Albanian Language Media:

• ​​Kurti: We’re starting to pave way for early elections in north (media)

• Escobar: We received pledges Serbia will not oppose elections in north of Kosovo (RFE)

• Bislimi and Petkovic to meet today in Brussels (media)

• Osmani meets delegation of KLA War Veterans Organisation (media)

• PDK: Kosovo needs early general elections; government lacks credibility (media)

• Szunyog: Central Election Commission will have EU support (RTK)

• Gutierrez: Violation of media freedom impedes Kosovo’s integration in EU (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

• NATO confirms Stoltenberg-Vucic meeting (N1, media)

• Escobar at Congress: Pristina must establish CSM, both sides to fulfill their obligations faster (RTS)

• Dacic signs cooperation deal with Anti-Corruption Agency (N1)

• Milivojevic on upcoming dialogue meeting, says pressure on Belgrade to continue, Pristina will not change stance (Kosovo Online)

• Witness at Thaci’s trial: KLA coordinated action of abducting large number of Serbs (KoSSev, BETA)

International Media:

• The U.S. Should Stand With Kosovo (Foreign Policy)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: We’re starting to pave way for early elections in north (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a Twitter post on Tuesday that “as of last week, we’ve reduced the presence of Kosovo Police by 25 percent in the three northern municipal buildings. Now we are starting to pave the way for early elections. Kosovo is already implementing in good faith the arrangement with the EU/EUSR on de-escalation reached in Bratislava.”

Escobar: We received pledges that Serbia will not oppose elections in north of Kosovo (RFE)

U.S. Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Tuesday that he received pledges that Serbia will not oppose new elections in the north of Kosovo and that it if acts otherwise Serbia will be faced with sanctions. He made these remarks during a briefing at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, which discussed security and stability in the Western Balkans and the U.S. approach toward the region.

Escobar said that among the key problems faced by the Western Balkans are slow progress in democratization, corruption, dependency on Russian sources of energy, ethno-nationalistic policies, disinformation, and damaging influence from abroad.

Commenting on recent tensions in the north of Kosovo, Escobar said that the United States are committed to de-escalation and that they are working to move the Western Balkans toward European and trans-Atlantic integration.

Escobar said he hopes to see important progress between Kosovo and Serbia this year. He especially commented on the Ohrid Agreement – reached between Kosovo and Serbia in March this year – saying that it offers an outstanding opportunity for both sides to create peaceful relations with one another.

“The agreement requires Serbia to recognise Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. To recognise national symbols, the flag, government documents, diplomas, license plates and prevent Serbia from blocking Kosovo’s membership in international organizations. Kosovo is required to implement its obligation to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. We believe that both countries need to engage in these aspects immediately and without conditions. They need to do their parts,” Escobar said.

See more at: https://t.ly/3JWQY

Bislimi and Petkovic to meet today in Brussels (media)

Kosovo's deputy prime minister and chief negotiator for dialogue with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, and Serbian chief negotiator, Petar Petkovic, will meet today in Brussels.

The spokesperson of the European Union, Peter Stano, said that the EU special representative, Miroslav Lajcak, will host the chief negotiators from both sides at the meeting.

"The focus will be on the implementation of the agreement of February 27 [Basic Agreement] and the steps to de-escalate the situation in the north of Kosovo", he wrote on Twitter.

Osmani meets delegation of KLA War Veterans Organisation (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Tuesday with representatives of the KLA War Veterans Organisation, and informed them that the Law on the Minimal Wage is still in the Assembly and that when it is sent to the President’s Office it will be treated by its legal experts and in line with the constitutional competencies of the President’s Office, also taking into account the importance of a dignified treatment of the war categories.

PDK: Kosovo needs early general elections; government lacks credibility (media)

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) chairmanship and parliamentary group met on Tuesday to discuss latest political developments and called for early parliamentary elections arguing that the current government lacks credibility. PDK leader Memli Krasniqi said Kosovo is faced with a political crisis because of what he called irresponsible and secret actions of the Kurti-led government. Commenting on the brawl at the Kosovo Assembly last week, Krasniqi argued that it was orchestrated by the government to shift attention from “the biggest political scandal in which they are involved – coordinating, cooperating and planning political actions with the criminal Milan Radoicic, to the detriment of the state and the citizens of Kosovo”.

A press release issued after the meeting notes that the PDK asked for explanations about the leaked conversation between Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, and Serbian List’s Igor Simic, and asked the government to say what is happening with the situation in the north of Kosovo. “Why did the government yield and agree to withdraw from the north, after several months of tensions and after it forced our allies to impose sanctions on Kosovo? why were Serb criminals, arrested for attacks against reporters and KFOR, set free,” the press release notes.

Szunyog: Central Election Commission will have EU support (RTK)

Head of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, met on Tuesday with the EU Head of Office and Special Representative in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog. Radoniqi welcomed the end of the election reforms process, and highlighted CEC’s current engagement in harmonizing election regulations with the Law on General Elections, which was adopted by the Kosovo Assembly in early June. “Radoniqi thanked the EU Office in Kosovo for being part of the process. Ambassador Szunyog said he was pleased that the election reform included the majority of recommendations by EU observers, who have been closely following election processes in Kosovo since 2013,” a press release issued by the CEC noted. Szunyog also expressed readiness to continue supporting the CEC in harmonizing other legal acts with the new law.

Gutierrez: Violation of media freedom impedes Kosovo’s integration in EU (Klan Kosova)

Secretary General of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, told Klan Kosova on Tuesday evening that Kosovo needs to respect European standards on media freedom if it wants to integrate in the European Union. 

Commenting on the decision to suspend the business certificate of Klan Kosova, Gutierrez said: “I believe that Kosovo being a candidate to join the Council of Europe and the European Union should respect European standards on media freedom. So yes it will have an impact, it has an impact, so people in the European Commission, people in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg in the Council of Europe, the parliamentary assembly and the administration of the Council of Europe, are looking at what’s happening in Kosovo and of course they will draw their own conclusions. So yes, what is happening in Kosovo will have an impact on the integration of Kosovo. It is clear that if you want to integrate in the European Union, Kosovo needs to respect EU standards on media freedom, and this is clearly against the policy and standards for media freedom. Such an arbitrary interference in the media operations is not permitted by the standards in Europe. Of course you can have decisions by independent regulators regarding technical issues because if you have a license to broadcast you also have conditions to respect. That is one thing. But taking a decision to suspend the business certificate is a very serious decision. So there is a kind of disproportion between the administrative problems that the government raised and the decision to suspend which is very serious. So I don’t see the reason to suspend the certificate”.

Serbian Language Media

NATO confirms Stoltenberg-Vucic meeting (N1, media)

NATO confirmed on Tuesday that Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels on Wednesday, N1 reports.

“On Wednesday 19 July 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet with the President of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, in Brussels”, the press release said.

It added that they will make joint statements after the meeting.

Escobar at Congress: Pristina must establish CSM, both sides to fulfill their obligations faster (RTS)

US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary and Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar in his testimony to the US Congress said the Pristina government must approach establishing the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), and that both sides must fulfill all their obligations faster, RTS reports.

Asked if Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti works credibly on establishing CMS and if the EU and US will exert pressure on Belgrade if no progress is made from that side, Escobar said that the Ohrid Agreement was a major opportunity for both sides to establish good relations and open the door to Europe.

He said US policy in the Western Balkans is based on a simple principle – continuation of the region's integration in Euro-Atlantic structures.

“Serbia must recognize Kosovo integrity, symbols, passports, personal documents, and not block Kosovo in any international organizations. Kosovo must establish a Community of Serb Municipalities, and we are committed to both countries being aware of their legal obligations and we hope for progress in this year”, Escobar said.

He added that the US and EU called for immediate de-escalation, including holding of new municipal and mayoral elections in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo with Serbs’ participation, and for renewed focus on implementation of the agreement made within the EU facilitated dialogue.

Dacic signs cooperation deal with Anti-Corruption Agency (N1)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Anti-Corruption Agency Director Dejan Damnjanovic to develop cooperation in preventing corruption.

A government press release said that they discussed “international cooperation in the field of corruption prevention, and in particular, the implementation of obligations assumed on the basis of ratified conventions and Serbia’s membership in international organizations, initiatives and networks”.

It said that they agreed to continue cooperation between the ministry and agency through coordinated activities at international and regional meetings.

“Damnjanovic expressed his gratitude for the excellent communication with representatives of the Foreign Ministry, and especially with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna, as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)”, the press release said.

Milivojevic on upcoming dialogue meeting, says pressure on Belgrade to continue, Pristina will not change stance (Kosovo Online)

Former high-ranking Serbian diplomat Zoran Milivojevic commenting on the upcoming dialogue meeting in Brussels today said one should expect pressure on Belgrade to continue, Kosovo Online portal reports.

He also said Pristina will not change its stance and will insist that it already works on de-escalation referring to, as he said, alleged concessions.

“They will insist on implementation of the so-called Ohrid Agreement. Belgrade will request withdrawal of Kosovo special police units, release of arrested Serbs and establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities”, he added.

He said much would depend on EU mediators, who also expressed their position.

“Lajcak requested de-escalation, unconditional organization of new elections and talks about implementation of the Ohrid agreement. One should expect talks to go along those lines (…)”, Milivojevic said, adding that the Serbian side can not agree to talk about the Ohrid agreement before de-escalation truly takes place and the situation in the north returns to the previous condition. 

Witness at Thaci’s trial: KLA coordinated action of abducting large number of Serbs (KoSSev, BETA)

Former member of OSCE Verification Mission in Kosovo, Frank Ledwidge testified before the Specialist Court in The Hague that Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in mid-July in 1998 carried out “a coordinated action of abducting large number of Serbs at several locations” in Orahovac and neighborhood, KoSSev portal reports citing BETA news agency.

Ledwidge made those statements in a trial to the former KLA commanders, Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants for the crimes committed in Kosovo and Albania in the period from 1998 to 1999. Ledwidge said that according to his knowledge, the aim of KLA was to use Serbs kidnapped during the attack on Orahovac on July 17, 1998 for exchange of prisoners.

However, according to the indictment, KLA murdered 13 kidnapped Serbs on July 19, 1998 in Malisevo, Orahovac municipality. Their remains were found in 2005 in a mass grave.

At that time, according to prosecutors, Thaci and other co-defendants, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi were present in the area, while Jakup Krasniqi was seen at prison camp in Malisevo, where KLA kept, beat up and tortured at least 48 kidnapped Serbs, Roma and Albanians.

Ledwidge arrived in Kosovo in November 1998 and his task was to find out what happened to the Serbs abducted during the summer in Orahovac and the area. 

 

International Media

 

The U.S. Should Stand With Kosovo (Foreign Policy)

By Eliot L. Engel, the former chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As the former chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and during more than 30 years in the House of Representatives, I closely followed United States policy toward the Balkans and have been pleased by Washington’s support for democracy, the rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts there. But although I generally back what President Joe Biden’s administration is doing at home and abroad, I have concerns with the State Department’s handling of the ongoing dispute between Kosovo and Serbia.

The United States and most of Europe recognized the Republic of Kosovo in 2008, when the small country declared independence from Serbia. Less than a decade earlier, the United States and NATO halted former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic’s vicious ethnic cleansing of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian population. It was a major foreign-policy success for the West, and it was followed by years of robust U.S. support for Kosovo. But since then, Serbia and Russia have blocked Kosovo’s effort to join the United Nations and gain full recognition around the world, and the U.S. State Department has recently seemed less willing to support Kosovo’s exertion of sovereignty throughout its own territory.