UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, April 8, 2022

Lajcak: It is urgent to reach an agreement on license plates (media)
Vela: New dynamic in dialogue after elections in Serbia (Klan Kosova)
Osmani finds Russia's influence in Balkans disturbing (ABC Australia, media)
Kosovo NGOs, EU, US blast proposal for top prosecutor (Exit)
President Osmani meets U.S. Ambassador Hovenier (media)
Gervalla to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session on April 20 (media)
Krasniqi: PDK supports election reform (media)
Konjufca indicted for releasing teargas in Assembly while in opposition (media)
Will China challenge the US on the Kosovo issue? (The Diplomat)
Kosovo, Bosnia prepare their NATO membership request (Greek City Times)
Albanian President decrees laws on Kosovo agreements (Albanian Daily News)
COVID-19: 27 new cases, no deaths (media)

Lajcak: It is urgent to reach an agreement on license plates (media)

Kosovo and Serbia have continued negotiations in Brussels, mediated by the European Union Envoy Miroslav Lajcak on the issue of license plates. The latter, through a post on his Twitter account, has announced that the working groups have discussed the issue.

Lajcak said it is urgent to reach a compromise to improve freedom of movement in the region. “Experts of Kosovo and Serbia met in Brussels today for the 7^th meeting of the WG on Licence Plates. With the deadline approaching, it’s urgent to reach a compromise to improve the freedom of movement in the region. It’s the responsibility of both parties to agree on a solution,” Lajcak wrote.

Vela: New dynamic in dialogue after elections in Serbia (Klan Kosova)

Blerim Vela, Chief of Staff to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, said in a debate on Klan Kosova on Thursday that meetings between Kosovo and Serbia will intensify after the elections in Serbia. “After the elections in Serbia, there will be a new dynamic in the process of dialogue, because there is also a greater U.S. investment in the process. There will be intensified efforts to reach a final political agreement centered on mutual recognition between the two countries. In a matter of weeks, the process of dialogue will intensify. There will be more meetings, and increased visits both in Prishtina and Belgrade to move toward the grand finale on mutual recognition,” he said.

Osmani finds Russia's influence in Balkans disturbing (ABC Australia, media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in an interview with Australia's national broadcaster ABC, that Kosovo does not remain silent in the face of the tyranny that is happening in Ukraine, while seeing as disturbing Russia's influence in the Balkans, especially through Serbia.

According to Osmani, the sights of Ukraine are familiar to the citizens of Kosovo as they are terrible memories of the past. “Obviously there can be consequences for our region, especially related to security. Russia still has a satellite in our region, which is Serbia. Serbia has served Russian interests for some time. It has increased economic and military cooperation with Russia in recent years, to such a great extent that it is a concern not only for the countries of the region, which love peace, but also for our partners around the world,” Osmani said.

Kosovo NGOs, EU, US blast proposal for top prosecutor (Exit)

The process leading to Kosovo Prosecutorial Council’s (KPC) unanimous proposal for Chief State Prosecutor was slammed by the European Union, United States and NGOs dealing with justice.

On Thursday, KPC proposed Blerim Isufaj to President Vjosa Osmani for a 7-year term as the country’s top prosecutor.

Prosecutor Isufaj was ranked first in the list of candidates with 98 out of 100 points. Four complaints by other candidates were reviewed and declined today at the KPC meeting, whose 11 members then voted in favor of Isufaj. The KPC stressed that the process was “objective, transparent, comprehensive and fully based on meritocracy.”

However, a number of NGOs working closely with justice issues had already raised serious concerns over the process for candidate assessment and had demanded for it to be repeated. Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) and FOL Movement said the KPC proposal was unacceptable and urged President Osmani to consider their previous criticism of the process before taking a decision on Prosecutor Isufaj’s nomination.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3v5s5dK

President Osmani meets U.S. Ambassador Hovenier (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, on Thursday, and discussed the latest developments in Kosovo and the region and furthering cooperation between Kosovo and the United States in the field of security. Osmani and Hovenier also talked about the implementation of joint development projects in the field of energy in Kosovo with the support of the U.S. They also talked about the agenda of Osmani’s international meetings in different countries.

Gervalla to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session on April 20 (media)

Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz will represent Kosovo at the United Nations Security Council session on April 20. UNMIK chief Caroline Ziadeh will brief the Council on the latest developments in Kosovo. Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Indeksonline on Thursday: “We can confirm that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, will represent the Republic of Kosovo at the upcoming meeting of the Security Council on April 20.”

Krasniqi: PDK supports election reform (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, met on Thursday with the OSCE Head of Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Michael Davenport, and discussed political developments and the need for election reform in line with EU recommendations. Krasniqi said after the meeting: “I expressed my appreciation to Ambassador Davenport for the work of the OSCE in different sectors in Kosovo. The PDK, as the leading opposition party of Kosovo, within the framework of its competencies, will support the electoral reform as an important process for the future of the country.”

Konjufca indicted for releasing teargas in Assembly while in opposition (media)

Kosovo Assembly President Speaker Glauk Konjufca has been indicted for releasing teargas in the Assembly in 2016 when as MP of the then opposition party of Vetevendosje as part of efforts to block ratification of a controversial border agreement with Montenegro.

According to the indictment published by Betimi per Drejtesi, Konjufca, who is a senior member of the Vetevendosje, is accused that on 10 August 2016 during the Assembly Presidency meeting he set off teargas interrupting the meeting.

The Basic Court in Pristina scheduled the initial hearing today (07 April) but the Accused Konjufca did not show up in the courtroom. The presiding judge of this case, Edita Çanta, said the accused has informed the court that because of his agenda, he could not attend Thursday’s court hearing. On Thursday Konjufca was seen chairing the plenary session of the Assembly. Gazeta Express has tried to contact Konjufca but he was not available for comment.

Will China challenge the US on the Kosovo issue? (The Diplomat)

With Russia preoccupied, Serbia will be looking for a new champion – and China has shown its willingness to oppose the U.S. at every opportunity.

On May 7, 1999, during NATO’s Operation Allied Force mission, which put an end to the Serbian bloodshed in Kosovo, an air missile accidentally hit China’s Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists. Beijing viewed the bombing as paving the way for “gunboat diplomacy,” which could threaten China’s immediate security environment, and a potential precedent for U.S. interference in the Taiwan issue. Twenty-three years later, the unfortunate event continues to fuel China’s anti-U.S. sentiment and its unequivocal support for Serbia.