicity-based associations, in conflict with Constitution (Koha)
Vucic: “German” draft was written in Belgrade (Gazeta Express)
Hasani: “German draft” is anti-constitutional; can lead to total paralysis (Koha)
Escobar: I expect dynamic continuation of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Euronews)
Bislimi meets Hovenier: Kosovo remains an active party in dialogue (RTK)
Rohde: Berlin Process is back, don't miss opportunity for cooperation (media)
Svecla: Kosovo committed to the initiatives of the Berlin Process (media)
Krasniqi rejects Kurti’s call: No reason to invite us for technical issues (Koha)
LDK too rejects Kurti’s invitation to a meeting (Koha)
Palokaj: If Germany authored the draft, govt should consider it (Koha)
Rashiti: Postpone deadline on licence plates in exchange for Green Card (RTK)
Body art ban: Kosovo Army expels recruits with tattoos (BIRN)
War games: Replaying Yugoslavia’s military conflicts as entertainment (BIRN)

Government: Ethnicity-based associations, in conflict with Constitution (Koha)

The Kosovo government said on Thursday that associations whose fundamental character is ethnicity are in opposition with the Constitution. A spokesman for the government, Perparim Kryeziu, told Koha that the non-majority communities need integration, not isolation. "Our position on the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority is known, clear and the same. Associations whose fundamental character is ethnicity contradict the Constitution of our Republic and the very character of our state. Moreover, non-majority communities need integration, not isolation," he said.

According to Kryeziu, the government of Kosovo protects and respects the laws of the Constitution. "As for the document that circulated in the media today, except for being a draft, it is without an author. On the other hand, we are the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, which has constitutionality and laws which we protect and respect," Kryeziu said.

Vucic: “German” draft was written in Belgrade (Gazeta Express)

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Thursday that the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, which was published by several news websites in Prishtina, was drafted in Belgrade by a German organisation during a workshop with Serbian non-governmental organisations.

Hasani: “German draft” is anti-constitutional; can lead to total paralysis (Koha)

Former President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Enver Hasani, said on Thursday that the so-called “German draft” of the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities falls in opposition with the Constitution of Kosovo. In an interview with Koha, Hasani said that the draft statute also goes against the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2015. According to him, the draft statute would make the Association a “Republika Srpska 2.0” and it would “regionalise Kosovo” and “ruin its character as a unitary state”.

“This is not about pushing forward Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia, but rather about re-dimensioning the dialogue by eliminating the recognition from Serbia once and for all. If the Association is formed according to the concept of this draft statute, then in the decades to come there will be further discussions about its implementation and there will be a total paralysis of the functioning of the state of Kosovo because state institutions will no longer deal with the Serb-majority municipalities but rather with an agency that protects the collective rights of Serbs. No rounds of local elections will make sense anymore, and neither will the election and representation of Serbs in the Kosovo Assembly,” Hasani also argued.

Escobar: I expect dynamic continuation of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Euronews)

The U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Thursday he expects the dialogue for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia to continue “dynamically and constructively”. “This is important both for the citizens and for peace, stability and overall progress in the region,” Escobar said after meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Vucic, on the other hand, said that he had “important conversations” with the senior American diplomat. On his Instagram account, the Serbian President said he had discussed “all current developments” and open issues” in the dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina.

He said that he insisted on the “full implementation of the agreements reached so far”, as well as international law. “Serbia, as a serious, reliable and responsible country, continues to fight for the preservation of its people and its country, making maximum efforts to preserve peace and stability, as well as for the progress of the entire region,” said Vucic.

Bislimi meets Hovenier: Kosovo remains an active party in dialogue (RTK)

Kosovo’s first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue Besnik Bislimi met on Thursday with the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey M. Hovenier. A press release issued by the government said the meeting reaffirmed the close partnership between Kosovo and the U.S.

The statement also notes that the EU-facilitated dialogue process and the way forward were discussed, as a follow-up to the constructive visit of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States for European and Eurasian Affairs, at the same time the special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

Bislimi reportedly expressed Kosovo's readiness for an agreement with Serbia on the normalization of relations, which is based on mutual recognition.

"Kosovo continues to remain an active party, with constructive ideas in the process, with the will, readiness and commitment to reach a legally binding agreement, for full normalization of relations, with mutual recognition at the center," it is stated in the government’ announcement.

"Kosovo always welcomes the interest and commitment of the United States of America. With the United States of America, we are allies in values and partners in goals," the statement notes.

Rohde: Berlin Process is back, don't miss opportunity for cooperation (media)

The Berlin Process, initiated by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, is returning to Berlin and will now be chaired by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This is what the German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has stated. He said that ministers from the six countries of the Western Balkans will go to Berlin to discuss some topics.

“The Berlin Process is coming back to Berlin, chaired by Germany and hosted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Over the next day's interior, foreign and energy ministers of the six countries of the Western Balkans will discuss Combating Organised Crime, Common Regional Market, and the Green Agenda,” Rohde wrote on Twitter.

According to the German ambassador, it is essential to take advantage of this opportunity, take important steps to deepen regional cooperation and sign concrete agreements in order to bring benefits to the citizens of the six countries of the Western Balkans.

"Germany is firmly committed to supporting and facilitating this process and is ready to take the lead to push for EU membership in WEB6 as soon as possible," Rohde wrote.

Svecla: Kosovo committed to the initiatives of the Berlin Process (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla, participated in the meeting of the ministers responsible for internal security and migration in the countries participating in the Berlin Process. The news was announced by Minister Svecla himself, through a post on Twitter.

He wrote that Kosovo is committed to push forward the initiatives within the framework of the Berlin Process, for the benefit of the region and beyond.

"The fight against organized crime and corruption, illegal migration and terrorism remains a priority for our government," Svecla wrote.

Krasniqi rejects Kurti invitation: No reason to invite us for technical issues (Koha)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi stated that there is no reason for Prime Minister Albin Kurti to invite him to meetings for what he called "technical issues of the dialogue with Serbia".

Through a video message, Krasniqi said that he will be present when the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia is concretely discussed. Krasniqi called Kurti's invitation for a meeting on Friday frivolous.

"Prime Minister, I was not at all surprised by the frivolous manner of the invitation to the meeting on Friday, which came without content, without agenda and without protocol. We understood through the email that it is about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. You have no reason to invite us to meetings on technical issues. Whereas, when you have a concrete discussion about the final agreement, we will be there," Krasniqi said.

He said that Kurti has on his desk a document offered by international partners for the normalization of relations between the two countries, but according to Krasniqi, Kurti is not showing this.

"You are hiding this fact from institutions and citizens. You are not showing your position on big topics. You have to get serious. The Assembly of Kosovo is the address of the people. About the discussions you have expected to discuss on Friday, we are waiting for you in the Assembly," he added.

LDK too rejects Kurti’s invitation to a meeting (Koha)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) will not participate in the meeting called for Friday by the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. Sibel Halimi, spokesperson of the LDK, said on Thursday that the head of the executive should report only to the Assembly of Kosovo and that this political entity will reiterate its positions there.

"On the topic of dialogue, the Prime Minister of Kosovo should report only to the Assembly of Kosovo. There, LDK will reiterate its positions. This was also the agreement of the leaders from the preliminary meeting. To LDK, the final agreement with Serbia should only be about mutual recognition. In this recognition agreement, the constitutional order, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the country are non-negotiable," she said.

Palokaj: If Germany authored the draft, govt should consider it (Koha)

Koha Ditore’s Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj said that if it is true that Germany is the author of this Draft, then the government should consider this proposal. According to him, in addition to the position of the EU on this document, the position of the Serbian side should also be awaited.

"In the EU, there have been hesitations to express how the implementation of this part of the agreement will be, whether or not it should be within the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. The mention of the laws and the Constitution of Kosovo in the proposal makes the proposal more acceptable to the Kosovar side. However, it should also be seen how the Serbian side will respond to such proposals, since until now Serbia and the Serbs of Kosovo have refused to accept something that would be according to the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo".

A proposal of the western circles on the statute of the Association of municipalities with Serb majority in Kosovo is circulating with the title "German draft".

Rashiti: Postpone deadline on licence plates in exchange for Green Card (RTK)

Naim Rashiti, director of the Balkan Group for Politics in Kosovo, said on the "RTK Prime" show that Kosovo can make a new plan regarding the issue of license plates, communicate with the EU, but with the request that Kosovo be member of the Green Card.

"New methods of implementing these license plates must be built, but what is more important, we must place it in a wider context. For example to have a new plan with the U.S. and the EU. "Kosovo should postpone for a period the issue of license plates and ask for membership in the Green Card".

He said that there are some problems with the Green Card that Kosovo itself should implement, but still according to him this is a political problem, where decision-making is not certain and the EU can do this, he said.

"Then let's look for other mechanisms, let's look for the implementation of IBM after that, because it is the main element that would regulate the cross-border relations between the two countries," Rashiti said.

Meanwhile, he has called the recent discussions about the Association a maneuver to provoke the debate at the peak of the discussions, and these topics, according to him, are useless.

He said that the document came from a foreign organization in Pristina, therefore he said the best thing would be for the government with experts to come up with ideas and close the door to these organizations that, as he said, are often without work in Pristina but generate such things.

Body art ban: Kosovo Army expels recruits with tattoos (BIRN)

The Kastrati family in Kosovo had a big occasion to celebrate in May this year, when family member Ermelind was told he had passed the tests to join the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, the country’s putative army, as a cadet.

“I never experienced a better feeling than when I received confirmation that I’d been accepted as a KSF cadet. It can be seen how we celebrated in my family,” Ermelind Kastrati told BIRN, referring to the video he posted on May 8 of singers performing traditional ballads in the courtyard of the family home in the eastern town of Gjilan/Gnjilane.

But the joy did not last for longer than four months.

In September, Ermelind and other cadets was invited to KSF barracks to start his military career but only five days into his stay there, he received orders to leave the premise.

The problem: the tattoo on the upper part of his right arm.