Albanian Language Media:

• Lajcak tomorrow in Kosovo (media)
• Thaci: Dialogue with Serbia will conclude with mutual recognition (media)
• Hoti says there is no dilemma he will lead the dialogue (Koha)
• Meeting between Lajcak and Thaci remains unconfirmed (RTK)
• Kosovo Government Priorities: Economic Recovery and Dialogue with Serbia (Express)
• The Ministry of Health presents the manual for virus protection (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian house in Orahovac burned down (RTK2, KIM radio, B92)
• Petrich: Thaci insulted EU, Lajcak responsible for European resolution of Kosovo issue (Kosovo-online)
• Dacic: Lack of ideas for compromise regarding Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (TV Pink, N1)
• Djuric: We will inform Lajcak about terror Serbs are exposed to, no imposed solutions (media)
• Vucic: Elections won't be postponed, many ministers will be replaced (FoNet, N1, TV Pink)
• Sekulic: Negotiations on Kosovo have already continued, government will not last full term (N1, KoSSev)
• Members of academic community, public figures request Vucic's resignation (FoNet, N1)

Opinion:

• Are the troubles of returnees greater than their love for Metohija? (KoSSev)
• Autocratic contagion: Here come the 'tyrants' (Balkan Insight) 

International:

• Kosovo’s Vetevendosje Celebrates Anniversary Peacefully (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development: 

• Coronavirus cases continue to rise (Prishtina Insight)
• Most EU member states have opened their borders as of today, but... (Tanjug, B92)   

   

Albanian Language Media

  Lajcak tomorrow in Kosovo (media)

The European Union Special Envoy for the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade and other Western Balkans matters Miroslav Lajcak will visit Kosovo from 15 to 18 June 2020. This will be his first visit after taking the position.

In Kosovo, Ambassador Lajcak will meet political leadership, representatives of political parties, and those of the international community in Kosovo, as well as heads of the missions of the EU member states. He plans to discuss conditions and modalities for a speedy resumption of the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue facilitated by the EU.

Thaci: Dialogue with Serbia will conclude with mutual recognition (media)

The President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci hosted today a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti. After the meeting, Thaci said they discussed many important issues including the situation with COVID-19 pandemic, the budget review and resumption of the dialogue with Serbia.

“Kosovo is already on the right path. We also discussed the steps that have to be undertaken to fully comply with the NIPHK’s recommendations regarding COVID-19. I believe that the institutions will undertake all the required steps to overcome it as easy as possible,” Thaci said.

“Another point of our discussion was coordination of the institutions on the internal and external steps that should be undertaken, with a special emphasis on the possibility to resume with dialogue. We are in an important week for the country and Western Balkans, when concrete opening of processes is expected,” Thaci said.   

“We want to reach mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia. Everything is clear in this regard and the Constitution of Kosovo will be fully respected. Dialogue with Serbia should conclude with mutual recognition,” Thaci said.

Hoti says there is no dilemma he will lead the dialogue (Koha)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti held today a meeting behind closed doors with the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci. Asked after the meeting who will lead the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said roles are divided and they are defined by the Constitution.

“Such questions should not be made, the Constitution is clear. Also the decision of the Constitutional Court is clear: we have separate roles, but the important thing is that we are coordinated,” Hoti said.

He also informed that during today’s meeting with the President, he has requested coordination and cooperation.

“Today I presented the dialoguing framework also to the President and I requested to completely coordinate, as this is not a process of only this government, but of all the political parties and citizens of Kosovo. I have said that we should create a wide consensus with all political forces for an important process. After thirty years, we are at the point when we have to conclude and consolidate the state of Kosovo,” Hoti added.

Meeting between Lajcak and Thaci remains unconfirmed (RTK)

RTK reports that it is not known whether Lajcak would meet with President Thaci during his visit to Kosovo.

"I am not informed about the agenda and content of Lajcak's visit to Kosovo. It is no longer the time to open technical issues, with claims of normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Lajcak must understand that Kosovo is independent and sovereign. If he comes with the objective and approach that it should be concluded with mutual recognition, he is welcome. Any other approach is a failure for him in Kosovo, but also for the EU itself," Thaci reportedly said today.

On the other hand, PM Avdullah Hoti, told the media that ‘Lajcak is coming to Prishtina tomorrow to hear our position. I have been in complete communication with him throughout the past week, with him and other Qunit ambassadors. I believe that the position of all Kosovo institutions regarding dialogue is slowly being shaped and unified ... we are ready and have clearly articulated our position as a government. I also communicated with the President, we will have a meeting with the civil society on Wednesday. Slowly we are completely shaping the conjuncture of the dialogue process. I will also have communication with the Assembly of Kosovo in this regard. As far as we are concerned, we are ready to go.’

Kosovo Government Priorities: Economic Recovery and Dialogue with Serbia (Express)

Kosovo Government approved on Monday the Working Plan for 2020 focusing on economic recovery after COVID-19 pandemic and resumption of dialogue with Serbia.

Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti during a Government meeting today presented priorities of the new Government. “The Plan has 11 priorities, 58 objectives, 126 draft laws. The priority is managing pandemic, economic recovery, economic development plan, dialogue with Serbia, health, agriculture, mines, social welfare, sport and other important topics for the country,” Hoti said. He asked ministers maximum engagement in addressing all these topics. “It is an ambitious plan, but I ask for your maximal engagement,” Hoti told his Cabinet. Hoti presented last week the Government program 2020-2023 and a more detailed plan for 2020 was approved during today’s meeting.

The Ministry of Health presents the manual for virus protection (Express)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj, presented on Monday the manual for virus protection. According to him, the document contains instructions for various activities.

"We are sharing with you the manual for virus protection. It is a document that will be updated, depending on the situation and will be supplemented based on new scientific data," Zemaj said at a press conference.

   

Serbian Language Media

  Serbian house in Orahovac burned down (RTK2, KIM radio, B92)

The house of the late Nikola Simic from Orahovac burned down completely during the night, reports the media. 

No one was injured in the fire, which is presumed to have been set, RTK2 reports. Great material damage was caused, the police is investigating the case. 

The Simic family left Orahovac in 1999. According to the residents of this village, the family did not want to sell the house, RTK2 reports.

Minister for Returns and Communities in the Kosovo government Dalibor Jevtic wrote on Twitter:

"Simic's family house in Orahovac burned down completely last night. According to the first information, it was set on fire," Jevtic wrote.

Petrich: Thaci insulted EU, Lajcak responsible for European resolution of Kosovo issue (Kosovo-online)

Visit of EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak to Pristina confirms decisiveness of Brussels to renew the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, while message of Hashim Thaci that he does not want to meet a Slovak diplomat represents an insult to the EU, former Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Wolfgang Petrich said in an interview with Kosovo-online portal.

Petrich opined that new head of Kosovo Government Avdulah Hoti is a “political realist” beyond doubts and he removed all the obstacles created by his predecessors. “This has improved conditions to renew the dialogue. However, it is a legitimate question to ask is it possible after such a long interruption to continue the dialogue that has succeeded only partially.”

Commenting on the statement of Hashim Thaci that he does not want to meet Lajcak, Petrich responded that it represents “an insult to the EU.”

“All the EU governments confirmed Lajcak’s (appointment). However, I am convinced Thaci would change his stance because the Western Balkans is an integral part of Europe and won’t be able on longer run to join the US or Russia. Lajcak represents the EU and the EU should be goal of everybody in the Western Balkans”.

Commenting on the role of the US and Richard Grenel in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Petrich said that the US is in a difficult political crisis now. However, Washington remains an important partner in resolving the issues in the region. According to him, Grenell with his “undiplomatic diplomacy” helped move things in Kosovo again. “It is important to insist there must be a European solution, and Lajcak is responsible for that. He must succeed to bring the US onto the common negotiation platform”, Petrich added.  

Asked about the possible impact of the US November elections on the Kosovo issue, Petrich opined whether Trump or Biden would be elected is not of crucial importance for the lasting resolution of the conflict. “I am convinced it is in Europe’s interest to find a just compromise. How the final solution would look like should be decided by Belgrade and Pristina, because the two sides should also be responsible for certainly not easy implementation of the agreement. I think the EU should take lots of money into its hands in order to guarantee a swift economic development in the region, in particular when it comes to the younger population, who more and more are leaving their countries and heading towards the EU (…)”.

Asked about change of borders, with the EU clearly stating there would be no change of borders whole Thaci made statements about merging three central-Serbia municipalities with Kosovo, Petrich replied that we are at the beginning only. “A final establishment of international borders would come after clarification of yet open political, internationally-legal, economic and religious issues. It is important that all people from both sides – Serbs, Albanians and other ethnic  groups are involved in making decisions. Lastly, it is crucial that a comprehensive agreement is supported by both sides and that it has local support. The EU would have to support any agreement reached under those circumstances”.

Commenting on Russia's reaction to the Kosovo issue, Petrich said that “we are all aware of traditionally good relations between Serbia and Russia and it is clear that Moscow, given its veto power at the UN Security Council has a decisive role. Putin already said he supports any solution Belgrade advocates for,” Petrich said.

At the end Petrich concluded that fair negotiations and positive encouragement were needed from the EU. “Foremost, I include here acceleration of Belgrade’s accession negotiations to the EU”.

Dacic: Lack of ideas for compromise regarding Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (TV Pink, N1)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister and leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, stated that the dynamics and success of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will depend on how ready they are to compromise.

"If they think that a compromise and a solution is for us to simply recognize Kosovo, they should know that it is unrealistic and that nobody can ask for such a thing," Dacic told TV Pink, adding that the goal for Serbia is to preserve its national interests.

Dacic pointed out that Serbia needs to continue with the state policy it is pursuing, stating that there is an election campaign ongoing and that every party should present its proposals but that there is no need for him or Vucic to present any ideas on how and what to do as they are already doing what they think should be done.

"There is a desire to speed up negotiations, but there is also a lack of ideas for what this compromise could be," Dacic said, emphasizing that Belgrade had clearly said that it would continue the dialogue after the elections.

See at: https://bit.ly/2MVe5O6 Djuric: We will inform Lajcak about terror Serbs are exposed to, no imposed solutions (media)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Marko Djuric said Belgrade would welcome Miroslav Lajcak and inform him about the terror and pressure Serbs in Kosovo are exposed to for decades. Djuric added Belgrade is ready to talk to everyone regarding the Kosovo issue, however no one could impose a solution and force Serbia to recognize Kosovo, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“I expect us to be much better hosts than those in Pristina, which won’t be difficult, because some of them even said they won’t talk to him. Entire world knows about the terror and pressure Serbs in Kosovo were exposed to for decades,” Djuric said.

He told Prva TV Serbia is lobbying regarding the Kosovo issue, making this activity central part of its policy.

He also said that Pristina since November 2018 openly prevents dialogue, and it remains to be seen if the new Kosovo Government would change anything.

He further noted that no one can force Serbia to recognize Kosovo.

“We can talk about how to create peace, preserve stability, make the flow of people, goods and capital across the administrative line easier, as well as about an entire set of agreements reached earlier, such as Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, that you owe us,” Djuric concluded.

Vucic: Elections won't be postponed, many ministers will be replaced (FoNet, N1, TV Pink)

When asked whether it is now certain the June 21 elections will not be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Serbian President and leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Aleksandar Vucic said that he feels the health of citizens is the most important, but that lately most coronavirus patients have had milder symptoms and that some 70 percent of them are from Belgrade.

"There will be masks at every polling station, and whoever enters will be able to take them. I am a lot more afraid of the autumn and the second wave, but we will be ready for that," Vucic said in the "Focus" programme on B92 television.

He added that a number of ministers will be replaced following the elections.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that the upcoming elections must take place and postponing them for September due to the coronavirus would not "substantially change anything". Brnabic added that delaying the election would prevent the Serbian Government from having full legitimacy.

She told TV Pink that the opposition, which is boycotting the elections, did not use the past four years to create a political program and present it to the citizens, which is why they now "hope that the number of newly infected (with the coronavirus) will increase."

"They hope that the coronavirus will be on their side again. First, they criticized us for not imposing a state of emergency, later they criticized restrictive measures, now they criticize the lifting of those measures," Brnabic added.

Sekulic: Negotiations on Kosovo have already continued, government will not last full term (N1, KoSSev)

FoNet news agency Editor-in-Chief Zoran Sekulic told regional broadcaster N1 that statements from Belgrade and Pristina show that the ground is slowly being prepared for the resumption of negotiations on Kosovo.

"Just as the previous statements from Pristina represent the preparation of the field to sit at the table again, so these statements from Belgrade also represent the preparation of the field. So, both sides, not to each other, but the international community, primarily the EU, in some way warn of the risks of a frozen conflict, that maybe there will be no solution, we talked about a compromise that Kosovo cannot get everything without Serbia getting nothing , and now it is said that there is no compromise either… We suspect on the basis that Lajcak will go to Pristina and then to Belgrade, that Lavrov will be in Belgrade on the day of the election silence, that negotiations will continue. I have the impression that diplomatic energy and strength are accelerating, and that on the other hand, we are attending an unannounced competition between the USA and the EU over who will have the main say in the negotiations," Sekulic told N1. 

He added that he did not believe in a "shortcut solution".

Asked whether Russia would join the negotiations, Sekulic says that he thinks that Lavrov's arrival and later visit of Serbian statesmen to Moscow were announcements that Russia would "like to see itself and look for a way to get involved in the whole thing."

"By the way, I don't think there is any coordination between the EU and the United States when it comes to this topic. Maybe there is coordination between Berlin, Paris and Brussels, but I do not believe that there is between Washington and the EU on that topic,'' he says. 

He emphasizes that at this point, the US has a bigger initiative, but he has no doubt that this time the EU will make every effort to be an important factor in the whole story. 

He adds that whatever happens, it will at some point require a change in the Serbian Constitution.

"Changes to the Constitution imply calling a referendum, and that is a potentially serious risk, because it is difficult for me to imagine a clear and positive answer to any compromise solution, of course, depending on what question would be asked in that referendum," he said. 

Sekulic estimates for N1 that the future government of Serbia, which will be formed after June 21, will not last a full term.

"It would not surprise me that due to external circumstances that presidential elections in 2022 will be new parliamentary elections. It is also a question for the opposition in the boycott that needs to think about what it will do in the next two years…I do not expect any big surprises in the upcoming elections, when it comes to the opposition parties that will participate. Are they going to be 'ikebana' or scandal masters, we will see? They will not be able to decisively influence the situation in the parliament," Sekulic said.

The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, decorated Sekulic with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. 

When asked how the awards affect the work of journalists, Sekulic said that they represent a large part, but that, personally for him, will not change his attitude towards work.

Members of academic community, public figures request Vucic's resignation (FoNet, N1)

About 50 members of Serbian academic community and other public figures have demanded the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic, saying they believe he is unworthy of that position, said one of the signatories of the request, researcher at the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, Slobodan Prvanovic, FoNet news agency reports.

The request states that Vucic is unworthy of the position due to violations of the Constitution and laws, his anti-state policies, irresponsible approach and actions related to the life and health of citizens, insults, belittling and disrespecting citizens, creating discord in society, deceiving the public and telling falsehoods.

The request also says Vucic should resign due to abuse of his position, destruction of institutions, the abolition of democracy, violation of civil and human freedoms, suppression of media freedom, actions against the right to free elections, involvement in non-transparent budget management and endangering Serbia's European perspective.

See at: https://bit.ly/2zvDvyG     

Opinion

  Are the troubles of returnees greater than their love for Metohija? (KoSSev) By Darko Dimitrijevic

Ethnic Serb returnee Petko Miletic was brutally beaten on Friday while trying to guard his forest from illegal wood cutting that is ongoing for many years, only a few hundred meters away from his house in the village of Opraske near Osojane.

After the Kosovo war, the first returnees came back to Metohija. The Osojane Valley welcomed those Serbs who longed for their homeland the most. Hosts who did not want a refugee cauldron, but who wanted their fruitful households and the most fertile land in this Metohija plain. Thanks to them, Osojane is today one of the few returnee communities in Kosovo which can be described as successful.

A policeman standing at the entrance of the ambulance building in Pec/Peja is waiting for the doctors to release Petko Miletic. At one point, with a pile of papers and test results in his hands, he is wheeled out by another police officer. With a short greeting, he asks for the author of this text to drive him to the station, where he will try to identify those who had beaten him unconscious with stakes. I guess that makes him feel freer.

“I cannot bear to look at what they are doing, they have been cutting it (cf. the forest) for years and earning money by selling my property, and I can’t stop them. I knew that this would happen someday, I just didn’t know when,“ said Petko anxiously while trying to light a cigarette.

See at: https://bit.ly/3e2x1qh Autocratic contagion: Here come the 'tyrants' (Balkan Insight) 

Under the guise of protecting populations from COVID-19, governments in Central and Southeast Europe have grabbed excessive emergency powers while giving short shrift to democratic oversight.

''People gather around political leaders in crisis times and they look for a saviour because of fear and anxiety. People around the globe have started to support their leaders more because of this,'' Sezin Oney, political scientist 

Authoritarians lunge for extra powers 

Long before COVID-19, democracy watchers had voiced concern that authoritarian tendencies were on the rise across Central and Southeast Europe. Many fear the pandemic has given would-be autocrats a smokescreen to tighten their grip on power and further weaken democratic institutions.

In some countries, the conditions were perfect for power grabs, analysts say. Despite widespread anti-government protests in 2019, dissatisfaction with democracy was running at an all-time high amid economic angst, polarisation and the rise of populist parties.

In early May, Freedom House’s Nations in Transit report accused Hungary, Montenegro and Serbia of failing to meet democratic standards, demoting all three countries for the first time to the status of “hybrid regimes” rather than democracies — a classification previously reserved in the region for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova and North Macedonia.

Since the coronavirus crisis struck Europe in March, polls indicate increasing popular support for leaders with authoritarian leanings. Experts attribute the boost to people’s fears for their own safety and an instinct to turn to “strongman” rulers in times of trouble.

See more at: https://bit.ly/30Hegoe    

International

  Kosovo’s Vetevendosje Celebrates Anniversary Peacefully (Balkan Insight)

Despite some predictions to the contrary, the Vetevendosje marked its 15th anniversary with a peaceful march in Pristina's main Skanderbag square.

Kosovo’s largest parliamentarian party, the Vetevendosje Movement, LVV, staged a march in Pristina’s main Skanderbeg Square on Friday to mark the 15th anniversary of its organisation – and the 21st anniversary of Kosovo’s liberation from Serbian rule in 1999.

“In this double anniversary, we are in a situation that requires patience and solution,” LVV leader Albin Kurti said in a video shared on his Facebook account on Thursday, inviting citizens to participate in the march.

Kurti claimed that patience was needed both to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and while awaiting the “upcoming elections” that his party has demanded since being toppled from power in March.

See at: https://bit.ly/3hvsE96

   

Humanitarian/Development

  Coronavirus cases continue to rise (Prishtina Insight)

160 people were confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus between Friday and Sunday, with state officials urging Kosovo residents to respect safety measures to contain the spread of the virus.

A rapid increase in the number of coronavirus infections was witnessed this weekend, with 160 cases recorded in the space of three days, bringing the number of known active cases in Kosovo to around 500. Statistics from the National Institute of Public Health reveal that this weekend marks the highest single increase of positive cases that Kosovo has seen since April.

According to the Infectious Disease Clinic, the number of those hospitalised has also increased, with 40 people currently in their care suffering from COVID-19. Among them, 12 patients are in intensive care while one person currently being treated is in a critical condition.

See at: https://bit.ly/2UI4df6

Most EU member states have opened their borders as of today, but... (Tanjug, B92)

As of today, most EU member states have opened their borders for travel within Schengen

Both Germany and France have opened the borders, while a smaller number of countries, including Spain and Portugal, should open their borders to their neighbors by the end of the month.

From July 1, the "second phase" of the opening of the EU should follow, which refers to the gradual lifting of restrictions on the external borders of Schengen, including towards the Western Balkans.

Passengers will be able to find updated information on border crossings, possible travel restrictions, measures that are still in force in order to protect public health in individual countries from today at noon on the new application "Re-open EU".

On the basis of positive information on the epidemiological situation within the entire EU, the European Commission called on all member states to abolish internal border controls within the Schengen area.

"The epidemiological situation throughout the EU is rapidly improving. The European Center for Infection Control and Prevention has assessed that controls at internal borders among EU members are not an effective way to fight COVID-19," the Commission said.

At the suggestion of the European Commission, the member states have already started consultations on the "gradual and partial" lifting of restrictions on the EU's external borders, which should start on July 1.

"The European Commission proposes that the Western Balkans be included on the list of countries towards which the border will be opened from July 1," said Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson.

This also follows on the Commission's readiness to closely associate the Western Balkans region with the implementation of the roadmap towards lifting containment measures.

She adds that the whole process must be coordinated, and that the most important goal is the protection of public health. Criteria that should be taken into account when gradually opening the EU's external borders with third countries are the epidemiological situation, the ability to apply containment measures during travel and the principle of reciprocity, i.e. if the EU opens Schengen borders to a third country, it should open its own borders for all EU members, lifting travel restrictions towards the EU.

See at: https://bit.ly/2zz4GZF