UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 30, 2022

Serbia ignores EU sanctions, secures gas deal with Putin (AP)
Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti reacts after the Putin-Vucic agreement (media)
Vela: How long will EU tolerate Serbia deepening cooperation with Russia (media)
Kusari-Lila on gas deal: This is a well planned action of Serbia (media)
Tahiri: American gas pipeline, the best response to Vucic-Putin gas deal (media)
Kosovo to apply to NATO and EU, Kurti says (Koha)
Varhelyi and Von Cramon in Belgrade to pressure Vucic about Kosovo (RTK)
Kurti: Government expects greater commitment to prosecuting war crimes (media)
Kosovo doesn’t change its stance, refuses next meeting of Open Balkan (euronews.al)
Kosovo Hopes Croatia Will Support its Bid to Join EUSAIR (Total Croatia News)
COVID-19: No new cases (media)

Serbia ignores EU sanctions, secures gas deal with Putin (AP)

As the war in Ukraine rages, Serbia’s president announced that he has secured an “extremely favorable” natural gas deal with Russia during a telephone conversation Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to explicitly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and his country has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow. Vucic claims he wants to take Serbia into the European Union but has spent recent years cementing ties with Russia, a long-time ally.

The gas deal is likely to be signed during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Belgrade early in June — a rare visit by a ranking Russian official to a European country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began Feb. 24.

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

Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti reacts after the Putin-Vucic agreement (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti reacted after the agreement reached between the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin through a phone call.

Kurti wrote on Twitter: “They don’t even have to meet anymore: agreements between Putin and Vucic are now reached through phone conversations. But here’s what Vucic said regarding Kosova after his 19th meeting with Putin in Sochi on 25 November 2021: I spoke about double standards and often hypocrisy in international relations. President Putin recognizes that and understands well what I am talking about, but he asked me about the North of Kosovo, and showed him on the map.”

Vela: How long will EU tolerate Serbia deepening cooperation with Russia (media)

Blerim Vela, chief of staff to President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, said that instead of imposing sanctions on Russia, Serbia is deepening cooperation with it.

"Putin and Vucic agreed in a phone call today that Russia will continue supplying natural gas to Serbia and two countries will bolster their partnership. Serbia, an EU candidate country, instead of aligning with EU sanctions deepens coop with Rrusia. Until when EU will tolerate this?

Kusari-Lila on gas deal: This is a well planned action of Serbia (media)

Mimoza Kusari-Lila, head of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) parliamentary group, reacted on Twitter to the news that Serbia reached a three-year gas supply contract with Russia.

"This is a well planned action of Serbia siding with the aggressor Russia (for at least three more years) and ignoring completely alignment with EU Policy. Now everyone who comes upfront defending what there’s nothing left to be defended, is clearly siding with Russia through Serbia," she wrote.

Tahiri: American gas pipeline, the best response to Vucic-Putin gas deal (media)

Besnik Tahiri, head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, reacted to the news of Serbia reaching agreement for purchase of gas from Russia saying that it is a clear evidence that Serbian President Vucic is 'manipulating' the EU and the West on key strategic issues.

"What else should Serbia do to open the eyes of authorities in Brussels," asked Tahiri, adding that the EU still believes that the Open Balkans initiative is the right answer. "The Government needs to urgently take a positive decision about the gas pipeline supported by the United States. This would be the most powerful response to the Vucic-Putin deal," he said on social media.

Kosovo to apply to NATO and EU, Kurti says (Koha)

Kosovo is making preparations to apply for membership in NATO as well as the European Union, Koha quotes Prime Minister of Kosovo and leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) saying at the meeting of the party's general council on Sunday. Kurti also spoke about his recent visit to the U.S. saying the meetings there were fruitful.

"Kosovo' image has a new and more appealing content both in the political and economic aspect. Membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe is an added value for the Council and an opportunity for Kosovo to advance even more in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law," Kurti said.

Varhelyi and Von Cramon in Belgrade to pressure Vucic about Kosovo (RTK)

On Monday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will receive direct and clear messages from the European Union regarding relations with Russia and the issue of dialogue with Kosovo, RTK reports.

Vucic will meet with the European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon in Belgrade on Monday at 10:30 hours. In the afternoon, he will meet with the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.

Radio Kosova has learnt that both Von Cramon and Varhelyi will reiterate Brussels' position, to impose sanctions on Russia and to find a solution within the dialogue with Kosovo on topics such as energy and other agreements not implemented so far. Sources in Brussels told Radio Kosova that the Serbian President will generally be pressured to work towards the normalization of relations with Kosovo towards by reaching a comprehensive agreement, which in essence is the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

Kurti: Government expects greater commitment to prosecuting war crimes (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said that the government he leads expects greater commitment in the prosecution and trial of war crimes by the judiciary. Through a post on Facebook, Kurti said that for this reason they have increased the budget to increase the number of prosecutors and special associates.

"Also, we are working on the creation of the Institute that will document the crimes committed during the war, and we are working diligently on drafting a strategy for transitional justice," he said.

He added that the weight of the judiciary for the trial of these cases exceeds the professional one, emphasizing that the institutional responsibility is necessary. “War criminals must be punished and for this the highest institutional responsibility is necessary,” Kurti wrote.

Kosovo doesn’t change its stance, refuses next meeting of Open Balkan (euronews.al)

Kosovo will refuse any invitation to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Open Balkan set to take place on June 7 in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Even though Montenegro recently changes its stance on this regional initiative, no such changes have been observed in Kosovo.

The ruling party, LVV, remain steadfast in their stance against Open Balkan. “We’re against Open Balkan and support the Berlin Process. We believe that Open Balkan doesn’t help the Republic of Kosovo on the economic or security aspects, in fact it only serves to further strengthen Serbia,” – said MP Arber Rexhepaj.

So far, all the main opposition parties in Kosovo have held the same stance.

Kosovo Hopes Croatia Will Support its Bid to Join EUSAIR (Total Croatia News)

Kosovo wishes to join the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), a forum in which ten countries cooperate in transport, tourism, and environmental protection projects, and hopes Croatia, which over the presidency next year, will support it.

The ten countries - Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and San Marino - met in Tirana on 16-18 May, where they adopted a joint declaration calling for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.

A Kosovo delegation led by Local Government Minister Elbert Krasniqi was in Tirana at the time and did not attend the meeting, but did meet with European Commission representatives.