UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 18, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Kosovo most pro-EU country in Western Balkans, yet most isolated (media)
Rama: Failure to give visa liberalisation to Kosovo, a disgrace for the EU (media)
Von Cramon calls on EU to grant visa liberalisation to Kosovo (media)
Lajcak's mandate extended for two more years (Klan)
Svecla: Kosovo has no fighters in Ukraine (RFE)
Mehaj: Determination of our police in fighting smuggling makes us all proud (media)
Murati gives details about Government's employment scheme (media)
“Opposition doesn’t benefit by presenting government’s successes as failure” (Koha)
Kosovo asks Serbia to return artefacts (Klan)
Albanian Parliament with a draft-resolution against Dick Marty’s report on Kosovo war (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

President Vucic: The new government will not be anti-Russian (N1)
Shooting and police pursuit in Leposavic: Several police officers injured; Suspect’s brother: Excessive force used (KoSSev)
YUCOM: Serbs in Kosovo in complete legal uncertainty (N1)
Anniversary of massive kidnapping of Serbs and Roma from Orahovac marked (Radio KIM)
Brussels sources: In the EU unhappy because of Kurti's stubborn persistent attitude (Beta, N1, KoSSev)
ETTU: The Kosovo Table Tennis Association withdrew the team, we worked to ensure that Kosovo has equal treatment (KoSSev)
Milasinovic: Pristina has no right to search for artifacts (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTV)
North Macedonia’s parliament backs French proposal (N1)

International:

Kosovo Football Fans Criticised for Barring Tourists from Guerrilla Memorial (Balkan Insight)
Lack of action on Kosovo sarcophagus speaks to wider neglect (BIRN)
Artists proclaim ‘NSK Territory’ as exploration and challenge of sovereign state (BIRN)
Serbia Says Crashed Plane Was Carrying Serbian Weapons To Bangladesh (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

'Besa' - A Bid at Balkan Noir (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Kosovo most pro-EU country in Western Balkans, yet most isolated (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said that today marks 4 years since the European Commission confirmed for the second time that Kosovo has met all requirements for visa liberalisation. “Today marks 4 years since @EU_Commission confirmed for 2nd time that Kosova fulfilled all the criteria for visa liberalization. We’re the most democratic & pro-EU country in Western Balkans, yet the most isolated. Our citizens hopes should be met with EU decisiveness and solidarity,” Kurti tweeted.

Rama: Failure to give visa liberalisation to Kosovo, a disgrace for the EU (media)

Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama said in an interview with Frankfurter Rundschau that the failure to give visa liberalisation to Kosovo is a disgrace for the European Union, as the people of Kosovo are the only ones in Europe that cannot travel freely.

Rama also commented on his relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “We have good personal relations although sometimes we do not agree. For example, he calls it ‘so-called Kosovo’ and I call it ‘the independent state of Kosovo’. We solve our disagreements in civilised fashion,” he said.

According to Rama, the reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia will take time. “Who would’ve thought that the Germans and the French would again be close partners in such a short time after World War II? It takes vision and political courage to move the process forward. But this process will happen, I am confident. There is no going back,” he argued.

Von Cramon calls on EU to grant visa liberalisation to Kosovo (media)

European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, called on the EU to grant Kosovo visa liberalisation on the 4th anniversary of the European Commission's confirmation that Kosovo has met all necessary criteria for visa-free travel to the EU.

"If the EU wants to be credible globally, it has to start delivering primarily in the Western Balkans. To restore our credibility, the EU should immediately grant the long overdue visa liberalisation to Kosovo citizens. The time is now and the EU Council should deliver it without delay," she wrote on Twitter.

Lajcak's mandate extended for two more years (Klan)

The Council of the EU announced the adoption of the decision extending the mandates of the EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, for another 24 months, Klan Kosova reported.

It said that Lajcak's mandate will run until 31 August 2024. He was first appointed on 2 April 2020.

Svecla: Kosovo has no fighters in Ukraine (RFE)

Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, has rejected the possibility that any citizen of Kosovo is participating in the war in Ukraine, as claimed by authorities in Moscow, Radio Free Europe reports.

Minister Svecla told RFE that Kosovo institutions possess no information of any citizen of Kosovo fighting as mercenary in the war between Ukraine and Russia. "We have no information that any citizen of the Republic of Kosovo is part of the war in Ukraine, much less that there are victims among them, as [Vladimir] Putin's agencies have declared," Svecla said, calling such allegations part of Russia's propaganda.

Svecla's reaction comes after the Russian Ministry of Defence published on 17 July a list claiming that since 24 February, 156 citizens from Kosovo have joined the fighting in Ukraine. Russia further claims to have 'eliminated' 61 fighters from Kosovo between 24 February and 17 June 2022.

Mehaj: Determination of our police in fighting smuggling makes us all proud (media)

Defense Minister of Kosovo Armend Mehaj took to Facebook today to say that the determination of Kosovo Police to fight smuggling and organised crime in the recent case in the north “makes all of us very proud”.

“On my behalf, the Ministry of Defence and all members of the Kosovo Security Force, we express our deepest gratitude for our police officers, the heroic women and men, guardians of our public security and order, as uncompromised fighters in law enforcement. The latest case, when they risked their lives and stood strong at the helm of their duties, against smuggling and organised crime, makes all of us very proud,” Mehaj said.

Murati gives details about Government's employment scheme (media)

Kosovo's Minister of Finance Hekuran Murati held a press conference today to present details of the scheme that aims to ensure every family in Kosovo has at least one member employed.

According to the plan, the Government of Kosovo would subsidise up to 70 percent of the gross salary of the employees, and not more than 300 euros, for a period of six months. Murati said businesses and persons that wish to benefit from the scheme should address the employment agency of Kosovo.

Murati also said he was hopeful that an agreement will be reached between the Government of Kosovo and the Kosovo Liberation Army veterans who insist on being included in the minimum wage bill. "I believe that we can reach an agreement on how to move forward, which would ensure a cleaned up list and talks about how to treat this category of our society with dignity," he said.

“Opposition doesn’t benefit by presenting government’s successes as failure” (Koha)

Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi said today that opposition parties do not benefit by presenting the government’s successes as failures before the European Union. In a meeting with the Assembly’s Committee for European Integration, Bislimi argued that what the current government has done in the EU-facilitated dialogue is far better from what was done in the previous years. “The government in no way shares your opinion that there have been delays, or setbacks or failures. And I think the sooner this discourse is changed the better it will be for the progress of processes in general,” he said.

Bislimi argued that in the talks with Serbia and in relation with the European Union, political parties must be united and “push the agendas forward”. “What we have done last year, is by far better than what was done until then in the agenda of European integration and by far better than what countries in the region have done. I think it is good for other political parties to uphold this narrative too,” he said.

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP, Blerta Deliu Kodra, reacted saying that it is not true that the statements of the European Parliament are better today compared to the times of previous governments. Kodra said Bislimi should look back to the time while Vetevendosje was in opposition and the discourse they had vis-à-vis integration processes. “You are the party that did not vote even for the Stabilisation/Association Agreement, one of Kosovo’s first contracts with the European Union,” she said.

Kosovo asks Serbia to return artefacts (Klan)

Kosovo's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports published on Twitter a picture of a ring which it said depicts the joining of the right hands (dextrarum iunctio) and implies an agreement but also symbolises loyalty and friendship.

The Ministry said the ring dates back to the Roman Period site of Vindenis, and was found in the Kosovo village of Gllamnik. "The ring is one of the 1247 Kosova’s artifacts, that are still being held illegally and unjustly by Serbia. Kosova is asking for their return home."

Albanian Parliament with a draft-resolution against Dick Marty’s report on Kosovo war (Koha)

Albania’s Socialist Party has submitted at the Parliament a draft-resolution which proposes a "Resolution on the unfoundedness of claims for illegal trafficking of human organs in Kosovo and Albania", against Dick Marty's report on the war in Kosovo.

11 MPs of this political party, through the draft-resolution which is expected to be voted by the Albanian Parliament, request from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to draft a report and reconsider Resolution 1782.

Serbian Language Media

President Vucic: The new government will not be anti-Russian (N1)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday that the future government will not be anti-Russian, but will preserve “traditional Serbia's friendships”, N1 reports.

“What kind of government will it be, I believe it will be a Serbian Government, which will take care of the interests of Serbia, which will work a lot to speed up Serbia’s accession to the European Union. I believe that we can achieve many results by December”, Vucic told reporters at the Belgrade international airport where he welcomed the first direct flight from Beijing.

As he said, Serbia’s strategic orientation is the European path, on which the new government will work much faster in order for the country to join the European Union. However, he added, the government will certainly not be anti-Russian.

He said the government will be composed of people who will put the national interest before their personal interest and who will work as a team.

Shooting and police pursuit in Leposavic: Several police officers injured; Suspect’s brother: Excessive force used (KoSSev)

Kosovo police confiscated a large amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on Saturday night in the Leposavic municipality and arrested the truck driver – thirty-two-year-old A.D. The arrest was preceded by a police pursuit, and firearms were also used, the police confirmed. According to the KP, five policemen were injured and one police vehicle was damaged in the pursuit. The truck driver repeatedly ignored the policemen’s orders to pull over, they added, KoSSev portal reports.

On the other hand, according to S.D., who claims to be the brother of the arrested driver, the police officers used excessive force during the operation. “They emptied 15 clips into the truck and beat up A.D”, he alleged.

He told KoSSev that his brother was pursued by at least five armoured vehicles and about eight police jeeps.

“They pursued him from the village of Josanica, he ran away out of fear and moved towards the village of Koporice. The truck was riddled with bullets, they punctured his tires to force him to pull over. During the chase, they emptied 15 clips into the truck, which is about 450 bullets“, S.D said.

He also claims that police officers used excessive force, that is, that they beat his brother.

“His eye was busted, he was bleeding. And the police didn’t allow the ambulance from the Health Center in Leposavic to come. They stopped and searched the ambulance 200 metres away and did not allow them to approach and help him“, he claims. He added that the police then called another ambulance, after which his brother was finally provided medical assistance.

In a separate news KoSSev portal reports today that Kosovo Police Inspectorate in relation to the arrest in Leposavic said “the use of firearms and force was necessary”, adding there “are no elements to launch investigation against police officers who took part in action”.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3aJxK34

YUCOM: Serbs in Kosovo in complete legal uncertainty (N1)

The adequate access to justice for people in Kosovo, in particular to the members of the Serbian community, has not been fully ensured yet, given that these people face complete legal uncertainty, Jovana Spremo, Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) adviser for EU integration process said, N1 reports.

In a bulletin of a working group on Chapter 35 of the National Convent for EU, Spremo warned that although the agreement on judiciary places the Brussels agreement high on a scale of success, the reality on the ground is that its sole implementation has not ensured legal certainty and enjoyment of the rights by people in Kosovo.

She pointed out “operational problems of the integration”, adding that the use of languages, hiring translators and quality of translation remain the major issues.

"There is no systemic solution regarding the prerequisites for entering judicial functions for young lawyers from the Serbian community either. The biggest impact on this is the lack of implementation of the Agreement on Diplomas, i.e. the impossibility of nostrification of diplomas from the faculties of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo (and vice versa), and the bar exam passed in the Serbian system is also not recognized", she said.

She also warned that the process of verifying diplomas of the Faculty of Law of the University of Pristina with the temporary headquarters in Mitrovica North "is not functioning effectively since the end of 2021".

In the analysis, she also assessed that there is a problem of access to the services of public notaries throughout the territory of Kosovo, especially for non-Albanian minority communities, noting that in an entire Kosovo system there is only one Serbian notary, and she is in Novo Brdo.

Anniversary of massive kidnapping of Serbs and Roma from Orahovac marked (Radio KIM)

A 24th anniversary of massive kidnapping and murders of Serbs and Roma in Orahovac municipality committed by KLA members was marked in Velika Hoca today, Radio KIM repots.

In July 1998, 47 people were killed in Orahovac municipality and more than 100 Serbs and Roma, mostly civilians were kidnapped and taken to KLA prison camps. The kidnapping which took place in Orahovac municipality was the first group kidnapping of Serbs and Roma during the conflict in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999.

Radio KIM further reports that the entire Serb population in the villages of Retimlje, Opterusa and Zociste was expelled. Many of them are still on the list of missing persons. In the village of Retimlje, 14 male members of theKostic family have been abducted in a single day.

In 2005, mortal remains of 36 persons kidnapped in July 1998 had been found in Malisevo and Volujak mass grave sites. Radio KIM recalls that no one was held responsible yet for the crimes committed against the Serbs in the villages of Orahovac municipality.

Brussels sources: In the EU unhappy because of Kurti's stubborn persistent attitude (Beta, N1, KoSSev)

A meeting at a high level in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is difficult to expect in the foreseeable future due to the unyielding attitude of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that the dialogue could progress significantly only with "mutual recognition", officials from the European Commission told the Beta agency in Brussels, cited N1.

The EU mediator in the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, was trying to remove the deadlock through contacts and "quiet diplomacy" through possible "small agreements", such as the recent agreement on energy, these sources told Beta.

But, as they explained, the dissatisfaction among the members of the Union is great because of Kurti's "stubborn and persistent position" that without "mutual recognition" of Serbia and Kosovo, there can be no progress, including the Brussels agreement guaranteed by the EU.

At the same time, European diplomatic officials in Brussels conveyed to Beta news agency that the EU considers that the dialogue and the Brussels Agreement have borne fruit precisely because Pristina has accepted that the process is "status neutral", so it goes against Kurti's insistence that dialogue and "mutual recognition" must go hand in hand.

This cannot prevent those EU members who have recognized Kosovo's independence from asking Belgrade to do the same, outside of the framework of negotiations on EU-Serbia membership, in which the goal is "complete normalization of relations".

Both, diplomats, and officials in the European Commission point out that the diplomats of EU countries and the US persistently explain to Kurti that his position is unsustainable, harmful to Kosovo, which, without progress in the dialogue, will be pushed aside from European integration.

European diplomats and officials expressed satisfaction with the fact that Belgrade persistently provides evidence of readiness to continue and promote dialogue, which implies that everything established by the Brussels Agreement must be implemented, reported n1, citing Beta agency.

"The European Union," these sources said, "is very preoccupied with the whirlwind of war on the soil of Europe, and it lets everyone know, including Pristina, that stability, peace and agreements between the partners in the Western Balkans are of crucial importance, that geopolitics, consequences and the impact of the war will not cause tremors in the region, especially when it comes to the possible malignant interference of Russia and China".

That is why the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, it was emphasized, is one of the important processes of calming tensions, opening opportunities for cooperation and peaceful overcoming of disputes in accordance with European values.

The EP resolution is non-binding, the framework clearly talks about the normalization of relations

Asked to explain how they see the European Parliament's request that Serbia recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo with the formulation of the necessity of "mutual recognition", sources in Brussels reply that the framework for negotiations on Serbia-EU membership clearly speaks of "normalization of relations", that five EU members do not recognize Kosovo, but that the EP has the right to its own opinion with its legally non-binding resolutions, reported N1, citing Beta.

Milasinovic: Pristina has no right to search for artefacts (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTV)

Regarding Pristina's requests on return of more than a thousand artefacts from the territory of Kosovo, the President of the National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, Goran Milasinovic said that the request was unfounded and just one more in a series of attempts to appropriate Serbian cultural heritage by Pristina, reported Kosovo online, citing Tanjug agency.

In his statement to Tanjug, Milasinovic emphasized that international law is on Serbia's side and that the UNESCO Constitution should be adhered to.

"It is very explicit and says that all the goods that are on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list are taken care of by the signatory country of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, which in this case is Serbia. The so-called Kosovo is not a signatory to that convention and is not a member of UNESCO and cannot take any formal care of the cultural assets located on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, because from the point of view of UNESCO, it is the territory of Serbia," said Milasinovic.

He said that Pristina is looking for various artefacts that were moved to central Serbia in the previous 30 years, since the crisis broke out in that territory. He states that they are now in the National Museum or under the authority of the National Museum and adds that these are statues, paintings, and icons that the Albanian side believes should continue to be exhibited in Pristina.

Milasinovic says that there are ''a series of attempts to alienate the Serbian cultural heritage located in Kosovo and Metohija in various ways from the Serbian national identity and to appropriate it by the Albanian side''.

"In the beginning, they tried to destroy Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija," said Milasinovic, and added that ''when they saw that this did not bring any results, they started appropriating Serbian cultural treasures as Albanian''.

When asked what would happen if Pristina's institutions became a member of UNESCO, Milasinovic answered that Serbia, in that case, would not be able to control and care for cultural heritage in the same way.

"If such a scenario comes true, we will continue to try to point out all the irregularities, which we expect will happen, in connection with our cultural heritage. Our Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments sends a report on the state of our cultural assets in Kosovo and Metohija every year and we will continue to do so. If the so-called Kosovo was a member of UNESCO, that would not be possible," Milasinovic emphasized.

He cited the example of Hilandar, which is on the list of cultural heritage of Greece.

"We have no problem with that, although it is our monastery. No one in Greece has the intention of turning it into a Greek monastery or any other and the report that is being sent is extremely correct and we have no worries on whether Greece will take care of that cultural heritage", said Milasinovic.

On the other hand, when it comes to ''Kosovo and Metohija, there is concern, since the history of the past 20 years shows the constant destruction and neglect of this cultural heritage'' warned Milasinovic, reported Kosovo Online, citing Tanjug.

ETTU: The Kosovo Table Tennis Association withdrew the team, we worked to ensure that Kosovo has equal treatment (KoSSev)

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) was disappointed because the Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo decided to withdraw its team from the ETTU European Youth Championship held in Belgrade, KoSSev portal was told on Saturday by this sports organization, and added that hey worked hard in ensuring that Kosovo has equal treatment.

The Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOK) announced on Saturday that "Serbian politics is again interfering in sports", stating that table tennis players from Kosovo were "denied" participation in the European Championship in Belgrade, reported KoSSev.

However, in the same statement, KOK then specified that table tennis players from Kosovo were "denied equal participation with other countries" in this sports competition.

Portal KoSSev contacted the European Table Tennis Union with a request to confirm the allegations from Pristina and to announce the reason for the lack of participation of athletes from Kosovo in this competition.

KoSSev reported that this Union, however, announced that the Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo has decided to withdraw the team.

"ETTU is disappointed that the Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo made a decision to withdraw its team from the ETTU European Youth Championship," the press service responded to KoSSev.

The portal wrote that, without providing any other details, they stated that they "worked hard to ensure Kosovo receives equal and fair treatment at the championship."

They also said that they respect the decision of the Kosovo Table Tennis Association to file an appeal but added that they will not make any further comments while the appeal was being considered by the Appeals Committee, reported KoSSev.

"ETTU is committed to treating all nations equally and ensuring that all athletes are free to compete without discrimination," they concluded in their response to KoSSev.

North Macedonia’s parliament backs French proposal (N1)

North Macedonia's parliament on Saturday backed France's compromise proposal that should remove the Bulgarian blockade of accession talks between the European Union and Skopje, MIA news agency reported.

Sixty-eight MPs voted in favour of the proposal, while the opposition had walked out of the chamber before the vote.

North Macedonia was granted EU membership candidate status in 2005 and has been waiting since 2008 to open accession talks. First it was blocked by Greece over its name, forcing it to change its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia in late 2020. Then Bulgaria blocked the opening of talks over a dispute relating to their common history and language and the rights of the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia.

France, which held the rotating EU presidency in the first half of the year, drew up a proposal last month providing for the recognition of the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia’s constitution “on an equal footing with other nations“, and for certain changes in Macedonian history textbooks. Other issues would be addressed later by Skopje and Sofia.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter that today’s decision paved the way to holding an intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia next week. “We welcome you with open arms“, he added.

Since the beginning of July, there have been protests in the streets of Skopje against the proposed compromise deal with Bulgaria.

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

International

Kosovo Football Fans Criticised for Barring Tourists from Guerrilla Memorial (Balkan Insight)

Relatives of murdered Kosovo Liberation Army commander Adem Jashari criticised football fans who prevented a busload of foreign students from entering the Jashari Memorial Complex in Prekaz because they suspected some of them were Serbs.

Humanitarian/Development

'Besa' - A Bid at Balkan Noir (Kosovo 2.0)

Early in the first episode of the television crime show “Besa,” a car full of Albanian gangsters cruises through the streets of Ulcinj, Montenegro, singing along to the song “Krejt shokt e mi” by Ledri Vula, one of Kosovo’s biggest rappers. If this was not the first time Albanian rap music was broadcast on Serbian primetime television, it seems likely it was at least Ledri Vula’s first time gracing the Serbian airwaves.

Besa, which premiered in 2018 and whose second season came out in 2021, is a show of many firsts.

While the show’s promotional material highlights the international cast — actors from all over former Yugoslavia, as well as Italy, Estonia and more — what’s most distinct is that a show on Serbian state-owned television has as its most popular and vibrant characters a number of Albanian actors from Kosovo.

According to Tea Korolija, the show’s producer, “before Besa you didn’t have one single show in Serbia with Albanian actors. We were the first.” Even taking Yugoslav cinematic history into account, hardly any major productions ever put so many Albanian and Serbian actors together in the same place. In season one around 30% of the dialogue is in Albanian and in season two, 40%.

Airing on Klan Kosova, one of Kosovo’s largest private TV networks, it is also the first Serbian production on a mainstream Albanian-language channel in years, Klan Kosova’s programming director Alaudin Hamiti said over a Zoom conversation. “Not just on Klan Kosova,” he said, “but even on other channels in Kosovo from the post-war period.”