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UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 23, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

  • Osmani to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session on Kosovo (media)
  • Kurti: I thank and appreciate five emissaries for new plan to move forward (media)
  • Lajcak on visits to Kosovo and Serbia (media)
  • EU to discuss Kosovo-Serbia situation today (media)
  • Osmani meets Kearns, “we stand stronger with allies like you” (media)
  • Kurti: Those responsible to be extradited, Serbia to be held accountable (media)
  • Kearns: Political dialogue cannot continue while there are questions around basic security of people (Kallxo)
  • Judicial cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, mainly on paper (RFE)
  • Serwer says “Vucic tries to control Serbs in Kosovo through Serbian List” (media)
  • Albanian-American to protest in front of UNHQ against Serbia’s actions (media)

Serbian Language Media:

  • Vucic: I'm going to Brussels; I believe that Belgrade will find a way out; The elections will be held on December 17 and will be decisive for the people (Tanjug)
  • Professor Milivojevic: Newly adopted laws represent a grave attack on media freedom in Serbia (N1)
  • Heads of EU diplomacy today in Luxembourg (RTS) 
  • Vucic claims foreign services have a plan to oust his SNS party (Beta, N1)
  • Surlic: There is a new plan for Kosovo, negotiations will continue in secret (Danas)
    • Vucic: Meeting with five envoys was difficult (Tanjug)
  • Lajcak: We expect Kosovo and Serbia to fulfill their obligations from all agreements reached (NMagazin, Beta)
  • Kosovo authorities expel Abbot, a North Macedonia national (N1)
  • EULEX: We are thoroughly and resolutely following the case of Abbot Fotije's deportation (Kosovo Online)
  • OSCE asking the Kosovo authorities' clarification on the reasons for the deportation of Abbot Fotije (Kosovo Online)
  • Petkovic: Pristina brutally violates the religious freedoms of the Serbian people (RTS)
  • Jevtic: The deportation of the Abbot sends the message that Pristina's policy is to expel Serbs from Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
  • A new Kosovo Serb party is on the horizon – the Serbian People’s Movement (KoSSev)
  • Kearns as a guest of honor in Pristina: Presented with gifts and thanked for linking the SOC with arms smuggling (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session on Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani traveled to New York on Sunday where she will represent Kosovo at the United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo. “At the meeting of the Security Council, President Osmani will talk about political and security developments in Kosovo, after the terrorist attack and act of aggression by Serbia against Kosovo on September 24th. President Osmani will also talk about the commitment of the Republic’s institutions for peace, security and long-term stability in the region, as well as the close cooperation with Kosovo’s allies and partners,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes.

Before the Security Council meeting, Osmani is scheduled to meet and coordinate with several representatives of allied countries.

The link to the live broadcast of the session: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1c/k1cyaxhyld

Kurti: I thank and appreciate five emissaries for new plan to move forward (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Saturday in Pristina with EU Special Representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, U.S. Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the foreign policy and security advisors of German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron, Jens Plotner and Emmanuel Bonne, and diplomatic advisor to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Alessandro Cattaneo.

Kurti’s office issued a press release after the meeting, citing him as saying that “the key priority and urgent matter for Kosovo is the security of the state and citizens, borders and territory. After the terrorist and criminal attack on September 24th by paramilitary groups with sponsoring and participation by Serbia, punishment is crucial for non-repetition.”

“The meeting discussed the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, namely the implementation of the Basic Agreement (Brussels, February 27) and the Implementation Annex (Ohrid, March 18). The Prime Minister said qualitative reflection and a new approach are needed. The five envoys offered their new plan on moving forward, with the Prime Minister expressing his thanks and appreciation. Discussions need to continue intensively,” the press release notes.

In a post on X, Kurti said: “After the September 24 terrorist attack – with sponsorship and participation of Serbia—the security of our border takes priority. In dialogue, a new approach is needed. I thank and appreciate the 5 emissaries for their new plan for moving forward.”

Lajcak on visits to Kosovo and Serbia (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that in his visits to Kosovo and Serbia together with the chief foreign and security advisers of France, Germany and Italy, as well as US Western Balkan envoy Escobar, they discussed with “President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti on how to advance normalisation of relations and make progress on the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation. The security situation in the north of Kosovo was also a topic of discussion.”

“We underlined to both leaders that the events of 24 September constitute a clear and unprecedented escalation, which also demonstrates that both de-escalation and normalisation are now more urgent than ever. Together with our partners, we stand united in condemning the terrorist attacks and stress that all perpetrators must be brought to justice, expecting full cooperation from Serbia in this regard.”

“The events of 24 September don't change the fact that Kosovo and Serbia entered into the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation earlier this year.”

“In our discussions we conveyed the expectation for Kosovo and Serbia to fully meet their Dialogue obligations. Any conditions or delays are unacceptable.”

“I thank my partners for this visit and we will continue our discussions soon.”

EU to discuss Kosovo-Serbia situation today (media)

The EU Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, will meet in Luxembourg this morning, and discuss among other issues, the situation between Kosovo and Serbia after the September 24th attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo.

Koha notes that the EU says it is united in calling on both parties to urgently contribute to de-escalation and return to the implementation of obligations from the EU-facilitated dialogue.

Osmani meets Kearns, “we stand stronger with allies like you” (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted Alicia Kearns, Chair of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, in a meeting in Pristina on Saturday. Osmani wrote in a post on X after the meeting: “Thank you for being a staunch ally & supporter of the people of Kosovo. Your ongoing efforts in standing up against those who continue to undermine the hard-fought peace in our region is highly valued. We stand stronger with allies like you!”

Kurti: Those responsible to be extradited, Serbia to be held accountable (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said after meeting Alicia Kearns, Chair of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, in Pristina on Sunday that those responsible for the September 24th attack in the north of Kosovo must be extradited and Serbia must be held accountable. “A great pleasure to welcome Alicia Kearns today, who uses her voice as UK MP to advocate for democracy. I stressed the need for increased security after the Serbian state-sponsored terrorist attacks, for those responsible to be extradited and for Serbia to be held accountable. I also emphasized that Kosova remains an engaged, constructive, and committed party to the dialogue, including the full and unconditional implementation of the Basic Agreement and its Implementation Annex,” Kurti wrote on X after the meeting.

Kearns: Political dialogue cannot continue while there are questions around basic security of people (Kallxo)

UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns said in an interview with Kallxo that it is very important for an international investigation into the September 24th attack against Kosovo Police in the north to come out with a conclusion very soon. “I think it is very important that we recognize that a political dialogue – and we saw the envoys here over the weekend – that political dialogue cannot continue whilst there are questions around the basic security of people in the north of Kosovo and across the whole of Kosovo. For me that investigation needs to come forward quickly and it will shape the future of the political dialogue. But the reality is that the investigation needs to come up because the truth matters. There are still too many people that want to deny the history of Kosovo, to deny the atrocities that took place here. We cannot now deny another atrocity. Thankfully only one life was taken but so many more lives were saved that day and it’s important the world recognizes that this is not a one-off event. Yes the 24th changes everything but it is a pattern of escalation,” Kearns said.

Full interview at: https://tinyurl.com/4h42b5w9

Judicial cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, mainly on paper (RFE)

The news website reports that despite an existing agreement, Kosovo and Serbia do not cooperate easily on criminal issues. This year Serbia has even completely stopped asking for more information on certain legal cases from Kosovo, although it has responded to several requests from Kosovo. Kosovo and Serbia reached a justice agreement in 2013 as part of the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations. The agreement was amended in 2015 and based on it the parties exchange legal requests through EU representatives.

Responding to a question from the news website, the office of the EU Special Representative in Pristina said that in the last couple of years “a large number of cases – be they requests or responses – were successfully exchanged by the parties through the EUSR”.

The EUSR offered to the news website information from 2020 to September this year, according to which Kosovo made 1.460 requests to Serbia on different legal cases and received answers to 415 of them. In the same period, Serbia has submitted 596 requests to Kosovo and received answers for 1.050 cases, because many of them include responses to requests made before 2020. In the first nine months this year, according to EUSR, Kosovo has made 211 requests and received 17 responses. Serbia on the other hand made no request and no response.

The EUSR did not comment further about the figures but said that the agreement on mutual legal assistance is important because it enables the parties to improve legal cooperation.

Director of the Department for International Legal Cooperation at Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice, Gazmend Citaku, told RFE that the implementation of the agreement was interrupted unilaterally by Serbia. “This issue has also been raised by the representative of the EU Office and the Office of the EU Special Representative in Kosovo. According to my information, Serbia said it did not give up on the agreement, but at the same time there is no execution of answers. They haven’t responded to our requests for several months now,” Citaku said.

Ibrahim Ahmeti, a legal expert from Prizren, confirmed to RFE that many legal proceedings have remained pending due to lack of cooperation by Serbia.

Serwer says “Vucic tries to control Serbs in Kosovo through Serbian List” (media)

U.S. analyst on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said in an interview with Sarajevo-based Krug 99, that “in Kosovo, [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic’s overt political effort to control the Serb population is conducted through the Lista Srpska. But he also uses the Serbian secret services and their allies in organized crime to ensure that the Serb population, especially in the north, stays loyal to Belgrade, not Pristina.”

Serwer argued that “we saw that combination at work September 24, when Lista Srpska and the secret services attempted an armed uprising. The Kosovo police and KFOR foiled that.”

He said that “Vucic since then has leaned heavily in the direction of Russia and China. He no doubt fears that the US and Europe will demand that he apologize for the September 24 insurrection and promise it won’t happen again.”

Serwer also argued that “the media campaign against Albanians inside Serbia is intense, as is Vucic’s use of the media to support his increasingly autocratic role.”

Albanian-American to protest in front of UNHQ against Serbia’s actions (media)

Several news websites report that the Albanian-American community will protest today against what they called “Serbia’s terrorism and war-inciting actions”. A press release issued by the community notes that the Balkan region is a powder keg and that “if there is no intervention a new war can break out in the heart of Europe and that it will be another war with which the international community has to deal”.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: I'm going to Brussels; I believe that Belgrade will find a way out; The elections will be held on December 17 and will be decisive for the people (Tanjug)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Sunday that the conversation with the representatives of the "big five" was difficult and that there were no easy topics for us, but that he cannot talk about the details, because, as he says, that is the agreement, reported Tanjug. 

"But I understand everything about Kosovo and Metohija, it is extremely difficult for us. And now I would say something to the citizens, since people think that it is only because of Banjska. It was tactically terrible for us, it brought catastrophic immediate and several weeks or months of consequences,'' Vucic said.

The President reminded that, in a strategic sense, their only goal is for Serbia to finally recognize an independent Kosovo.

The opposition leads a false policy that serves them to win votes

Vucic said that there is a need for the opposition in Serbia to not have a policy, that they have never had one, and that the false policy they lead serves to win votes, to create a front as wide as possible against the SNS and him personally.

The elections will be held on December 17 and will be decisive for the people

Vucic announced that the elections will be held on December 17 and will be crucial for the people, because they will choose whether they want to live in ''a richer country'' or return to the past.

  "But I think that the elections are decisive, because after this there will be no elections for four years. There will be no elections for four years and then we will have all the elections together in 2027. All the election cycles together in 2027, we are talking about big elections, therefore, also provincial, both republican and presidential," Vucic said on TV Pink.

He added that he will not use tricks to stay in power, because, as he said, he does not need that in his life. "I do not promise to stay in power. If we lose the elections, we have lost. Here you go people, we congratulate you and that's it," said Vucic. 

He also mentioned the Free Trade Agreement with China as a historic agreement and added that it will bring many benefits to the citizens of Serbia.

Professor Milivojevic: Newly adopted laws represent a grave attack on media freedom in Serbia (N1)

The proposal for the Law on Public Information and the Media, which was adopted by the Government of Serbia, is the first openly revisionist law which, by returning media ownership to the state, simultaneously opposes European standards and after 25 years returns to the starting point of the transition, Snjezana Milivojevic, a retired professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, told N1.

She added that, taking into account two key factors – the state’s return to media ownership and the effort to defend the politically dependent and incompetent regulatory agency (REM), the adoption of new media laws represents a “combined attack on media freedom” and that it seems that not everyone took it seriously.

Serbia’s Government adopted new laws on electronic media and on public information and media on Friday. The new law on public information enables Telekom, which is majority-owned by the state, to establish media through other companies, which is contrary to the current media strategy, according to which the state cannot directly or indirectly own media. The new Law on Electronic Media stipulates that the REM Council will continue its work in its current composition for another year.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/3xyc86up

Heads of EU diplomacy today in Luxembourg (RTS) 

The heads of EU diplomacy will discuss the situation in Kosovo at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday after the conflict in Banjska and the latest visit of EU and US diplomatic envoys to Belgrade and Pristina, it was announced at the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels. Relations between Belgrade and Pristina will be one of the topics of the summit of EU heads of state and government on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, reported RTS.

RTS reported that the main message of the debate between the heads of diplomacy on Monday will be that in the current situation, a European perspective for Belgrade and Pristina is not possible, said a high-ranking EU official ahead of the meeting in Luxembourg.

The official, according to RTS, announced that the high representative Borrell and the EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak will report to the ministers on the talks held during the weekend in Belgrade and Pristina.

"High Representative Borrell's position is clear – after the violence, the two sides must return to dialogue under the auspices of the EU. Without a successful conclusion of the dialogue, there will be no European perspective for Belgrade and Pristina, that must be clearly stated," said the EU official.

There will not be a concrete proposal of possible measures against Belgrade on the table

According to the official, reported RTS, there will not be a concrete proposal of possible measures against Belgrade on the table on Monday in Luxembourg, but, as he said, "after the violence in the north of Kosovo, all options are on the table".

"After the incident in Banjska, we demanded from Belgrade and President Vucic to be transparent about the persons responsible for the attack. We talked intensively and we will see what the position of the member states will be," said the EU official.

According to diplomatic sources in Brussels, at an earlier internal meeting in October, eleven member states requested the introduction of measures against Serbia, if the Banjska investigation proves Belgrade's involvement.

Several countries believe that a more balanced position of the EU in measures towards Belgrade and Pristina is needed.

"Some countries believe that it is not good that there is a political asymmetry between Kosovo and Serbia. The measures were introduced for Kosovo because we believed that Prime Minister Kurti did not fulfill the obligations he accepted in the dialogue, but the upcoming meetings will show what the attitude of the member states is," state the European officials.

On Monday in Luxembourg, the foreign ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East, Nagorno-Karabakh and the war in Ukraine and relations with China and the countries of Central Asia.

The situation in Kosovo will be one of the topics of the summit of the leaders of the European Union on October 26 and 27, at which the conclusions on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina should also be adopted.

Vucic claims foreign services have a plan to oust his SNS party (Beta, N1)

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that there is a plan by foreign services to oust his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) from power, reported N1.

Speaking to pro-regime TV Pink, Vucic said that the opposition was working not only against him, but against his country, and he stated in detail that there was a „plan of foreign services“ to overthrow the SNS, but he did not specify who it was about. 

He said that, according to public opinion polls, the SNS has the support of about 44 percent of voters, the SPS about 10, the right-wing parties about 13 without Vojislav Seselj and Sasa Radulovic, and the pro-European opposition 22 to 23 percent, but that he thinks it will be even less. He stressed that the SNS, along with the minority parties, still has a decent majority.

“Their plan is as follows, to let the right wing be useful idiots and talk about us being traitors, to bring us down to 37, the SPS to raise it to 13 so they can start blackmailing, to give 16 to the right wing, and leave them at 23, and there is no more majority. This is why I want to warn people, that’s why a vote for the SNS and for the movement that will be founded is important,” said the president.

Surlic: There is a new plan for Kosovo, negotiations will continue in secret (Danas)

''After meeting with the "Big Five" on Saturday, there is a new plan and steps that Belgrade and Pristina should take to implement the Ohrid Annex and the "Agreement on the Road to Normalization of Relations", claims Stefan Surlic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, in the author's text for the Tanjug agency.

"After this much procrastination by the government of Albin Kurti, international actors are convinced that he does not want to form the CSM (ZSO) and will therefore approach plan B. That plan was already announced by Escobar, which is that they will form the CSM with those who want it. Translated, they will also propose the CSM statute based on which further negotiations will take place," believes Surlic, concluding that it is obvious that Plan B will be negotiated in secret, reported Danas.

Vucic: Meeting with five envoys was difficult (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday afternoon his meeting with a "big five" of Western envoys had been difficult.

"A difficult meeting with the 'five'. I believe we will find a way out of the crisis in the period to come. I expect important meetings in Brussels in the coming days," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account, reported Tanjug.

Vucic met with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar, the foreign policy and security advisers of the French president and the German chancellor, Emmanuel Bonne and Jens Plattner, and the diplomatic adviser of the Italian PM, Francesco Tallo.

Lajcak: We expect Kosovo and Serbia to fulfill their obligations from all agreements reached (NMagazin, Beta)

The EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Saturday in Belgrade that Serbia and Kosovo are expected to start fulfilling their obligations from Ohrid, as well as all previous agreements reached, reported NMagazin. 

"We expressed our concern about the current negative trajectory in the normalization process, which is directly related to the European path of Kosovo and Serbia," said Lajcak.

The topic of the visit, he added, was how to achieve concrete progress in the implementation of the Ohrid agreement and de-escalation after the latest events.

"We must be very clear; we strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the Kosovo police on September 24. All perpetrators must be brought to justice, and we expect full cooperation from Serbia and concrete actions. Leaders have a responsibility to citizens, and we expect responsible and measured communication with the public," Lajcak told journalists in Belgrade.

According to him, the dialogue will be the topic of the meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Monday, as well as later next week in the European Council.

"This visit will have a direct impact on those talks. As we have said many times, there is no European future for Serbia and Kosovo without the normalization of relations and the implementation of the Agreement on the Road to Normalization and previous agreements within the dialogue," said Lajcak.

"We want to see a stable, prosperous and European region of the Western Balkans, and for that the dialogue is of crucial importance. Talks with President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti will continue in the coming days," said Lajcak in Belgrade.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that he had a "difficult meeting" with representatives of the USA and the European Union, and that he expects important meetings in Brussels in the coming days.

"I believe that in the coming period we will find a way out of the crisis," he wrote on Instagram after the meeting in the description of the photo with the representatives.

They first spoke with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Pristina, after which Lajcak stated that they came with a plan that they would present to both leaders, but he did not say the details of the plan.

After today's meeting in Pristina, Kurti assessed that a "new approach" is needed to continue the dialogue on the normalization of relations with Belgrade.

Kosovo authorities expel Abbot, a North Macedonia national (N1)

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) said on Friday that the Kosovo authorities expelled the abbot of the Devina Voda monastery, reported N1.

A press release by the SPC Raska-Prizren Diocese protested the deportation of Abbot Fotije from Kosovo without explanation. It said that the Abbot was a citizen of North Macedonia who had been granted residence in Kosovo and has resided in the monastery since 2009 when he was made Abbot.

“In compliance with Kosovo laws, Father Fotije, a citizen of North Macedonia, like other clergymen of our diocese who still do not have Kosovo documents, has applied annually for a residence permit over the last five years. He regularly and without any issues received extensions of his residence permit,” it said.

The press release added that Abbot Fotije reported to the Department for Foreigners in Pristina on Friday to have his residency extended for the next 5 years but that he was told that his request was denied, and he was taken into custody by the police and driven to the border with North Macedonia. The press release said he was not allowed to get his personal effects from the monastery and that he has been banned from entering Kosovo for 5 years.

It said that the Abbot had residence in Kosovo until November 11 but that he was told that this had been revoked. He was handed a document which cited “reasons of national security” and forced to sign it, the press release said, adding that OSCE officials were present and that an EULEX official arrived later.

EULEX: We are thoroughly and resolutely following the case of Abbot Fotije's deportation (Kosovo Online)

In accordance with its comprehensive monitoring mandate, EULEX is closely monitoring selected institutions of the rule of law in Kosovo and their compliance with legal, procedural and human rights obligations, it was said in the mission's response to a question from Kosovo Online regarding the expulsion of the Abbot of the Devina Voda monastery near Zvecan.

According to Kosovo Online, as stated in EULEX's response, in the event that any possible deficiency is identified through the findings of EULEX's monitoring activity, the Mission will address the issue with the relevant, responsible authorities.

"EULEX thoroughly and resolutely follows the case you mention. For further information, please contact the Kosovo authorities," said from this mission, reported the portal.

OSCE asking the Kosovo authorities' clarification on the reasons for the deportation of Abbot Fotije (Kosovo Online)

On the case of deportation of Abbot Fotije by the Kosovo authorities, OSCE stated, in a response to Kosovo online, that they are asking the Kosovo authorities for an explanation of the reasons for the deportation of Archdeacon Fotije. 

According to Kosovo online, the response stated that "the OSCE Mission has consistently supported the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church to obtain their residence permits in accordance with Kosovo legislation."

"The mission also provided support to Abbot Fotije. We are in contact with the Serbian Orthodox Church in connection with this case and are seeking clarification from the Kosovo authorities on the reasons for his deportation," it was said in the OSCE's written response, reported Kosovo Online.

Petkovic: Pristina brutally violates the religious freedoms of the Serbian people (RTS)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said that the deportation of the Devina Voda monastery Abbot Fotije, is another of Pristina's mindless acts that limit the activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and brutally violate the religious freedoms of the Serbian people.

"Abbot Fotije, who for years regulated his stay in Kosovo and Metohija in accordance with the administrative procedures of Pristina, was deported without any reason or explanation to North Macedonia, where he is from, and even the representatives of international organizations present did not manage to prevent this act of violence," said Petkovic.

''The persecution of clerics and attacks on the facilities and property of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren are an indicative picture of the reality in Kosovo, and a confirmation that Albin Kurti's regime is in some kind of total war against everything Serbian," said Petkovic.

According to him, ''there is no more flagrant confirmation of the chauvinistic nature of Kurti's politics than the attack on those whose calling it is to preach universal human values and love of humanity,'' announced the Office for KIM.

Jevtic: The deportation of the Abbot sends the message that Pristina's policy is to expel Serbs from Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

The vice-president of the Serbian List and the president of the municipality of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic said that the expulsion of the Abbot of the Devina Voda monastery, near Zvecan, was just one more in a series of decisions aimed at further escalating the situation on the ground and fueling the conflict, reported Kosovo Online.

"And that's all contrary to what the international community, among other things, at least declaratively, asked of Albin Kurti," Jevtic told Kosovo Online in Washington.

He indicated that the act of expelling the Abbot, symbolically, sends the message that the policy of the regime in Pristina was to expel Serbs from Kosovo

"And that's not just my impression. In all the conversations in Washington, unfortunately, this is exactly the impression people have. It is high time that someone does something, not just talk, in order to prevent further escalation of the situation and further displacement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija," said Jevtic.

A new Kosovo Serb party is on the horizon – the Serbian People’s Movement (KoSSev)

After years-long absolute political dominance of Srpska Lista, the Kosovo Serbs could soon be getting a new political party.

A former official of the largest Kosovo Serb party and one of its founders – Branimir Stojanovic and the leader of the civic initiative “Za Zubin Potok” (For Zubin Potok),  Milija Bisevac, plan to found the Serbian People’s Movement.

This party will be an alternative to Srpska Lista, the duo says, adding that by no means will it be an opponent of Serbia as a state, although they note that they do not have the support of official Belgrade for this plan, nor are they looking for it.

“The Serb people feel completely beheaded at this moment. I feel like we have lost all the individuals who should lead the people and our politics. We decided to talk and create a new party -the Serbian People’s Movement, which would act in line with and represent the interests of the citizens in the future,” Bisevac and Stojanovic revealed in an exclusive interview for KoSSev.

They claim that they have no contact with Srpska Lista (Serbian List), although they are aware that there are ongoing personnel changes in the leadership of this party.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/8xr3k2ee

Kearns as a guest of honor in Pristina: Presented with gifts and thanked for linking the SOC with arms smuggling (KoSSev)

Member of Parliament and Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the United Kingdom, Alicia Kearns, has been in Kosovo for three days now. Kearns was warmly welcomed by Kosovo officials and has been meeting with representatives of the government and the opposition, who are sparing no words of praise for the British MP. Kearns, who is known among the Serb community for linking the alleged arms smuggling to the SOC in Kosovo, the allegations for which KFOR then said there was no evidence, is now being congratulated by Pristina officials for “confirming the truth”. They showed Kearns the weapons seized in the north and even openly thanked her for “raising awareness” about the alleged “religious facilities and clinics in the north being used to transport and store weapons.” In the meantime, the Pristina media reported on Kearns’ visit, saying that she “was the first to raise the alarm about the large-scale Serb arming in churches.”

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/yz626y9t