UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, July 3, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Government: Serbia rejected sequencing plan and sabotaged discussion about the missing (Kllan)
Lajcak: We agreed on a number of follow-up steps (RTK)
The tripartite meeting in Brussels of chief negotiators, without any result (RFE)
Kurti congratulates Schoof on appointment as Dutch PM (media)
Osmani: Let’s protect and further promote democracy (media)
Ulutas and Zupancic discuss security situation in Kosovo (Albanian Post)
EU, U.S. call on Serbia to distance from Russia, following Lavrov’s deputy visit (RFE)
Maqedonci meets Buhler, discuss also the goal of NATO membership (RTK)
Exhibition about Srebrenica genocide opened at UN headquarters in NY (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic: Pristina showed it is not ready for normalisation and further talks (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
Belgrade's delegation meets with Lajcak in Brussels (Tanjug, media)
Djuric: Serbia grateful to Russia for support in international organisations (Tanjug)
Djuric meets Tremonti, says Serbia wants cooperation with Italy to grow further, rights of Serbs in Kosovo endangered (Tanjug)
Hill: Serbia, US on path to prosperity (N1, BETA)
New EU investment package for Western Balkans (N1, BETA)
More than 1700 Serbian drivers’ licences switched to Kosovo ones (Radio kontakt plus)

International Media:

The Balkans are simmering (Peacefare.net)

Albanian Language Media

Government: Serbia rejected sequencing plan and sabotaged discussion about the missing (Kllan)

The government of Kosovo has given details about Tuesday’s meetings of the chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi with the special emissary of the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak and the chief Serbian negotiator, Petar Petkovic.

The government said that in the meetings they talked about the formalisation of the Basic Agreement, which according to them, is the main and first element for the sequential implementation of the agreement, together with the Ohrid Annex, on the Sequencing Plan, the Implementation of the Energy Agreement, about the lack of progress in the implementation of the Declaration on forcibly disappeared persons as well as the implementation of a number of other agreements, including the IBM and the one on official visits.

"From the discussions, especially in the first two points, the fact already confirmed several times and publicly that Serbia refuses to accept the Basic Agreement as a whole and refuses to implement parts of it was again exposed."

"The Serbian side refused to be involved in the discussion on the agreement of the sequencing plan as well as in reaching the formalisation of the agreement, based on the guarantees requested in the meeting of the leaders last week. The discussion about the issue of missing persons exposed again that the Serbian side is sabotaging the process, constantly issuing new demands with the aim of blocking the process", it is stated in the announcement of the government.

Further, the government said that Bislimi also noted in the meeting the delay in the implementation of the Energy Agreement, while the government insisted that the Basic Agreement, the starting point, should have the formalisation of the agreement between the parties.

"Today's meeting, which lasted more than 6 hours, started with bilateral meetings, while it ended with the trilateral one. The continuation of the process remains in the effort to find the way forward in reaching agreement on the formalisation and sequencing plan for the full implementation of the Basic Agreement which the EU has declared as legally binding in its entirety and the implementation annex, which the starting point should be the formalisation of the agreement between the parties", the announcement states.

Lajcak: We agreed on a number of follow-up steps (RTK)

The EU's special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, made a statement after bilateral and trilateral meetings with the chief negotiator of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, and the Serbian negotiator, Petar Petkovic.

"Just finished more than seven hours of meetings at the level of chief negotiators, with the deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi, and the Serbian chief negotiator, Petar Petkovic. We discussed a wide range of issues and agreed on a number of follow-up steps", Lajcak wrote on X platform.

The tripartite meeting in Brussels of chief negotiators, without any result (RFE)

A tripartite meeting in Brussels between the chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the EU's special representative, Miroslav Lajcak, ended without any agreement late Tuesday.

The chief negotiator of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, accused the Serbian side of wanting only partial implementation of the Basic Agreement, while the chief negotiator of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, criticised the Kosovar side for not wanting to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority.

"The only item on the agenda in which we had to make progress was the discussion of the finalisation of the sequencing plan. However, from the Serbian side it became clear from the beginning that they want to implement only parts of the Basic Agreement, which are in harmony with their red lines. We have never seen those red lines," Bislimi told reporters after the meeting.

Petkovic, meanwhile, described the meetings as "difficult, and added that he insisted on establishing the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

"One of the key issues is the acceptance of the Association draft, prepared by the EU. Belgrade is ready to accept it. The draft is decisive and is the main step towards the establishment of the Association", said Petkovic.

Previously, Lajcak held separate bilateral meetings with Petkovic and Bislimi.

Bislimi said that during the summer there will be no more meetings in Brussels. He announced that until July 18, the parties will send their comments regarding the implementation plan of the Agreement. After these comments, according to him, the European side will issue a new proposal for the implementation of the Agreement.

"They have made it clear that for them there are parts of the Agreement that they do not implement and there are parts that they cannot and will not implement. In my request that Serbia withdraw Ms. Brnabic's letter, Petkovic said that her letter reflects the positions of President Vucic", said Bislimi.

Kurti congratulates Schoof on appointment as Dutch PM (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti congratulated Dick Schook on Tuesday on his appointment as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. “I look forward to continue our cooperation in expanding Kosovo – Netherlands relations and jointly promoting peace, security, development and democracy in the Western Balkans,” Kurti said.

Osmani: Let’s protect and further promote democracy (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that in June the Financial Times and Profile Books published the book on democracy, where Osmani, Estonian PM Kaja Kallas and other women leaders from different areas shared their perspectives on the crucial importance of protecting and further promoting democracy. “Democracy always endures. It becomes more resilient and robust because, at its core, democracy is about the spirit of the people. It’s about their dreams, their aspirations,” Osmani said.

More about the book at: https://shorturl.at/Bocp4

Ulutas and Zupancic discuss security situation in Kosovo (Albanian Post)

Commander of NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Ozkan Ulutas, met on Tuesday in Pristina with the President of the Slovenian Parliament, Urska Klakocar Zupancic, and discussed the latest security developments. “The COMKFOR highlighted the activities of KFOR in line with its UN mandate, expressed support for the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and welcomed Slovenia’s precious contributions to the mission,” a statement noted.

EU, U.S. call on Serbia to distance from Russia, following Lavrov’s deputy visit (RFE)

The news website reported on Tuesday that the European Union has again called on Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia because of its invasion in Ukraine, while the United States have asked Serbia not to give a platform to Moscow to promote its war of aggression, after authorities in Belgrade hosted the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grusko on Tuesday. The latter was received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on July 2 and also had meetings with other high-ranking Serbian officials.

A spokesperson for the EU told RFE: “The European Union has been very clear with our partners: relations with Russia cannot be normal given Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine”. The spokesperson also said that the EU Council acknowledges the humanitarian and other aid that Serbia gave to Ukraine, but that it expects Serbia – as a candidate member for EU membership – to align with the EU’s foreign policy.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement for the news website that the United States
“do not believe that a country should give Russia a platform to promote its war of aggression against Ukraine”.

Maqedonci meets Buhler, discuss also the goal of NATO membership (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Macedonci, announced that he received the former commander of KFOR, and of the Command of the Allied Joint Forces in Brunssum in the Netherlands, General Erhard Buhler.

"We discussed the current security situation in the country, the stage of development of the Kosovo Security Force, as well as Kosovo's intention to join NATO. I thanked General Buhler for his service in Kosovo as KFOR commander, for his invaluable contribution to the security of the country, for which he will always remain a friend of Kosovo", Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.

Exhibition about Srebrenica genocide opened at UN headquarters in NY (Klan)

The Srebrenica Memorial Center said in a post on X that an exhibition about the Srebrenica genocide was opened at the United Nations headquarters in New York. “This exhibition, which includes artifacts, photographs, and video testimonies of survivors, is extremely important for preserving the memory of the genocide victims and raising awareness about the genocide. Enormous effort and dedication have been invested to make this exhibition a reality, and we are extremely proud of our team who worked tirelessly on this project. We sincerely thank the Permanent Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN for their support and assistance in making this significant event possible. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this historic moment!” the post notes.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: Pristina showed it is not ready for normalisation and further talks (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director and Belgrade’s chief negotiator in dialogue with Pristina, Petar Petkovic said in Brussels last night that Pristina showed it was not ready for normalisation of relations with Belgrade and further talks within the technical dialogue, Tanjug news agency reported.

He also said that Belgrade, in a trilateral meeting with EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak and Pristina’s chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi, insisted upon establishing Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), which is a crucial issue for survival of the Serbs and normalisation, but that Pristina showed it will never establish CSM and that policy of Pristina’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti was expulsion of Serbs.

Petkovic said that in a meeting with Lajcak they insisted on establishing CSM, discussed missing persons issues, freedom of movement, and underlined the importance of lifting the ban on Serbian goods import in Kosovo. They also discussed the main bridge issue on Ibar River, noting that Belgrade referred to what is written in the agreement and it is necessary that Pristina first completes its task in relation to delineation in the area of Suvi Do village, something it did not do. “Lajcak once again confirmed that the issue of bridge can exclusively be resolved in a dialogue, and not by unilateral acts and outside of the dialogue”, Petkovic said.

As far as topics of a trilateral meeting with Lajcak and Bislimi were concerned, in addition to CSM, Petkovic also said they discussed implementation of all reached agreements, energy and the issue of official visits. “{…} as far as the agreement on official visits is concerned, Bislimi said he is not interested in that agreement, that he does not accept it, although we clearly said that I as a chief negotiator was banned 14 times to come to Kosovo”, Petkovic said.

In relation to the energy Petkovic said the Serbian side also clearly showed in what manner Elektrosever company functions and what had been done thus far.

“The CSM is the most important issue. We discussed the manner and road map to continue the path to normalisation of relations with concrete steps. Therefore it is necessary that Pristina accepts the draft statute prepared by the EU. Belgrade said it is ready to talk about that draft statute, although the Management Team prepared the Statute, and that it is a good foundation to talk about the final statute. Bislimi refused to talk about the EU draft statute, and the statute is a crucial and the main step towards establishing the CSM”, Petkovic said.

“Policy of Albin Kurti is the policy of expelling Serbs from Kosovo, in particular from the north. We underlined that the dialogue is the only place where we can achieve compromise solutions and that Belgrade is always ready to talk”, Petkovic added.

Belgrade's delegation meets with Lajcak in Brussels (Tanjug, media)

Belgrade's delegation headed by Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and his team in Brussels on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug news agency reported.

Previously, Lajcak also met with a Pristina delegation led by Pristina's chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi. A new round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue at chief negotiators level was underway in Brussels.

It comes after Lajcak and EU foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Pristina's PM Albin Kurti in Brussels last week for a high-level meeting of the dialogue, after which Lajcak said the discussions had been challenging. EU spokesman Peter Stano said on Monday the agenda and the priority of the meeting was determined by the "top urgency of starting the implementation of the agreement on the path to normalisation" between Belgrade and Pristina.

Djuric: Serbia grateful to Russia for support in international organisations (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in Belgrade on Tuesday, thanking Russia for its consistent support regarding Kosovo issue and on other matters of state and national interest to Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.

Djuric noted that traditional friendship and understanding existed between Serbia and Russia and the two peoples, adding this was reflected in the foreign policy positions of Serbia, which, albeit strategically committed to full EU membership, strived to maintain and advance its ties with friends and partners worldwide, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

The topics of discussion also included the political and security situation in the region, the functioning of multilateral organisations and current global challenges, the statement said.

Djuric meets Tremonti, says Belgrade wants cooperation with Italy to grow further, rights of Serbs in Kosovo endangered (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met on Tuesday in Belgrade with Giulio Tremonti, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Italy's House of Representatives, noting that Italy was one of Serbia's strategic partners and one of its top economic partners, and that Belgrade expected the cooperation to grow further in goods and services trade as well as when it comes to investments. Djuric thanked Italy for supporting Serbia in the EU integration process as well as for backing EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.

He noted that the Serbian Government was conducting a responsible policy aimed at preserving peace and stability in the region. He also said Serbia had a constructive role in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue but constantly faced unilateral moves by Pristina institutions.

Djuric noted that Pristina had still not delivered on what had been agreed under the 2013 First Brussels Agreement and that the fundamental human rights of Serbs in Kosovo were in jeopardy, the statement said.

Hill: Serbia, US on path to prosperity (N1, BETA)

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill said the US and Serbia have been through difficult times, but he now feels the people’s support and recognizes that only together can they move toward prosperity, N1 reported.

At a reception for US Independence Day, which was also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hill said that the American and Serbian people share many cultural points, mainly driven by younger generations. He said it is only together that Serbia and the US can achieve great things, adding that, in that spirit, he wants to raise a glass of Serbian wine to toast the friendship between the two. The Ambassador said that, while a state might move faster alone, it can achieve higher goals when part of a community.

The reception was also attended by Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic, Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic, Internal Affairs Minister and Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic, Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic, Foreign Affairs Minister Marko Djuric, Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) Director Vladimir Orlic. Representatives of the opposition, including Miroslav Aleksic and Nebojsa Zelenovic, also attended alongside many others.

New EU investment package for Western Balkans (N1, BETA)

The European Commission (EC) has announced the sixth investment package under the European Union’s (EU) Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans that is expected to mobilise 1.2 billion euros in investments, N1 reported.

The new flagship investments fall under three priorities of the Economic and Investment Plan: environment and climate, sustainable transport and support to the business sector, said the European Commission. As part of the first priority, reconstruction and rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation infrastructure is planned in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second priority focuses on advancing on Corridor X rail infrastructure, with the high-speed Belgrade – Velika Plana connection enabling a faster flow of passengers and freight in the region.

The third priority involves the launch of a new facility for innovation and green transformation of enterprises in the region. The EC said the investments will be rolled out in close cooperation with the Western Balkan partners and international financial institutions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new 1.2 billion euro package strengthens regional connections.