UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 17, 2022

Kurti: Not sure if we have two years for agreement with Serbia (DW)
Mehaj: Kosovo must join Partnership for Peace ASAP (KosovaPress)
Hovenier: Decision on Decani Monastery land must be implemented (Klan)
Historians from Decan: Insistence of internationals is unacceptable (Zeri)
Szunyog pleased with ratification of three international agreements (RTK)
PDK: EU report on Kosovo proved limited capacity of government (media)
Osmani: If Open Balkans harms someone, we won’t be part of initiative (RFE)
Abazi forms Green Group of MPs in the Assembly of Kosovo (RTK)
Education Ministry overrules school ban on long-haired boy (BIRN)
German Chancellor calls for EU’s enlargement (Albanian Daily News)
Vulin: We are being blackmailed to recognize Kosovo (Klan)
Serbia-Hungary pipeline deal a big political gamble (BIRN)

Kurti: Not sure if we have two years for agreement with Serbia (DW)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that there is not much time left to reach afinal agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. In an interview for Deutsche Welle’s "Conflict Zone" Kurti said that he is not sure if both countries have time to reach the agreement until 2024, as stated by the EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

"I agree that we don't have much time and we live in not only dangerous but also unpredictable times. So I'm not sure if we have another two years. We have to do it as soon as possible. And for this I am ready to engage creatively and constructively in the talks in Brussels whenever they invite us," he said.

Belgrade is destabilizing the Balkans through illegal structures and its failure to acknowledge crimes of the past, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told Conflict Zone's Tim Sebastian. Kurti said Serbia's relationship with Moscow includes military and economic ties.

See the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3s0Eajp

Mehaj: Kosovo must join Partnership for Peace ASAP (KosovaPress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj said that Serbia, as a pro-Russian country, operates with the idea that "the more territory, the more protected it will be," therefore faced with this ideology of a neighboring country, he emphasizes that the integration of Kosovo is indispensable.

He said that Kosovo is currently interested in joining the Partnership for Peace in a record time, for which it requires the support of non-recognizing countries.

Mehaj considers that it is important that Kosovo's membership in world security organizations happens as soon as possible, taking into account the fragile security situation in the world as a result of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and Serbia's pro-Russian policy.

According to him, in addition to the inter-ministerial group for Partnership for Peace that has already been established, it is important that the European Union and NATO see the positive changes in Kosovo. He emphasized that they are increasing bilateral cooperation with many other NATO partners.

Hovenier: Decision on Decani Monastery land must be implemented (Klan)

The United States Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier has said that the issue of the Monastery of Decan must be implemented as the Constitutional Court has decided.

Hovenier said that he believes that this is a matter of the rule of law and as they have requested publicly, that decision should be implemented.

"This is not something that should be negotiated or discussed at this moment, it happened, but the court decided. In a democracy, you follow the decisions of the Constitutional Court," Hovenier said.

Further, he added that Kosovo is also bound by the Ahtisaari Package regarding the status of the monastery.

"I was part of the team that helped develop Ahtisaari's plan, we were very focused on that then and we remain focused. The United States, and I believe I can speak for our partners, feel very strongly that Kosovo should be a multi-ethnic country, a state in which all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, can live in conditions of dignity and security, we also believe that as part of the Ahtisaari process and other things we have the obligations of the government of Kosovo regarding the status of the church."

"Ahtisaari decided things and the government of Kosovo then implements the laws that are really quite strong in terms of protection, legal framework and special protective zones for the church and its status," Hovenier told Radio Kim.

He has said that Kosovo's request for the return of all vehicles in circulation with "RKS" license plates is reasonable, however he hopes that the government of Kosovo will extend the deadline beyond October 31.

"It is very clear that until now there have not been many requests to return the vehicles. The U.S. believes that the decision of the Kosovo government to enable people to drive with registered vehicles and license plates is not unreasonable and is in accordance with the Brussels agreement," Hovenier said.

Historians from Decan: Insistence of internationals is unacceptable (Zeri)

The League of Kosovo Historians, the branch in Decan, has reacted again about the decision of the Constitutional Court on the land of the Decani Monastery. The historians argued in a statement that the insistence of international officials to implement the court’s decision is unacceptable. According to them, Milosevic’s regime in 1993 and then in 1997 decided to give away the lands of two enterprises to the monastery. “A violent regime with violent laws gave away lands to the Decani Monastery,” they said.

“We believe that Kosovo’s institutions are obliged to protect the state sovereignty of Kosovo and the Constitution of the Republic. The Decani Monastery must withdraw from its anti-Albanian policy and give a chance to coexistence with the local population who have protected it and will continue to protect it infinitely,” the statement notes.

Szunyog pleased with ratification of three international agreements (RTK)

The Assembly of Kosovo approved on Saturday the agreement for Kosovo's participation in the "Fiscalis" and "Doganta" programs of the EU, as well as the co-financing agreement for the "Innovation and Training Park in Prizren" project between Kosovo and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, has welcomed the approval of three international agreements by the Parliament.

“With ratifying Kosovo’s participation in the EU’s Fiscalis and Customs programmes, as well as the outstanding Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance funding arrangements, the Assembly of Kosovo yesterday furthered Kosovo’s cooperation with the EU. Happy and grateful for this development,” he tweeted.

PDK: EU report on Kosovo proved limited capacity of the government (media)

Head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri and MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra, spoke in a media conference on Sunday, about the latest EU report on Kosovo.

Tahiri and Deliu have said that this report proves once again the inability of this government to deal with the real problems of the citizens of Kosovo.

"This Government has not made any progress in strengthening the judiciary. This shows their inability to enforce the rule of law. Meanwhile, the lack of will from the government to fight corruption and organized crime is underlined," Tahiri said.

Furthermore, he said that it is precisely the contribution of the opposition that has made the report satisfactory in several areas.

"We are very different in the way we oppose the ruling party. Even as the opposition, we have given our contribution in every opportunity to guarantee progress for the country. Therefore, as a Parliamentary Group, we have given support to 30 international agreements, in contrast to the Vetvendosje in the past. Moreover, as the opposition, we have given support to the government on Vetting - which is evidenced by the progress report," he said.

Also, he said that PDK supported the process of the electoral reform.

Meanwhile, MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra said that the challenges of the report are great and that they will call an Assemblhy session to addresse them.

"The report proves that there is no significant reform in Kosovo's aspiration for integration. The report emphasizes the actions related to the rule of law, the reforms in Public Administration, the fight against corruption and organized crime, and the insufficient actions to fight the informality of the economy. The offensive language that was used against journalists is also worrying," she said.

In the end, Tahiri also criticized the position of the Vetevendosje Movement regarding the report on the country.

"It was more of a press conference, where Vetevendosje tries to teach the European Union a lesson and criticize how it is treating Serbia,” he said.

Osmani: If Open Balkans harms someone, we won’t be part of initiative (RFE)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani said on Sunday in Skopje that the Open Balkans initiative aims to deepen the cooperation between the states of the region, but it, according to him, "will not be complete without the participation of the six states of the Western Balkans".

"The Open Balkans is an organic initiative, an initiative of the countries of the region, which creates the feeling that we ourselves can cooperate without anyone else inviting us to any other initiative. But the problem of the Open Balkans is that not all six countries are there," he said.

"I consider that the positions of the other three countries that have decided not to be part of the initiative are legitimate. Our task is to make efforts to convince them, but we, through the results, must prove that we are valuable. If we don't show results, then there is no reason for anyone to join us."

"We, as North Macedonia, will not allow any other country to be damaged. We consider that if someone will be harmed, I am thinking here about Kosovo as well due to its views towards this initiative, then we will not participate in this initiative. We will be guardians of the defense of any country in the Open Balkans," Osmani said.

Abazi forms Green Group of MPs in the Assembly of Kosovo (RTK)

Haki Abazi, MP of the Assembly of Kosovo from the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), has announced through the social network Facebook that the Green Group of MPs has been formed.

Abazi pointed out some of the scope points regarding the function of this group of voluntary MPs such as Legal framework of Kosovo; European Green Agenda; The Paris Climate Agreement; Treaty of Glasgow; Liaison with permanent and functional parliamentary committees, etc.

Abazi, among other things, noted that this grouping will be open to the inclusion of other MPs.

Education Ministry overrules school ban on long-haired boy (BIRN)

Kosovo’s Education Ministry ordered a school in the Ferizaj municipality to allow a five-year-old boy to return to classes after BIRN found that he had been banned because of his long hair, but his parents decided to send him to another school.

Valdrin Dervishaj, a legal adviser to the education minister, said on Thursday that a ban imposed by a school in Ferizaj on a five-year-old for having long hair was unacceptable and must be reversed.

“Children have their place in school. There is no legislation that prohibits children from having long or short hair,” Dervishaj said in a statement.

On October 12, the Education Inspectorate announced that it was preparing recommendations for the boy to return to school from Thursday.

“We will enable the pupil to continue his regular education. This case ends with the child’s return to school,” the Inspectorate said.

On October 11, BIRN reported that the five-year-old from Ferizaj was not allowed to enroll at the Jeronim De Rada elementary school due to a school regulation stating that “boys are prohibited from wearing earrings and growing their hair”.