UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 16, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani: Need to convince partners, every process in line with Constitution (EO)
Kurti says Association is part of agreement, but not the whole agreement (EO)
Kurti: Forcible disappearances were part of Serbia’s project (media)
EBRD: Kosovo’s economic growth, highest in the Balkans this year (Telegrafi)
Municipalities ask govt to urgently amend law to unblock own revenues (Nacionale)
Gola: Serb Orthodox Church will not have additional competencies (KTV)
Borrell: We need a safe and peaceful Western Balkans (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic: Situation difficult, Bislimi's behaviour was scandalous (Tanjug, RTS)
Brnabic: Continuation of UNMIK’s engagement is of key importance to Belgrade (Danas, FoNet)
Dacic discusses Kosovo, peacekeeping with UN officials (N1, media)
Decani: SOC sites in Kosovo are of particular importance for Orthodox Serbs, but also source of pride for all Kosovo residents (KoSSev)
State Department Report: Constitutional Court decision on returning land to Visoki Decani had not been implemented (Kosovo Online)
Dacic thanks Cypriot ambassador for non-recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug)
Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina: "Neighbour, are you okay" (KiM radio, Danas, FoNet)
Demostat: Pristina's refusal to form the CSM (ZSO) a risk for the security of the region (NMagazin, Beta, Danas, Euronews Serbia)
The Party of Kosovo Serbs calls for a rally on May 26 in Belgrade: We support Aleksandar Vucic (KiM radio, Danas)
“The Serbian List will use the mechanism of blackmail to bring the Kosovo Serbs to the SNS rally” (Danas)
Belgrade insists on resolution of visa liberalisation for Serbs from Kosovo: Are they going to be only ones who need visas? (Euronews)

International:

High gas prices and inflation dampen growth in EBRD regions (ebrd.com)
‘We have a violent society’: hate speech in spotlight after Serbian mass shootings (The Guardian)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Need to convince partners, every process in line with Constitution (EO)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani called on the European Union today to be constructive with regards to Serbia’s violation of the agreement on normalisation with Kosovo. She said that the EU must not ask for the implementation of things for which there is no agreement between the parties. “We expect the EU not to ask for the implementation of things that we have not agreed upon, and to ask for the implementation of precisely what we have agreed. We are still waiting for the EU to be clear about Serbia’s violations, and we haven’t seen this until now,” she said.

Osmani argued that Kosovo has entered the process of dialogue with an open mind and with European ideas and not ideas that resort to the previous century. Every process that Kosovo goes through, she said, needs to be in compliance with the Constitution.

“The Republic of Kosovo will continue to have an outstanding constructive approach. It will remain in the process of dialogue with an open mind and with European ideas and not with ideas that resort to the previous century. Ideas based on human rights and rights of minorities, and not ideas that can give Serbia the instruments to undermine our sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“It is important that in every process we have as a guiding light the Constitution and provide arguments as we have done until now and to convince all our partners that on the road toward peace and stability Kosovo will always be an independent and sovereign country,” Osmani said.

Kurti says Association is part of agreement, but not the whole agreement (EO)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that he has not received any report yet from the European Union in relation to Kosovo’s remarks about Serbia’s violation of the agreement on normalisation. He said that Kosovo is interested in the implementation of the agreement in its entirety, and not Article 7 alone.

Kurti said the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is part of the agreement, but not the whole agreement, adding that a detailed, concrete, balanced and comprehensive plan is needed.

“At the high-level meeting on May 2, I submitted a document with all of Serbia’s violations of the February 27 basic agreement in Brussels but also of the Ohrid agreement, but to this day the facilitators have not commented on our remarks about Serbia’s violations. We are interested in the full and immediate implementation of the agreement, without conditions and delays. But the problem is with the other party, which from five points of the preamble and 10 articles of the agreement, wants us to focus only on Article 7,” he said. “Certainly Article 7 is part of the agreement, but Article 7 is not the whole agreement, and this is what Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi made clear last evening in Brussels. And we also said that we want an implementation plan that is detailed, concrete, balanced and comprehensive. The sequenced implementation plan cannot relate only to Article 7,” Kurti argued.

Rohde: One version not enough, Kosovo obliged to prepare draft statute (media)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said today that Kosovo is obliged to prepare a draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities and that one version is not enough.

Asked who could prepare the best draft, Rohde said Kosovo can do that. “It is a simple answer. The best version, the best draft for Kosovo, can be drafted by Kosovo itself. However, one version is not a draft, so we need a draft from Kosovo soon in order to see what concrete ideas it has for the Association. This is an obligation for Kosovo to speed up the process,” Rohde said after meeting the Kosovo Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.

Kurti: Forcible disappearances were part of Serbia’s project (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, on the 24th anniversary of the disappearance of renowned Kosovo intellectual Ukshin Hoti, said his disappearance was a crime committed by Serbia. “After the torture he endured from the Serbian regime as a political prisoner, the patriot and intellectual Ukshin Hoti was released from prison in the middle of the war. On May 16, 1999, after he was released from Dubrava prison, he went missing. His disappearance is an unresolved crime by Serbia. Forcible disappearances during the war in Kosovo were part of the Horseshoe project for the extermination of Albanians,” Kurti wrote on Facebook.

Kurti also mentioned the Declaration on Missing Persons which was adopted in Brussels on May 2. “With the Declaration on Missing Persons, Serbia after 24 years admitted the crime of forcible disappearance during the war. Serbia has entered an international agreement with the Republic of Kosovo, through which it assumed an international obligation to provide every information, including intelligence and military, which the regime there gave a classified status in order to avoid international responsibility by concealing evidence, to give an answer to the fate of forcible disappeared persons during the last war in Kosovo,” he said.

EBRD: Kosovo’s economic growth, highest in the Balkans this year (Telegrafi)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says that Kosovo will have the highest economic growth compared to other countries of the Western Balkans. In its “Regional Economic Prospects” report, the EBRD said that economic growth for countries in the region will be an average of 2.2 per cent, while in Kosovo’s case it will be 3.5 per cent.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3W9lE6B

Municipalities ask govt to urgently amend law to unblock own revenues (Nacionale)

The Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKK) has asked the government to urgently unblock the own revenues of municipalities. In a request sent to Assembly President Glauk Konjufca and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the AKK leader Agim Aliu, asked for the amendment of Article 9, paragraph 6 of the Law on the Budget Appropriations of the Budget of Kosovo for 2023.

The request also notes the consequences from the blocking of the revenues and the failure to amend the law, the municipalities are not able to spend around €37.5 million which should be in the service of implementing development projects for the interests of the citizens of municipalities. “Once again, we are obliged to inform you that if swift action is not undertaken to amend the law, then hundreds of projects in municipalities, which improve the lives of citizens, will not be implemented,” the request notes.

Gola: Serb Orthodox Church will not have additional competencies (KTV)

Ardian Gola, professor of sociology, said during a debate on KTV on Monday evening that the Serb Orthodox Church will not have additional competencies and that it was guaranteed for in previous agreements.

“It won’t have other competencies from what has already been guaranteed in the previous agreements. This of course also depends on Serbia’s readiness to respect all agreements, because Prime Minister Kurti has made it clear that there will not be a selective implementation of political agreements with Serbia. And as long as they are guaranteed with assuming these responsibilities in institutional fashion, normally they will be executed. Otherwise, this is about formalising the status and not about giving new competencies to the Church. In terms of the special status it was given, we know the political history of state-building in Kosovo,” Gola argued.

Borrell: We need a safe and peaceful Western Balkans (media)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said today at the Ministerial Conference on the Western Balkan Roadmap to firearms control in the region, that the European Union needs a safe and peaceful Western Balkans.

Below is Borrell’s speech:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Dear partners from the Western Balkans,

A warm welcome to Brussels to all of you for this High-Level meeting – I think it is the fourth one - on the Western Balkan Roadmap against illicit arms trafficking [Regional Roadmap for Comprehensive Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control in the Western Balkans].

That could be something theoretical but, in practical terms, it is something that has an extreme importance with very grave consequences as the ones that we have just witnessed some weeks ago.

Let me start by extending my own and the European Union’s heartfelt condolences for the victims of the recent tragic shooting incidents in Serbia.

One may think that these things do not happen in Europe, but yes, unhappily, they happen. And in order to happen, they have to have arms and that is why, this Conference receives much more interest and becomes much more important.

Because such dramatic events are a stark reminder of the importance of working together to combat small arms trafficking and traffickers – which is the reason why we are here today. I am very happy to share with you this moment.

Our work will make Europe safer, and this becomes more important in the challenging times in which we are living.

The weapons collection campaign launched by the Serbian government with our support - with the European Union’s support – that took place immediately [after] these two tragic events, shows how valuable, how important our security cooperation is in contributing to the security of our citizens.

I was asking [myself] what I am going to do here, why I should participate in this Conference. It is external policy, it is security policy. It is Home Affairs, it is External Affairs. It is everything at the same time.

And it is a good proof that we need to be united, the different pillars, the different functions of the European Union - bodies, institutions, states, the Swedish Presidency [of the Council of the European Union] - because we, as the whole of the Western Balkans region, have the duty to fight against violence, against traffickers, against [arms] trafficking, in order to prevent them from contaminating the whole continent.

Read full speech at: https://bit.ly/3Mvnk77

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: Situation difficult, Bislimi's behaviour was scandalous (Tanjug, RTS)

Speaking to reporters after Monday's round of the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the head of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said the dialogue was in a difficult state and that Pristina's chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi had acted in a scandalous way, Tanjug news agency reports.

Following a trilateral meeting with Bislimi and EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak, Petkovic said Belgrade's delegation had prepared for the meeting, coming with experts, proposals and all materials, "unlike Bislimi, who came on his own".

"When he was supposed to discuss major issues, such as establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, the issue of missing persons, freedom of movement, issues that have to do with everyday life, institutional violence by (Pristina's PM Albin) Kurti, he did not want to provide concrete answers to that and he tried to make the discussion pointless with various interruptions", Petkovic said.

He said the meeting had also addressed the issue of energy but that Bislimi's response to everything had been that "Petkovic is talking rubbish".

Petkovic said Bislimi had taken a recently denied written request issued to an RTS journalist, banning her from entering Kosovo and Metohija and “had thrown it down on the floor”. He added Bislimi and Kurti were acting in the same way.

"They hang on to small things to postpone a resolution of the issue of missing persons. When I reiterated to Bislimi our request for a resolution of the issues of freedom of movement and licence plates, he refused to discuss that. We do not know how to hold further discussions - we want normalisation, above all, for the sake of Serbs. It is important that we protect the lives of our people", Petkovic said.

He said the Community of Serb Municipalities had been highlighted by Belgrade as the key topic. He also said a declaration on missing persons must be implemented and that an exchange of information and concrete tasks on the ground must begin.

Petkovic added Belgrade will adhere to its red lines with regards to opposing Kosovo UN membership and not accepting either de jure or de facto recognition of Kosovo.

Brnabic: Continuation of UNMIK’s engagement is of key importance to Belgrade (Danas, FoNet)

Continuation of UNMIK’s engagement in undiminished scope and mandate is of key importance to Belgrade, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said yesterday during the meeting with UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Head of UNMIK Caroline Ziadeh, Danas daily reports.

Brnabic added that Serbia continuously contributes to world peace, security and respect of international law, by taking part in UN and EU multinational operations.

She also said Serbia deems the UN as the most significant international organisation and relies on its influence with regards to respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as UN SC Resolution 1244.

She noted that timely, adequate and visible reactions of the UN to numerous incidents, provocations and Pristina’s unilateral acts were important.

Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Brnabic said it was necessary that Pristina fulfils all undertaken obligations deriving from the Brussels agreement.

On his part, Lacroix praised Belgrade’s contribution to world peace and security as well as participation in the UN multinational operations, the Serbian Government said in a statement.

Dacic discusses Kosovo, peacekeeping with UN officials (N1, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic discussed the security and political situation in Kosovo with UN officials in Belgrade on Monday, a press release said.

Dacic met with UN Under Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative and UNMIK chief Caroline Ziadeh, it added.

The press release said that they discussed Serbia’s contribution to world peace through peacekeeping operations, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and UNMIK’s continued engagement on issues important to the consistent implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

“Dacic reiterated that Serbia is committed to dialogue as the only way to solve current problems, but that the essence is in respecting what was agreed upon and that in this context, the implementation of the obligations undertaken is necessary, above all the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, even though ten years have passed since the signing of the Brussels Agreement”, the statement reads.

The Foreign Minister confirmed Serbia’s readiness to continue participating in UN peacekeeping operations.

The press release said that “Lacroix commended the participation of representatives of Serbia in the UN-mandated missions, first and foremost, the quality and professionalism of their engagement”.

Decani: SOC sites in Kosovo are of particular importance for Orthodox Serbs, but also source of pride for all Kosovo residents (KoSSev)

Visoki Decani Monastery welcomed the message Samantha Power sent during her visit to Gracanica Monastery last week. While addressing the public in front of the monastery, Power underlined that it is one of the most beautiful Serbian Orthodox monasteries she had ever visited. The message from Decani came after Kosovo officials once again avoided confirming that the monastery is a part of Serbian cultural and religious heritage, KoSSev portal reports.

On the same night, Kosovo Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Ceku, published a video about this monastery on his social media, with a voiceover in Albanian with Serbian subtitles. Once again, Ceku avoided describing Gracanica as a Serbian Orthodox monastery.

Ceku defined Gracanica and other religious sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church as “common cultural heritage” while using the words “Orthodox church”.

Kosovo officials frequently deny that the monasteries in Kosovo are part of the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, except in the case when they place the SOC in a negative context, linking it to Slobodan Milosevic’s regime during the 1990s. Moreover, a dominant narrative within Kosovo academic and social mainstream in Kosovo is that Serb history there is “falsified“, and that the SOC “appropriated“ most of the “ancient Arberian monuments in Kosovo“.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/42YxW41

State Department Report: Constitutional Court decision on returning land to Visoki Decani had not been implemented (Kosovo Online)

2022 State Department Religious Freedoms Report in Kosovo noted that US Ambassador in Pristina called on Kosovo government officials to respect religious freedom and pluralism, adding that Decane municipal authorities and central-level government had not still implemented Constitutional Court decision from 2016 by which ownership of Visoki Decani Monastery over almost 24 hectares of land was recognized, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The report notes there was no progress in this regard despite repeated appeals by Serbian Orthodox Church and international community to Kosovo government and cadastre agency to register SOC ownership over this land. It also said that the responsible prosecutor did not initiate any criminal proceeding against officials in charge for their failure to implement this decision.

The report notes a number of statements by Kosovo top officials disputing the Constitutional Court decision.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that “decision of the Constitutional Court to compel local authorities of Decani to return 24 hectares of land and forests to the Decani Monastery is based on the discriminatory policy of [the] government of Serbia from 1997”.

In April, as media reported, Kosovo Minister of Culture Hajrullah Ceku said that “in principle when there is a decision from the Constitutional Court it should be implemented, but we should never take anything for granted”, while in June, Decani mayor Bashkim Ramosaj once again publicly reaffirmed he did not intend to execute the court’s decision.

According to the report, the Serbian Orthodox Church repeatedly criticised remarks of the senior Kosovo government officials, including Albin Kurti and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, that challenged the merits of the Constitutional Court decision.

“In a public statement in February, the SOC said that government commentary on the final court ruling is politically irresponsible and dangerous because it directly targets Visoki Decani Monastery, its monastic community and cultural heritage under UNESCO protection” and that such obstruction of the court’s ruling by politicians represent violation of the independence of the judiciary.

The report also pointed out that the SOC expressed concerns that senior government officials, including Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport Ceku, referred to the SOC as either “the Orthodox Church” or “the Church” instead of its full name. The SOC said it considered such statements by government officials as denial of the SOC’s identity and an attempt at “Kosovarization” of the SOC.

Read the full report at: https://bit.ly/3OcSB00

Dacic thanks Cypriot ambassador for non-recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic received a farewell visit from outgoing Cypriot Ambassador to Belgrade Dimitrios Theophylactou on Monday, thanking him for Cyprus's continued support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia and for its consistent and principled position of non-recognition of Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

At the same time, Dacic said he hopes Cyprus would retain that position, bilaterally as well as in international organisations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The parties noted that relations between the two countries were substantial, of good quality and on a constant upward trajectory, and confirmed a readiness for further strengthening of mutual dialogue, exchanging visits at all levels and forging further intensive bilateral ties through advancement of cooperation in a large number of fields, especially in the economy.

The ambassador said the fact that the Serbs and the Cypriots had always been together and supported each other in good and bad times alike lent a special quality to Serbia-Cyprus relations.

Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina: "Neighbour, are you okay" (KiM radio, Danas, FoNet)

"We wanted to show the authorities in Pristina and Belgrade how we, the families of the victims, stand in solidarity in the desire to encourage the authorities to start the process of finding the missing, pointed out the president of the Association of Families of Kosmet Victims Natasa Scepanovic during the round table 'Neighbour, are you okay'".

Associations of families of missing persons in Kosovo cooperate to point out the importance of obtaining information about their loved ones, and regardless of nationality, they are united in their pain and want to emphasise mutual support.

The round table "Neighbour, are you okay" is an activity of Albanian, Serbian, and other families of the missing persons, whose aim is to draw attention to people who live alone, and need help of their neighbours and good relations, regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation, which they had before, reported KiM radio.

The participants of the round table pointed out that it was necessary for the whole society, media, organisations to understand the situation and help increase trust between people, to highlight examples of positive good neighbourly relations so that people can live more peacefully and easily.

"There are many positive examples in the past, and there are also in the present, where a neighbour helped a neighbour and became his own brother. We wanted to refer to often forgotten and neglected words, namely empathy, solidarity, and mutual tolerance," said Natasa Scepanovic.

All of them together appeal to the authorities to properly deal with the issue of missing persons, so as not to further prolong their suffering, and so that they can continue to live in peace.

Scepanovic reminded that the Declaration on the Missing Persons was recently signed in Brussels, but that they are concerned that this document "does not, as before, be just a dead letter on paper."

"We have witnessed that until now declarations, agreements and protocols have been signed, but little has been implemented in practice," she said.

Scepanovic emphasised that the families of the victims do not know the content of the Declaration, nor whether there are deadlines for fulfilling certain obligations or sanctions for the party that does not fulfil what has been signed.

The Executive Director of the Resource Center for Missing Persons in Pristina, Bajram Qerkinaj, also said it is very important that the truth about the missing and victims be known.

"Why are committee after committee being formed, subgroup after subgroup, when we don't know where our family members are? Things are being blurred a lot and we forget about ourselves, and then also about our neighbours," said Qerkinaj.

He pointed out that politicians are the ones who create problems and stated that young people are also united to continue to deal with this important issue.

"Our descendants formed a youth committee and will never stop. Let us work together because we can't do it like this. Of whom? From politicians and the international community," said Qerkinaj.

He also said that politicians misused the documentation submitted by the families of the missing.

"I worked in Belgrade for two years. I haven't heard a single bad word from my colleagues. And now, they are trying to stick various things on me, why, in order that politics stagnate, to keep us in suspense. Talk to each other, it will be easier for us to be together," he added.

Marinko Djuric, from the Association of Families of Kosmet Victims, also emphasised that it is important to look to the future and educate young people that normal life stopped the moment unfortunate events began, "when you forgot to say good morning to your neighbour, to give an Easter egg, and he treats us with baklava and tulumba".

On behalf of the Resource Center for the Missing, Natasa Bozilovic, emphasised the importance of the role of the media in the process of building good relations between different communities and assessed that the media are the main link in the chain that can contribute to the process of trust between communities, but also create obstacles because they participate in creating opinions of the majority.

"It is important that, when reporting on this topic, the media put themselves in the position of family members and avoid one-sided narratives, non-recognition of victims on both sides, glorification of war criminals - these are all obstacles on the way to building trust between communities," concluded Bozilovic.

Demostat: Pristina's refusal to form the CSM (ZSO) a risk for the security of the region (NMagazin, Beta, Danas, Euronews Serbia)

Demostat's analysis stated that Pristina's stubborn refusal to form the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) in accordance with the accepted agreement represents a potential risk to the security of the entire region, reported today portal NMagazin.

According to Demostat, the CSM could now be the key to peace, but also the key to new conflicts, and the international community holds the border where dialogue ends and conflicts begin.

That is why additional efforts of the international community, especially the US, are needed to start the process of implementing the agreement.

Demostat states that yesterday's meeting of the main negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, which was focused on the implementation of the Agreement on the Normalisation of Relations and its Annex, ended without any results, and there is no indication when the negotiators could meet again and what the next steps are.

Demostat researcher Milomir Mandic believes that the current situation could destabilise the entire region, and that additional efforts by the US are needed to delay the process of implementing the agreement, especially when it comes to Pristina and the formation of the CSM.

"In the circumstances of the war in Ukraine, this does not favour the Western partners in the Balkans, which at the same time suits their geopolitical competitors, I mean primarily Russia," said Mandic.

He adds that, based on the previous experience in the Balkans, additional efforts by the US will be needed to unblock the process of implementation of the agreement, which primarily refers to Pristina and the fulfilment of the obligation when it comes to the draft Statute of the CSM in accordance with the Brussels agreement.

Journalist Milivoje Mihajlovic told Demostat that the CSM could now be the key to peace, but also the key to new conflicts, and that the border where dialogue ends and conflicts begin is held by the international community.

He states that the refusal of Pristina to form the CSM can generate additional dissatisfaction among the Serbs, and he points out that it is ungrateful to say how the situation will unfold, but that, in the conversation with the Serbs and Albanians, he notices that they wish for a solution that will calm the situation.

The most important thing, he underlines, is that the international community and KFOR, which are delegated to ensure peace in Kosovo, keep their eyes completely open, as well as that the two leaders, Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti, are aware that any incident could escalate into something more serious.

Political analyst Dusan Janjic believes that there are many risks in Kosovo, but that the main reason for anxiety is that no one is trying to reach an agreement on the return of Serbs to Kosovo's institutions, which would reduce the security vacuum.

"There is no political work, there is no political will, and I am also worried that Quint is acting extremely relaxed, although we have now seen some first signs of concern with Lajcak. The Americans kept promising that it would be resolved, however, I see that they have also accepted some measures that fuel insecurity and increase the risk of increased conflict, such as local elections," he said.

Janjic states that there is a security vacuum in Kosovo, because most Serbs have left the police, while in the north there are a large number of special units with Albanians, which is a risk in itself.

The Party of Kosovo Serbs calls for a rally on May 26 in Belgrade: We support Aleksandar Vucic (KiM radio, Danas)

The party of Kosovo Serbs led by Aleksandar Jablanovic invited their compatriots from Kosovo to go together to Belgrade on May 26, when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the "biggest rally ever" to support the Serbian president and encourage him to continue, as they stated, " fight on the international level", KiM radio reported.

"We, like all Serbs who live in Kosovo and Metohija, are particularly affected by this tragedy because we go through suffering almost every day. Those who want to turn the monstrous murder of innocents into a rebellion and lynch against the state and institutions, are the same ones who would surrender Serbs and Kosovo for the sake of power. These are the same people who from 2000 to 2012 profited politically from the misfortune of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and that's why their moves make us doubt their desire to destabilise Serbia under the direction of foreign services," reported KiM radio, citing the statement of this party.

They also emphasised in the statement that they remember Vojislav Kostunica well, who, as they claim, was "hiding in Belgrade" and Boris Tadic who "fled to Romania" when Kosovo declared its independence in 2008.

They invited their compatriots from Kosovo to present a clear position to the President of Serbia on May 26.

"Only one fight decides the fate of all of us, and that is the fight for Serbia and Kosovo, and despite some of the ``defeats we experienced'' as a people in Kosovo, which are the result of the enormous support of the Western powers that the Albanians have, we encourage the president to continue the fight on the international level. We believe that this kind of quasi-opposition would give us the final and 'deadly blow', read the PKS statement.

“The Serbian List will use the mechanism of blackmail to bring the Kosovo Serbs to the SNS rally” (Danas)

“This time, as well, the Serbian List will use mechanisms to bring Kosovo Serbs to the rally of the Serbian Progressive Party, which will be held on May 26 in Belgrade,” Danas interlocutors said.

Milica Andric Rakic from “New Social Initiative”, a non-governmental organisation from North Mitrovica, told Danas daily that she does not know whether there are quotas of people who must be brought to the protest, nor whether preparations are underway, but that she expects that the support of Serbs from Kosovo would be organised, as was the case in previous years.

“Most often it is in the form of eye-catching banners. There are no reliable data on how many people from Kosovo went to protests before, so I cannot comment on the numbers, but I certainly would not say that the influence of SL is less because it does not manage the Kosovo system because there are no more Serbs in the Kosovo system, i.e. about 3,000 of them who have resigned in the Kosovo system, now they receive their salary from Serbia,” said Andric Rakic.

According to her, the number of citizens who will go to the protest will primarily be affected by the swearing-in of the newly elected mayors in the north of Kosovo.

“If something affects the number of people who will go to the protest, it will be the consideration of whether it is wise to empty the cities on the days when tensions are expected due to the swearing-in of Kosovo’s mayors,” she opined.

Milija Bisevac, president of the Civic Initiative “For Zubin Potok”, points out that “historical circumstances” show that citizens are usually taken to rallies in Belgrade by buses and other vehicles, which he says are mostly “state property.”

“Judging by the information on the ground, there are opportunities now, although specifically the workers still haven’t received instructions for the meeting. Surely something will be organised, and people will go from here, although most may not want to be a part of it,” he said.

“Serbian List has a monopoly over the livelihood of these people, they use it as a tool for manipulation. Their actions in the past few months have caused dissatisfaction and disappointment, but they still have blackmail mechanisms, which they will use to bring people to the SNS protest. Also, I believe that this rally, a counter-protest, should have been organised in Kosovo, if they wanted to have Serbs from here as well, and since they will be talking about important topics, including Kosovo, which has been the most important state issue for decades,” Bisevac said to Danas.

Belgrade insists on resolution of visa liberalisation for Serbs from Kosovo: Are they going to be only ones who need visas? (Euronews)

Euronews Serbia writes today that Serbian citizens residing in Kosovo and Metohija have travel documents issued by the Serbian Government Coordination Administration. There is no precise data on the exact number of passports issued by this administration, while according to Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) from 2017, back then there were slightly less than 90,000 such passports. People having those passports could be the only ones who will have to apply for a visa to travel to EU countries, when visa liberalisation for Kosovo comes into force on January 1, 2024, Euronews continues.

For years, Belgrade has been insisting that this problem ought to be solved, while Pristina is calling on Serbs to take Kosovo passports.

The Coordination Administration was formed at the request of the European Commission in the process of approving visa liberalisation for Serbia in 2009 because of, as said back then, the fear of illegal migration and Belgrade’s inability to guarantee the accuracy of data in travel documents. Thus, the citizens of Serbia have been in the visa-free regime since 2009, but not all of them, because visa liberalisation does not apply to citizens residing in Kosovo and Metohija.

Author of a research “Special Passport Zone” Milica Andric Rakic told Euronews Serbia that the exact number of passports issued by the Coordination Administration remains unknown.

“The last official data I have was given to me by MUP in 2017, and at that time there were slightly less than 90,000 such passports. I asked for the same information a few weeks ago but hadn’t received it yet (...)”, she said.

Some Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija changed their places of residence in order to obtain passports by which they can travel visa free, some did not take travel documents at all, while some accepted Kosovo ones, expecting visa liberalisation.

“We have the right to Kosovo citizenship, but we also have the right to Serbian citizenship. And the European Commission cannot simply take that away, there are actually numerous examples of countries within the European Union that respect the right to multiple citizenships. It simply must be emphasised to them and make it clear”, Rakic-Andric added.

European Commission for Internal Affairs spokeswoman told Euronews Serbia that Serbs with passports of the Coordination Administration do not benefit from visa-free regime for Serbia, and as she said, while progress is being made with the liberalisation of the visa regime for Kosovo, the European Union is determined to ensure that all citizens of the Western Balkans are included in the visa-free regime and be provided with conditions for safe travel.

“Therefore, there is now a room to demand that all passports issued in this territory are part of visa-liberalisation and to emphasise that Kosovo Serbs, but also all citizens of Serbia with residence in Kosovo, have the right, according to the Kosovo legal framework, not only to dual, rather than multiple, citizenship”, Andric Rakic explained.

International

High gas prices and inflation dampen growth in EBRD regions (ebrd.com)

High gas prices and persistent inflation continue to weigh on the economic outlook, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says today in an update to its Regional Economic Prospects forecasts.

Output in the Bank’s regions, which stretch across three continents, is now expected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2023, down from the 3.0 percent predicted in its last report in September.

Growth forecasts have been adjusted downwards in more than half of the 36 economies in which the EBRD works, with very few upward revisions.

Growth in the Bank’s regions is expected to pick up to 3.3 per cent in 2024.