UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 22, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani: Membership in EU and NATO remain our common objectives (EO)
Gervalla to take part in meeting of EU foreign ministers (media)
Exclusive details for swearing-in of the other three mayors in the north (Indeksonline)
Tahiri: Meeting of Assembly Presidency failed because there was no quorum (Klan)
PDK: Government doesn’t care that parliamentary agenda is blocked (Klan)
Kosovo leaders commemorate anniversary of Dubrava Prison massacre (media)
Court extends for two months detention measure for Nagip Krasniqi (Kallxo)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic on arrest and subsequent release of a Serb at Jarinje (RTS)
Milan Radoicic and Danilo Vucic visited Serbs from Kosovo who took on foot to attend gathering in Belgrade (Danas, KoSSev, Politika)
Atiq started appointing directors of departments in Mitrovica North municipality (Kosovo Online)
Kurti on “cultural wealth of Kosovo“, shares photo of Gracanica monastery: “We restored mosques, Catholic and Orthodox churches” (KoSSev)
Starovic: Military exercise in Kosovo is violation of SC Resolution 1244 (N1, RTS)
Dacic to meet with EU and Western Balkan FMs in Brussels (Tanjug)

International:

Assessing Kosovo-Serbia Agreement: Implementation Challenges and Potential Benefits (Prishtina Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

Work begins on 150 MW capacity solar thermal power plant in Gjakova village (media)
Rasic attends laying of foundation for house of Jovanovic family (Klan)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Membership in EU and NATO remain our common objectives (Gazeta 10)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that the objective of Kosovo’s foreign policy is membership in the European Union and NATO. During the opening of the ninth edition of the Spring School organised by the Kosovo Diplomatic Academy, Osmani said it is important to cooperate in all areas in order to have peace and security in the region and beyond, while referring to finding a solution in the dialogue with Serbia. “A solution in the dialogue with Serbia is to secure peace in the region and beyond. Economic diplomacy remains a priority. Small countries like Kosovo face more difficulties, therefore, it is very important to have partnership especially in economic diplomacy,” Osmani said.

Gervalla to take part in meeting of EU foreign ministers (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, will take part in today’s meeting of 27 foreign ministers of EU member states with foreign ministers from the Western Balkans, which will be held in Brussels.

Exclusive details for swearing-in of the other three mayors in the north (Indeksonline)

Erden Atic was sworn in on Friday as the new mayor of Mitrovica North. The other three new mayors of the municipalities of Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok, are expected to do the same soon.

Citing unnamed sources, the news website reports that the swearing-in of the other three mayors will end this week and that this was reportedly decided at a meeting this morning.

The swearing-in of the other three mayors is considered to be more challenging, because of the locations of the municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan, and the eventual resistance from the local Serbs.

Tahiri: Meeting of Assembly Presidency failed because there was no quorum (Klan)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said that today’s meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency failed because there was no quorum. He told reporters that the blocking of the Assembly is happening because of the government’s fault. “The meeting of the presidency failed because there was no sufficient quorum and as a result we cannot have a new session on Thursday,” he said. “The blocking of the Assembly is not happening because of the opposition. The unblocking can happen only if the Ministry of Finance changes its populist approach toward the own source revenues of municipalities. This should happen this week because they are both unable to use the budget they have blocked, and they also want to take away the budgets of the municipalities,” Tahiri argued.

PDK: Government doesn’t care that parliamentary agenda is blocked (Klan)

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, argued today that the government doesn’t care that the parliamentary agenda is blocked. “We have a government that can be called anything else but a government. Because if the government was more effective and the Prime Minister was more effective, the blocking of the Assembly would have had an exceptional impact on the government’s work. The fact that the Prime Minister and the government don’t care that the parliamentary agenda is blocked, you can imagine the situation of governance in our country. None of their projects are running well … The economy is on the verge of collapsing, there is a great blockade, but the government doesn’t care,” Tahiri said.

Kosovo leaders commemorate 24th anniversary of Dubrava Prison massacre (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today on the 24th anniversary of the massacre at Dubrava Prison that it was one of the most heinous crimes committed by the Serbian criminal regime in 1999. From 19-24 May, 1999, 160 Albanian inmates were killed inside the prison and 300 were wounded. “They were being kept in prison unjustly as hostages of war and against all international rules and laws. The Dubrava Massacre is one the most heinous crimes of the Serbian criminal regime in 1999, therefore, justice for all victims and survivors will be a triumph of truth,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post. She also said that the memory and honour for the victims will be forever and so will the engagement of the authorities to punish the crime.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that “beyond the data there is another problem and that is how we should read these massacres, killings and imprisonments. One of the ways to remember Kosovo’s history is to read about imprisonment according to the legal order. The Albanian political prisoners were a special category that could not be ignored. The state of Serbia gathered over 900 political prisoners and brought them to Dubrava to execute them. It [Serbia] turned this prison into a camp of political prisoners”.

Assembly President Glauk Konjufca said “we are here today to commemorate Serbia’s most heinous act. Although 24 years have passed and the responsibility falls on the Serbian state, unfortunately there is no justice yet. I saw the families too who have been living with the burden of injustice for 24 years. When the KLA is concerned there is justice, but there is no justice when it comes to Serbian paramilitary forces with a clear responsibility for the campaign of genocide in Kosovo”.

Court extends for two months detention measure for Nagip Krasniqi (Kallxo)

The Basic Court in Pristina has decided to extend for two months the detention measure for the suspended chief executive officer of the Kosovo Power Corporation (KEK), Nagip Krasniqi. A spokesperson for the court confirmed the information.

Krasniqi was arrested following an order by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, after being suspected of committing the criminal offences misuse of his position or official authority, exercise of influence and conflict of interest.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic on arrest and subsequent release of a Serb at Jarinje (RTS)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said that Branko Banjac, arrested forcibly on Sunday without any explanation and grounds at Jarinje administrative crossing point, had been released following Belgrade’s political and diplomatic action, adding that allegedly he had been arrested by ‘mistake’, RTS reports.

“Is someone going to apologise to Branko and his family for the stress they have been exposed to and be responsible for that. How come only Serbs are arrested by mistake”, Petkovic said in a post on Twitter.

“Such ‘kidnappings’ of innocent Serbs are standard modus operandi of intimidation by (Albin) Kurti’s police attempting to create a general sense of endangerment among the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija”, he added.

Banjac, 72-year old, along with his wife, was on his way from Belgrade to Pec to the court hearing related to the property issue.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija hired a lawyer to Banjac, Petkovic contacted the family offering them any assistance they needed and informed the EU mediator for Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak about the case, RTS added.

Milan Radoicic and Danilo Vucic visited Serbs from Kosovo who took on foot to attend gathering in Belgrade (Danas, KoSSev, Politika)

Igor Simic, the Vice-President of the Serbian List, announced on his Instagram profile that Milan Radoicic, Serbian List Vice-President and Danilo Vucic, son of the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, visited the Serbs from Kosovo Pomoravlje, who have been walking to Belgrade for five days, hoping to support their president and the country of Serbia at a rally on May 26, reported daily Danas.

Simic wrote on Instagram that they ''visited the heroes from Kosovo and Metohija, during their break in Cuprija and personally thanked them for their support to the state of Serbia, patriotism and for showing by their example how Serbia is loved and respected."

The Serbs from Kosovo, on route to the rally, said that ''this is a huge support to them to persevere on their way to the goal, to strongly support the policy of Aleksandar Vucic on behalf of the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija''.

Blerim Vela, chief of the cabinet of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, commented on this on his Twitter profile.

"Serbian List 'proudly' published a picture of Radoicic, and Vucic's son raising three fingers - a political sign originating from the Serbian Volunteer Corps and Nedic's government and the fascist politician Ljotic who collaborated with the Nazis! Serbian extreme right-wing organisations widely use this sign," Vela wrote, cited Danas daily.

Politika daily reported that the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, reacted to this on Twitter by saying:

"Blerim Vela, you wretch, nothing can wash you away from the Nazi history and the SS division of Skanderbeg! By renovating the house of the Nazi collaborator Xhafer Deva, you showed that you still cherish the Nazi ideology. It bothers you that the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have one state and President Vucic, so you would bite, out of helplessness," Petkovic wrote in a Twitter post.

KoSSev portal reported that SL published a post on Facebook in the meantime, referring to the group of walkers:

"To strongly support Aleksandar Vucic's policy on behalf of the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija," stated a short text.

The portal recalled that this group left Kosovo on May 17 and has four more days to reach Belgrade, where the "Rally of Hope" will be held on May 26.

The Serbian president announced the rally, after the "Serbia against violence" protests started, which were called by some opposition leaders, because of the two massacres that happened in Serbia earlier this month.

Portal KoSSev wrote that ''for days, there have been numerous testimonies and evaluations in the public about the organisation of employees in institutions, pensioners, and social categories to go to the gathering organised by Vucic'', adding that ''there were more testimonies in the previous days about forcing workers to leave, which can be read and heard in the media, which are not under the control of the current regime, in addition to social networks. The authorities, on the other hand, deny these allegations''.

Atiq started appointing directors of departments in Mitrovica North municipality (Kosovo Online)

The new mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq said that he has started appointing the directors of the municipal departments and that he will visit the administration's employees during the day, reported portal Kosovo Online, citing Gazeta Express.

"These days we have a lot of work to do. I started with the appointment of the directors and today I will also visit the administration workers during the day. Apart from the media, I expect many other guests today," he said.

Atiq repeated that the issue of opening the bridge over the Ibar is in the hands of the Ministry of Local Government Administration.

"For the issue of the bridge on the Ibar, we already have the decision of the Municipal Assembly and now it is in the hands of the MLGA", he said.

Kurti on “cultural wealth of Kosovo“, shares photo of Gracanica monastery: “We restored mosques, Catholic and Orthodox churches” (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal wrote that just a few days after international officials once again criticised the Kosovo government for not implementing the decision on land belonging to the Visoki Decani monastery, the Kosovo PM decided to share a post marking the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on the 21st of May. Kurti sent messages on “interfaith harmony”, “respect for cultural diversity”, promotion of history and identity, and support for development and peace. While sharing a series of photographs, including those of the Gracanica monastery, Kurti stated that Kosovo has “exceptional cultural wealth”. “We have restored and continue to restore mosques, Catholic and Orthodox churches,” he also said.

“On the International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, we recognize and appreciate the diverse wealth of our country and its role in promoting basic human rights and freedoms,” Kurti wrote in a Facebook post.

He alleged that “Kosovo has an exceptional cultural wealth, the diversity of which is shown today in the form of material and spiritual creativity, inherited from our past”.

Kurti noted that the protection of cultural heritage provides numerous benefits for society.

“We have restored and continue to restore mosques, hammams, Catholic churches, Orthodox churches, historical areas, towers, and traditional houses, mills, historical and public buildings in order to promote interfaith harmony as a universal value of our society and our rich national and social history,” said Kurti.

In a post on Facebook, Kurti also shared several photos of religious sites, including two photographs showing the exterior and interior of the Gracanica monastery.

According to him, “a lot has been done“:

“And even more awaits us – to improve the public museums where the material evidence of antiquity is preserved, and the traditions and values of the spiritual cultural heritage of our people are reflected,” said Kurti.

The Kosovo PM added that excavations continue at archaeological sites:

“We carry them out based on the plans and with the management units in order to welcome visitors and educate our children and youth as best as we can,” Kurti added.

Great steps have been taken to get out of the “emergency period”, he alleged.

“Our next goal is the management and operationalization of cultural heritage assets. Together, we will ensure that our cultural wealth is transformed into the benefit of our citizens,” concludes Kurti.

Kurti’s statements about “interfaith harmony” and “respect for cultural diversity” came just a few days after Quint and the OSCE pointed to the fact that seven years have passed since the Kosovo Constitutional Court confirmed Visoki Decani monastery’s ownership of 24 hectares of land, and the Kosovo institutions have yet to implement this decision, that is, register the land in the cadaster.

Unlike the Quint countries, Kosovo authorities continue to refuse to implement the decision of their own Constitutional Court, while top Kosovo officials even go as far as to criticise it.

Earlier this month, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said that she was “concerned” by the Kosovo Constitutional Court’s decision on the Visoki Decani monastery, describing it as “Milosevic’s decision” and “discriminatory”.

In addition to opposing the implementation of this decision, Kosovo officials define the religious sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church as “common”, “Kosovan”, that is, “the cultural heritage of our state”, using the words “Orthodox Church”.

On the same night that the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, announced that she had visited the Gracanica monastery as part of her Kosovo tour, describing it as a Serbian Orthodox monastery, the Kosovo Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Ceku, declared that it was a “cultural and religious asset of particular importance in our country”.

Starovic: Military exercise in Kosovo is violation of SC Resolution 1244 (N1, RTS)

Serbian Ministry of Defense State Secretary Nemanja Starovic said today holding of a military exercise in Kosovo runs in contradiction with still valid UN SC Resolution 1244, given that it envisages that the only legal forces in Kosovo are those from KFOR Mission, N1 reports.

Starovic told RTS nobody requested Serbian consent for the exercise, adding at the moment he has no information if the consent was requested from KFOR Mission and its commander either.

“The participation of the so-called members of the Kosovo security forces in a major problem because this way they are being legalised, represented and accepted as a military force. They are not and can’t be so, neither based on provisions of the UN Resolution 1244 nor even based on the existing Kosovo constitution”, Starovic said.

Dacic to meet with EU and Western Balkan FMs in Brussels (Tanjug)

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will attend a working lunch with EU and Western Balkan FM in Brussels on Monday.

According to a statement released by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the working lunch will be held on the margins of an EU Council of Foreign Affairs meeting.

While in Brussels, Dacic will meet with the chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister and EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

International

Assessing Kosovo-Serbia Agreement: Implementation Challenges and Potential Benefits (Prishtina Insight)

Examining the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia, this opinion article delves into the challenges of implementation, potential benefits, and the significance for regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.

During their first high-level meeting of 2023 in Brussels, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic verbally accepted the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia [referred to as APN] on February 27.

Subsequently, another meeting took place between the two leaders in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on March 18 to establish an implementation annex for the APN.

However, despite not officially failing, the reality was a fiasco.

In a late-night press conference, the EU’s foreign and security policy chief, Borrell, announced that the leaders had verbally agreed to an implementation annex that was vaguer than the actual agreement.

An uncertain verbal agreement

While Germany and France successfully brought Prime Minister Kurti and President Vucic to an agreement, the EU failed to secure Serbia’s signature on the agreement.

As a result, what was supposed to be a breakthrough agreement between Kosovo and Serbia has only added to the existing uncertainty and unpredictability. The lack of signatures in the agreement minimises both domestic and bilateral accountability for implementation.

Following the Ohrid debacle, the central challenge for the APN lies in its implementation. Neither Prishtina nor Belgrade, and Brussels for that matter, hold an optimistic view that the agreement will be actually implemented.

Humanitarian/Development

Work begins on 150 MW capacity solar thermal power plant in Gjakova village (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, participated on Friday in the ceremony of the start of works in the solar thermal power plant project with a capacity of 150 MW by Solar Energy Group Europe, in the village of Bec in the municipality of Gjakova.

A press release issued by the government quotes Kurti as saying that this moment symbolises not only an important step towards our goals to raise capacities from renewable energy sources, but also our unwavering commitment to create a brighter future for our country.

While highlighting the approval of the new Energy Strategy in the Assembly of Kosovo, he emphasised that we have already set the orientations of the energy sector for the 10-year period in this Strategy, with the aim that the development of the energy sector will move towards the energy transition in accordance with the Sofia Agreement and the Western Balkans Green Plan 6, as well as gradually towards carbon neutrality by 2050.