Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Population data helps us guide policies (Koha)
• Kurti: I call on international community to demand from Serbia to clarify fate of those who disappeared during war (Reporteri)
• Svecla and Haxhiu go to Radoicic's villa, announce security cameras have been installed (Klan)
• Krasniqi: Serbian List has lost its influence in the North (A2 CNN)
• Serbian List: Serbs will not participate in population census in Kosovo (RFE)
• Census - Most Serb enumerators in Zubin Potok withdraw (Koha)
• Hamza: Current draft of Association, poorest offer that Kosovo has had on table (ekonomia)
• Lajcak informed of challenges faced by Albanians of the Valley (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Serbia will oppose the humiliations that have been prepared for it in the Council of Europe and the UN (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian parties from Kosovo against the participation of Serbs in the population census (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, RTS)
• Kurti with the presidents of Kosovo municipalities without translation into Serbian language; The UNS protests (KiM radio, Medija Centar Caglavica) 
• Blakaj: Recording of war damage within the census is problematic; it may result in a distorted picture (Kosovo Online)
• Raska-Prizren Diocese reacts to accusations by Elonora Visoka Weller against SOC, says they indirectly foster ethnic and religious intolerance (Raska-Prizren Eparchy, media, social media)
• Dacic: Today the government meeting on a team to fight against the Pristina admission into the CoE (NMagazin, media)
• Sarovic: Pristina membership to Council of Europe, consequence of Vucic’s Kosovo policy (KoSSev)
• North: Names of places in the Albanian language covered with Cyrillic stickers, then taken off (Kontakt plus radio, media)

Opinion:

• Serbian Coordination Directorate passport holders the only people in Western Balkans not allowed free travel to Europe (Kosovo Online, EWB)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Kurti: Population data helps us guide policies (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has said that data on the population will help guide policies. He emphasized that close cooperation with the Statistics Agency and the municipalities is required for the success of the process.

"The data on the size and composition of the population will help us in the orientation of policies for citizens, us as a government, you as a municipality and other institutions. Our joint commitment is necessary to address needs without discrimination. The quality of data from questionnaires is crucial for the quality of governance. The war damage questionnaire is included in this population census. In the spirit of cooperation, I invite you to engage together in these two very important processes", said Kurti in a meeting with the mayors of the municipalities.

The Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, has said that the information collected from the usual population census systems is used for planning, budgeting and taxation purposes; for determining the fulfillment of the criteria to choose and have access to education, health care, social security, economic assistance systems and pensions.

He said that data on the number of inhabitants affects the amount of government grant funding for the municipality, as well as in times of emergency to locate affected individuals. He also spoke about a number of other aspects where data on citizens help the latter themselves.

"This process is not just a bureaucratic procedure; it is the cornerstone of modern governance and social development. By accurately recording demographic information, we will better understand and serve our citizens, promote public safety, protect human rights, and promote inclusive and sustainable development," he said.

Kurti: I call on international community to demand from Serbia to clarify fate of those who disappeared during war (Reporteri)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, recalled how in Rezalle of Skenderaj, 98 men and boys were shot just because they were Albanians. The shooting lasted 30 minutes. Kurti remembers that after the cruel and barbaric execution on April 5, 1999, the armed forces of Serbia took away their bodies.

"29 of them were found in the mass cemetery in Rudnica, Raska, in Serbia. From Kizhevak, Serbia, on September 30, 2021, the remains of seven of those killed in this massacre were returned to Kosovo. Among them were two reunions with the remains exhumed years ago from the mass cemetery in Rudnica, Serbia," Kurti wrote on Facebook.

Therefore, writes Kurti, "today and always I call on the international partners to demand from Serbia, as responsible for the murder and disappearance of our loved ones, the full clarification of their fate and justice for the victims and their families".

"Local justice must act without delay and with perseverance, so that those responsible, the order givers and executors, are tried and punished. The truth of Serbia's crimes in Kosovo cannot be covered by the soil of mass graves. We cannot allow oblivion to cover the atrocities that happened in the war", Kurti wrote further.

"By honoring the past, with justice for the victims, we commit ourselves to the future of our Republic. For an independent Kosovo, where young generations grow up free and safe. Learning from the past, we move forward with hope and determination. Our commemoration is proof of commitment not to forget the sacrifices for the dear and sacred freedom. May the memory of the nation's martyrs from Rezalla be eternal! Glory!", concluded Kurti.

Svecla and Haxhiu go to Radoicic's villa, announce security cameras have been installed (Klan)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, together with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, have gone to visit the north of Kosovo, specifically the villa of the terrorist Milan Radoicic.

Haxhiu said that they were visiting this villa to see if all the actions that had to be taken by the Ministry of Justice have been addressed, especially in terms of security, as she announced that security cameras have also been installed there.

"This villa already has security cameras installed, to follow every detail and every movement and to prevent any attempt to hinder the work of the officials and the police."

"Well, in addition to the cameras, there are also the police who are staying here to protect this real estate," said Haxhiu.

On Thursday, the Kosovo Police confiscated several properties of Milan Radoicic, among them are many cars, apartments, restaurants and boats, which are already under the management of the Ministry of Justice.

Krasniqi: Serbian List has lost its influence in the North (A2 CNN)

Kosovo’s Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that the reaction of the Serbian List and the official Belgrade who claimed that his and Kurti's visit to the northern municipalities was aimed at inciting tensions, was cowardly. Speaking to A2 CNN, he said that the Serbian List is also losing the support of the Serbian citizens in the north. 

"The reaction of the Serbian List is a cowardly reaction, just as they have become a political subject among which there are also terrorists like Milan Radoicic and they are not very serious, nor important to discuss, because every day more and more they are losing their political power and influence through blackmailing Serb citizens in the north of the country."

Krasniqi said that the democratic processes that have started in the north cannot be stopped by anyone. "I believe that Banjska has been a turning point for many processes in the development of both democracy and the extension of sovereignty in each sector in the north of the country." 

Krasniqi called his visit together with Prime Minister Kurti and Minister Svecla to the northern municipalities, a "normal working day".

Serbian List: Serbs will not participate in population census in Kosovo (RFE)

The Serbian List announced on Friday that Kosovo Serbs will not participate in the population census in Kosovo which will take place from April 5 to May 17. 

"Dear citizens...we want to send a clear message to Albin Kurti and those who support him that the Serbian people will not participate in the upcoming false registration under his organization, with which he wants to confirm the success of his shameful act in expelling Serbs", Serbian List wrote on Facebook.

According to the Law on the Census of Population, Households and Housing, any person can be fined from 30 to 2,000 euros if refusing to provide the requested information. 

Serbian List said that participating in "the processes organized by Kurti would be the greatest humiliation for our people, at a time when he denied Serbs the right to pensions and salaries, prevented the normal functioning of health and social benefits, took away the right to vote, arrested and persecuted the Serbs, occupied the municipalities by force, militarized the north of Kosovo..." the Serbian List wrote. 

"In addition, Kurti wants to attack Serbia with this registration with several demands for war reparations, which prevents even more every Serb from being part of this process" they concluded.

Census - Most Serb enumerators in Zubin Potok withdraw (Koha)

The mayor of the municipality of Zubin-Potok, Izmir Zeqiri, sees possible problems with the population census process in this municipality. He has said that most of the Serb registrars have resigned and only two have remained. The call of the Serbian List that the Serbs should not take part in this process has also become a problem. Zeqiri said that registration will start on Monday in this municipality.

"Today, some of the registrars are expected to sign the contracts due to technical problems. Most of the registrars from the Serb majority have resigned. There are only two left. These are signs that we are going to have problems. It seems that in the northern municipalities we will have problems due to calls not to register. We will have technical problems. There are signs of a sabotage of the citizens to register and of the registrars. We are ready to do as much as we can. There are a few problems with the language of the documentation. I see it as a problem, but we will do as much as we can to make it as successful as possible", said Zeqiri.

Hamza: Current draft of Association, poorest offer that Kosovo has had on table (ekonomia)

The candidate of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) for prime minister, Bedri Hamza, said that the current draft of the Association is the poorest offer that Kosovo has had on the table.

"They have degraded the process, the biggest pain of all this is that there is no mutual recognition, there are no guarantees for the recognition of the five EU countries, there are no guarantees for NATO. When you don't have mutual recognition with Serbia, membership in the UN is a big problem," Hamza said. 

He said that he is aware that the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is not an easy and popular topic and that it has not been an easy position for any of the political and institutional leaders who have dealt with this topic. He has further emphasized that as a result of recent developments, mutual recognition is not on the table. 

"Well, the final goal of the dialogue has been mutual recognition. This has been clearly stated in the letters of both American presidents, both President Trump and President Biden. As a result of recent developments, mutual recognition is not on the table," Hamza said.

Lajcak informed of challenges faced by Albanians of the Valley (RTK)

The Albanian MP in the Parliament of Serbia, Shaip Kamberi, and the chairman of the Albanian National Council, Nevzad Lutfiu, today in Brussels met the EU emissary for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and for other issues in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak.  The head of the Albanian National Council, Nevzad Lutfiu, wrote on "Facebook" that they informed Lajcak about the hesitation and unwillingness of the state to integrate Albanians in state institutions and about the readiness that the state system has shown for the passivation of Albanians.

"The non-integration of Albanians in institutions made the institutions unreliable and discriminatory, while the application of tendentious passivation in the places where Albanians live enables the change of the ethnic structure in those settlements. Medvega is the best example. We informed Mr. Lajcak for the importance and impact that the recognition of Kosovo diplomas would have for graduates from the Valley and that their recognition would mean opportunities for a new perspective for the Valley", he said.

According to him, the lack of political will to develop the Presheva Valley economically is best reflected by the state's total boycott of bringing investors in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja.

"Therefore, the municipalities inhabited by Albanians are among the most underdeveloped municipalities in the country. The destroyed school infrastructure in the schools where lessons are taught in the Albanian language, due to the disallowance of textbooks and their lack in the Albanian language, makes the educational process even more difficult for Albanian students. The European future must be the only path for the Western Balkans, while human and minority rights must be an essential prerequisite for continuing the path towards the European Union," he said.

 

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

Vucic: Serbia will oppose the humiliations that have been prepared for it in the Council of Europe and the UN (Kosovo Online)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, met with the Special Envoy of the German Government for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarazzin, pointing out that they had an extremely difficult meeting, reported portal Kosovo Online. 

"An honest and extremely difficult meeting with Manuel Sarrazin. We do not agree on almost anything except the view that it is necessary to preserve peace in the Western Balkans. I told Sarrazin that Serbia is a small country territorially and numerically, but a country of proud people, who will stand up to humiliation which were prepared for it in the Council of Europe and the UN," Vucic emphasized on his official Instagram account.

Serbian parties from Kosovo against the participation of Serbs in the population census (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, RTS)

All Serbian parties from Kosovo oppose the participation of Serbs in the population census, which begins today, because they believe that it is not the time to participate in that process while the members of the Serbian people are subjected to institutional violence, while their human rights are being violated and all their powers are being taken away, reported Kosovo Online. 

In separate statements, the Serbian List, the Party of Kosovo Serbs, the Serbian Democracy, and the Serbian People's Movement called for the postponement of the census.

The Serbian List stated that, bearing in mind the long-term repression of the Kosovo PM Albin Kurti against the Serbs in Kosovo, the Serbian people will not participate in the population census.

"Keeping in mind the multi-year repression of Albin Kurti's regime against our people in Kosovo and Metohija, with the aim of ethnic cleansing of everything Serbian from these areas, we want to clearly tell Albin Kurti and those who support him that the Serbian people will not participate in the upcoming fake census organized by him with which he wants to confirm his shameful success in expelling the Serbs," read the SL statement. They added that participation in the census would be the biggest humiliation for Serbs.

"Participation in the processes organized by Kurti would be the greatest humiliation for our people at a time when the same Kurti denied Serbs the right to pensions and salaries, prevented the normal functioning of healthcare and social benefits, abolished the right to vote, arrested and persecuted Serbs, forcibly occupied municipalities, militarized the north of Kosovo and Metohija, banned vaccination and the delivery of medicines, prevented the delivery of food and provisions from central Serbia, canceled all agreements reached and the rights guaranteed to the Serbian people by them, banned the Serbian press, canceled responsibility for shooting Serbs and Serbian children, violently imposed its false mayors in Serbian municipalities, carried out the practical abolition of the Serbian alphabet in public places and traffic signs," added the SL. 

In addition, the Serbian List points out, Kurti wants to use this census to additionally attack Serbia with demands for war reparations, which further deters every Serb from being part of this process.

"Invoking some kind of legal obligation and messages that are classic intimidation is extremely hypocritical from a regime that violated all legal acts persecuting Serbs and will not bear fruit," they stressed.

The SL reminded that the Serbs in Kosovo have been waiting for more than 4,000 days for the formation of the A/CSM, an obligation deriving from the Brussels Agreements and the decision of its assembly in Pristina.

"According to what law dozens of Serbs are in prison cells without the right to a fair trial or at least to a release pending trial? Referring to a law by those whose law is embedded in unjust force is an insult to every honest and honorable person, who would ask what law allows the one who shot and tried to kill Serbian boys in Gotovina on Christmas Day, can walk freely without any punishment for his crime," asked the SL. 

They called on the international community to, as they state, stop supporting the persecution of the Serbian people with its silence, and hiding behind "comprehension" and modest, anemic announcements.

"Census under these circumstances of daily repression of our people and without the return of 250,000 displaced persons would be a pure legalization of the ethnic cleansing that has been carried out on our people since 1999 until today. Maybe Kurti and you don't mind it, and maybe you have the force at your disposal, but the Serbian people will not accept to be an accomplice in that dirty work," said the Serbian List.

From the Party of Kosovo Serbs, whose leader is Aleksandar Jablanovic, say that the census is unacceptable and that it comes at the most politically and security-challenging and most unfavorable time for the Serbs in Kosovo, which is why they are calling on their compatriots to boycott the process.

They remind that a large number of Serbs were forced to leave their homes temporarily, with their families, due to, they say, fabricated indictments, threats and terror by Kosovo Government and the actions of the special unit of the Kosovo police, while in the north the decision on "special anti-terrorist operation" is still in force.

This party is convinced that, with the citizens being completely uninformed about the census, the institutions of Kosovo are not capable of carrying out that process in a valid way, estimating that this is not a census, but Albin Kurti's desire to check the success of his repressive policy towards Serbs and see in numbers how many Serbs he managed to expel from 2021.

In Serbian Democracy, the party led by Aleksandar Arsenijevic, they say that they cannot and do not want to challenge citizens' civic duty, but they emphasize that they will not support the census and suggest that the process be postponed "for better and more normal times".

They emphasize that it is not the time to enumerate people from the Serbian community when there is a problem with the decision of the CBK, i.e., with the abolition of payment transactions in dinars, as well as considering that at the moment the majority of enumerators, in majority-Serb areas, are not Serbs.

"It is not the time for the census when we have a serious outflow of our people from Kosovo, due to the institutional violence that we as Serbs have been suffering for more than two years. It is not the time to participate in the census when the trust in the Kosovo institutions by our people is non-existent," note in this party. 

In particular, they point out that it is not the time to participate in the census because they are convinced that the attempt of the authorities in Pristina to reduce the Serbs by fraud, before the formation of the A/CSM, to the number of statistical error, which they would then use as an argument for not establishing the A/CSM.

"It is not the time to register at a moment when they take away all our powers as people and violate all protective mechanisms," the Serbian Democracy stated.

The Serbian People's Movement, led by Milija Bisevac, agrees, considering that "it is absolutely unacceptable to enter into such a process at this moment."

"Due to unilateral decisions, the deployment of special units in the north of Kosovo, the banning of dinars and threats to existence, and without realistic hope for a better tomorrow, we consider this momentum to be absolutely unacceptable for the census to be carried out in the areas where our people live," the Movement said. 

They also note that daily harassment, provocations and persecution through rigged court processes and unfounded indictments have led to the fact that an increasing number of Serbian citizens leave Kosovo every day.

"By stipulating that all those who boycott the census will be punished, it is clearly emphasized that the authorities in Pristina want to continue with repression and violent behavior, which is a clear indication that they want the majority of our citizens non-registered and who were forced to leave their homes and were not able to take personal documents, by which they lose any right to return and protection of usurped property," the announcement reads.

That is why the Serbian People's Movement demands that the decision on the population census be suspended and the census process be postponed:

"Until, through the dialogue in Brussels, a compromise is reached regarding the formation of the A/CSM, the return of our fellow citizens, and until the functionality of the institutions is restored and stopped the violation of the basic human rights of the Serbian people.''

Kurti with the presidents of Kosovo municipalities without translation into Serbian language; The UNS reacted (KiM radio, Medija Centar Caglavica) 

Without a translation into Serbian language, a round table is currently being held in Pristina with the participation of Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, representatives of twenty Kosovo municipalities, Minister Elbert Krasniqi and the directors of the Kosovo Agency for Statistics and the Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo, Avni Kastrati and Atdhe Hetemi, reported KiM radio. 

The event is organized by the Ministry of Local Self-Government Administration, and the Media Center Caglavica received an invitation to follow this event this morning from the office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.

The journalist team of the Caglavica Media Center was only briefly told that the translation was not provided.

According to the knowledge of the Media Center, the topics of this meeting are Census and coordination between municipalities and the Institute for crimes committed during the war in Kosovo.

Media center Caglavica has sent a complaint regarding this case to the commissioner for languages in Kosovo, Slavisa Mladenovic.

The UNS protests the lack of translation at the GoK event

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) with its branch in Kosovo reacted, pointing out that it is unacceptable that journalists who report in the Serbian language are prevented from working, especially on topics of importance for the entire Serbian community.

UNS with its branch in Kosovo reminds that in this way not only the Law on the use of languages is violated, but also that the right to information guaranteed by numerous international conventions is endangered.

Blakaj: Recording of war damage within the census is problematic; it may result in a distorted picture (Kosovo Online)

Bekim Blakaj from the Humanitarian Law Fund sees the decision to record the damage caused during the war in 1999 as part of the population census in Kosovo, which began today, as problematic, stating that this would require a verification mechanism, as well as that that the people conducting the census are not trained enough for such sensitive issues, and thus a "distorted picture" can be obtained when it comes to data, reported Kosovo Online.

Blakaj points out that listing the war damage will complicate the entire process.

"I don't believe that those who will be census people are sufficiently trained to register material damage as well. Then, I don't know that there is any mechanism for checking the obtained data, because if there is no evidence, and in most cases there are no longer any traces of material damage suffered, demolished houses and other buildings, and I am afraid that we may get a distorted picture of what kind of material damage was done during war in Kosovo, perhaps it would be better to form a professional commission that would deal only with this,'' said Blakaj. 

One of the questions in the census will be whether there were deaths in their households during the war, which Blakaj also sees as problematic, because there is no verification mechanism.

"If there is no verification mechanism, if those who carry out that census are not sufficiently trained, and most importantly, if there is no software where the data would be processed immediately and where possible duplication would be avoided, then we can get into a situation where we get some new data, a list that, I believe, would be larger than the existing list of victims. Then another problem would be created that we should deal with in the future. In the end, when it comes to the killed and the missing, there is an accurate list of the missing that is accepted by all sides, and if the government wants to consider that list, it can check it, or take the lists of civil society organizations and check those lists on the ground, but to create a new list, a list of victims, I believe that would create new problems," said Blakaj.

Raska-Prizren Diocese reacts to accusations by Elonora Visoka Weller against SOC, says they indirectly foster ethnic and religious intolerance (Raska-Prizren Eparchy, media, social media)

In her latest interview with Kosovo Radio Television (RTK Live – https://www.rtklive.com/sq/news-single.php?ID=663156), Ms. Eleonora Visoka Weller, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, once again made a series of untrue, malicious, and biased statements. These statements not only fail to contribute to the reconciliation of ethnic communities in Kosovo and Metohija and the protection of cultural heritage but further escalate ethnic tensions and endanger the security of SOC religious sites, Raska-Prizren Diocese said in a statement.

“Weller’s remarks, inherently not warranting attention for their self-evident biased nature, nevertheless require a response. Her positions, popularized by many Kosovo Albanian politicians and certain media outlets, have become a widely accepted narrative in a general campaign against anything associated with the Serbian people and culture in this region.

Ms. Visoka Weller, originally from Kosovo, questioned the management of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s property in Kosovo and Metohija, demonstrating, despite her Cambridge degree, a lack of understanding of the concept of private property, religious freedoms, and the separation of the Church from state institutions as fundamental postulates of modern democracy. Her statement, which undermines the right to use private property for the self-sustainability of SOC monasteries (agriculture and livestock), reflects the retrograde intention of Kosovo authorities in 2015 to declare all SOC property as “state property of Kosovo”. Under international pressure, the Kosovo authorities then abandoned this draft law reminiscent of communist times in Albania, where the state confiscated all property of churches and religious communities”, the statement added.

“For the sake of objectivity, it should be mentioned that Ms. Weller publicly claimed just a few days ago that the property issue of the Visoki Decani Monastery, which was finally adjudicated by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2016 and remained unexecuted for 8 years, is “part of the legacy of Serbian occupation of Kosovo”, thereby directly questioning the legality of the court decision and thus denying 700 years of history of this SOC monastery –https://kosovapress.com/en/weller-per-manastirin-e-decanit-mbetet-toke-e-kosoves-vendimi-i-kushtetueses-i-jep-fund-debatit-politik”.

Read the full Raska-Prizren Diocese statement at: https://shorturl.at/zLNQU

Dacic: Today the government meeting on a team to fight against the Pristina admission into the CoE (NMagazin, media)

The MFA, and the deputy PM of the Government of Serbia in technical mandate, Ivica Dacic, has scheduled a cabinet meeting today at 10:00 a.m., at which a team will be appointed that will fight against Pristina's admission to the Council of Europe, reported portal NMagazin, citing RTS. 

Dacic told RTS this morning that he will be at the head of that team, together with the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic.

"It will be a tough fight," said Dacic, who said that the largest number of people in the team will be from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by the National Assembly and the Cabinet of the President of Serbia.

The team will also include Minister for European Integration Tanja Miscevic and Minister Tomislav Momirovic, who has contacts related to foreign trade.

Dacic repeated that decisions will be made in the Council of Europe by force, not by law and justice.

"We have no dilemmas. We will not look at justice and law here. We will look at force here - that is, whether someone wants to impose it by force or not," said Dacic.

He pointed out that the members of the CoE are states, and that this would be the first time that an entity that is not a state was admitted to the membership of that organization.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will vote on the admission of Kosovo on April 16, and the final decision is expected at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on May 16.

Sarovic: Pristina membership to Council of Europe, consequence of Vucic’s Kosovo policy (KoSSev)

Leader of the Movement Love, Faith, Hope, Nemanja Sarovic said today that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic allegedly officially and openly agreed to the admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe (CoE), KoSSev portal reported.

Sarovic told the BETA news agency that Vucic agreed with Kosovo admission to the CoE under the condition that the Community of Serbian Municipalities is established.

“By accepting the Franco-German proposal and Ohrid road map, Vucic agreed with the entry of Kosovo to all international institutions. Membership of Kosovo to the Council of Europe is a logical consequence of Vucic’s policy on resolving Kosovo issue. What Vucic is doing today is only media control of damages made, as because of Serbia’s consent support to Kosovo admission to the Council of Europe is also ensured from states that do not recognize Kosovo”, Sarovic said.

According to him “Vucic bears the highest accountability for Kosovo admission to the Council of Europe, as he promised that to his patrons from the West. Since 2012, he continuously implements policy of treason of Serbian national interests and giving up on state powers in Kosovo and Metohija. Vucic is only interested of how to preserve authority, while Serbs in Kosovo, for him, are completely forgotten”, he added.

North: Names of places in the Albanian language covered  with Cyrillic stickers, then taken off (Kontakt plus radio, media)

Inscriptions in the Albanian language on bilingual boards in some of the places in the north of Kosovo have been covered with inscriptions in Cyrillic, reported Kontakt plus radio. During the day, media reported that they were taken off by the relevant ministry.

Kontakt plus radio reported that this is already the second time that the names in the Albanian language on the boards, which is the first in a row written on the boards, are covered.

The media recalled that the inscriptions, which were originally written only in the Serbian language, were replaced last month by the workers of the Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure, with the assistance of the police, with bilingual signs in the Albanian and Serbian language (Latin alphabet).

Kosovo's Minister of Infrastructure Liburn Aliu said then that, as a ministry, they have undertaken to remove all Serbian traffic signs in Kosovo, and that they will be replaced by official settlement signs in accordance with the laws of Kosovo.

However, the day after the placement of the names in the Albanian language, they were painted over, and soon after that, the officials of the Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure, again with the help of the police, cleaned the painted boards.

However, less than a month later, this morning these signs were covered again.

 

 

 

Opinion

 

Serbian Coordination Directorate passport holders the only people in Western Balkans not allowed free travel to Europe (Kosovo Online, EWB)

By Dragisa Mijacic, National Convent Working Group for EU Chapter 35 Chairman

In early January, Dusan B., a 24-year-old student of medicine from Mitrovica North was accepted by the Maribor University Medical Centre for a three-month student exchange that was part of the Erasmus+ Programme. Happy to be awarded with the scholarship, he was ready to take this lifetime opportunity to advance his education and knowledge at one of the European universities. However, Dusan knows that for him it is much more difficult to get a Schengen visa to travel freely to Slovenia than to get a fully funded scholarship that covers all the expenses.

Despite living in Mitrovica North all his life, Dusan could not get Kosovo citizenship. His late father was from Mitrovica and mother from central Serbia. They married in late 1990s in front of Serbian authorities (the only option at that time), and got Dusan in 1999. His father died in 2004. The marriage between Dusan’s parents has not been recognised by the Kosovo authorities, therefore he could not get Kosovo citizenship. They offered him an option to (administratively) bring back to life his late father, then his mother should marry his (dead) father in front of Kosovo authorities, and all this would make it possible for Dusan to get Kosovo citizenship. Dusan and his mother considered this offer to be unacceptable and uncivilized, certainly too emotional for them, so they gave up.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/dfvBO