UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, 7 May, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Germany expects from Kosovo “other concrete steps” on Association (Koha)
France: Sending draft statute to court would secure membership support (Koha)
France calls for postponed decision on Kosovo CoE membership (Albanian Post)
Osmani: U.S. decisive role for Kosovo’s fate; U.S. in DNA of our success (media)
1,204,560 citizens registered in Kosovo so far (EO)
Govt enables Serbs to replace drivers’ licenses with Kosovo licenses (media)
Kosovo Police installing cameras in Zvecan municipality today (Indeksonline)
Numerous graffiti inciting hatred in Mitrovica North (Kosovapress)
Osmani meets President of Liberia, discuss furthering cooperation (media)
Lajcak meets Escobar, “in-depth discussions” (media)
Kurti meets Jashari, praises him for “unprecedented growth” of KSF (media)
Pahor won’t give interviews until completion of EUSR selection (media)
Albanian President meets Pope Francis, mentions Kosovo’s progress too (Kallxo)

Serbian Language Media:

For Kurti, Serbs killed in domestic violence are "proof" that violence against Serbs is propaganda from Belgrade (KoSSev)
Petkovic: By criminalizing north, Kurti justifies violence against Serbian people (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, social media)
SL: Ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs are not propaganda (KiM radio)
Surveillance cameras installed in Zvecan (Radio kontakt plus)
Xi in Belgrade on anniversary of embassy bombing (N1)
Kosovo families dependent on remittances (N1)

International:

Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans adopted (consilium.europa.eu)
FDI Alone Won’t Close Gap Between Balkan and EU Economies (BIRN)
‘A Special Voice’: How a Much-Loved Kosovo Singer Was Silenced Forever (BIRN)
53 Civilians Were Massacred In This Home In Kosovo. Now It's A Museum (RFE)
Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras Are Spreading Across Eastern Europe, Despite Security Concerns (RFE)

Albanian Language Media

Germany expects from Kosovo “other concrete steps” on Association (Koha)

The German Embassy in Pristina said in a statement to Koha that it is time for the Kosovo Government to convince countries for its admission in the Council of Europe, by making “other concrete steps toward establishing the Association of Serb-majority municipalities”.

“The QUINT and others have continuously said that they expect Kosovo to make tangible steps toward the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to secure the required two/third majority at the Committee of Ministers in order for the membership application to be successful. In our opinion, such a step would be to send the draft statute of the Association to the Constitutional Court. As the Ambassador said in his Twitter post after the vote at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: ‘Kosovo must do the big job’. This has not happened yet. Now it is up to Prime Minister Kurti and his Government to convince the member states with other means, namely by making other concrete steps toward the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, which Kosovo has pledged to establish and which is an international obligation,” the embassy said.

France: Sending draft statute to court would secure membership support (Koha)

The French Embassy in Pristina told the news website today that sending the EU draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to the Constitutional Court would secure support for Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe. “Sending the draft statute of the Association for assessment to the Constitutional Court was mentioned as one of the clear steps that Kosovo needs to take to secure support at the Council of Europe, but Prime Minister Kurti said that Kosovo did not receive that plan separately from the package. Sending the draft statute for assessment to the Constitutional Court would be a welcome step to secure support for Kosovo’s membership at the Council of Europe,” the embassy said.

The French embassy also said that the EU draft statute “has the full support of member states that support the EU-facilitated dialogue”. “It offers the best and only basis so far for establishing the Association of Serb-majority municipalities,” it said.

France calls for postponed decision on Kosovo CoE membership (Albanian Post)

Citing unnamed diplomatic sources, the news website reported on Monday that after the Kurti-led government made no concrete steps towards the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, France has sent a demarche to member states of the Council of Europe calling for the decision on Kosovo’s membership to be postponed.

Osmani: U.S. decisive role for Kosovo’s fate; U.S. in DNA of our success (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that the United States of America had a decisive role for Kosovo’s fate and that the U.S. is in the DNA of the success of Kosovo. “At the central event on the 20th anniversary of the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) on the eve of the U.S.-Africa Summit, with the participation of President George W. Bush, and the founder of the MCC, I talked about the state-building and development of Kosovo and reconfirmed the uncontested role of the U.S. in the freedom and state-building of Kosovo. In the same spirit today, the MCC is continuing this legacy by offering precious support for Kosovo’s sustainable economic development by making our country an inseparable part of successes that the U.S. represents everywhere in the world,” Osmani said in a Facebook post.

1,204,560 citizens registered in Kosovo so far (EO)

Head of the Kosovo Agency for Statistics, Avni Kastrati, told a press conference in Pristina today that so far 1,204,560 citizens have registered in the population census so far. “In general, the census is nearing the end, and we don’t have any problems on the ground. There is no major refusal by the citizens, and after necessary discussions even the few refusals that may exist are later being accepted as a public good … You can see the data, 1,204,560 citizens have registered so far and the census is going according to plan. All the communities are taking part. There is some hesitation from Serbs in some of the northern municipalities, but some of them are registering,” he said.

Govt enables Serbs to replace drivers’ licenses with Kosovo licenses (media)

The Kosovo Government said today that the Ministry of Interior Affairs has issued a decision allowing citizens to replace drivers’ licenses issued by Serbian institutions in Kosovo with drivers’ licenses issued by the institutions of Kosovo. “For a long time, we have received your requests to make this decision. We want to facilitate and ease the daily problems faced by our citizens,” Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a video message in Serbia.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs said that transferring to Kosovo drivers’ licenses does not require passing the drivers’ test, “but only an application which every citizen must submit at the Centre for Equipment with Documents”.

Kosovo authorities said the decision enters into force on May 9 and is valid until August 9.

Kosovo Police installing cameras in Zvecan municipality today (Indeksonline)

Kosovo Police cameras are being installed in the municipality of Zvecan today, the news website reports. Kosovo Police Deputy Commander for the north, Veton Elshani, confirmed the installations. Police started installing security cameras on April 26 after several incidents in the north of Kosovo. Elshani told the news website that the plan is to have around 200 security cameras, including the existing ones.

Numerous graffiti inciting hatred in Mitrovica North (Kosovapress)

The news agency reports that there are numerous graffiti on the north side of the main bridge in Mitrovica which provoke Albanian citizens especially those who cross the bridge on a daily basis. “Ratko Mladic, a hero of the people”, “We will tear down the wall”, “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” are some of the graffiti which the citizens say should be erased by the institutions as soon as possible because they are provocative and incite hatred. Kosovo Police Deputy Commander for the north, Veton Elshani, said police have initiated investigations into such graffiti all over Kosovo, but that no one has been arrested so far about the graffiti on the Iber Bridge.

Osmani meets President of Liberia, discuss furthering cooperation (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani during her stay in the U.S. met the Liberian President Joseph Boakai. “Liberia was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo in 2008. With President Joseph Boakai, we discussed furthering cooperation between our two countries in areas of mutual interest and in the interest of our peoples,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post.

Lajcak meets Escobar, “in-depth discussions” (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a post on X today that upon his arrival in the United States he had a very productive meeting with U.S. Special Envoy for the Balkans, Gabriel Esscobar, diving into some in-depth discussions. “Looking forward to other enriching conversations during my stay here,” he wrote.

Kurti meets Jashari, praises him for “unprecedented growth” of KSF (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Monday with the commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Bashkim Jashari, praising him for the unprecedented growth of the force for less than two and a half years since he assumed his mandate. “We had a lengthy discussion about the achievements so far, the current situation and the upcoming challenges. The strengthening and expansion of our army with a doubled budget, a tripled armament and four times more training abroad are a safe path toward NATO,” Kurti said in a Facebook post after the meeting.

Pahor won’t give interviews until completion of EUSR selection (media)

Several news websites cover a post on X by former Slovenian President and a candidate for the post of EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia that “due to increasing requests for statements/interviews, especially from the region, former President Pahor will not be giving any statements/interviews until the completion of the EUSR selection process for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other regional issues”.

Albanian President meets Pope Francis, mentions Kosovo’s progress too (Kallxo)

Albanian President Bajram Begaj was received on Monday at the Holy See by Pope Francis and thanked him for the reception and his messages for peace and calls to end armed conflicts, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. “The President of the Republic confirmed Albania’s position alongside western allies for solutions through dialogue as the only guarantee for stability and sustainable development in the region of the Balkans and beyond,” a statement issued by Begaj’s office notes. He also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolini, to whom he conveyed the progress that Kosovo has made in the process of reforms, the rule of law, respect for minority communities and integration in international institutions.

Serbian Language Media

For Kurti, Serbs killed in domestic violence are "proof" that violence against Serbs is propaganda from Belgrade (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reported that ever since Albin Kurti came to power, official Belgrade often pointed to the unfavorable position of Serbs in Kosovo, and so far, had listed 500 ethnically motivated attacks, as "a direct consequence of the anti-Serb policy of the regime in Pristina." The Kosovo PM, however, sees the allegations of violence against Serbs exclusively as "Serbian propaganda". And to support his claim, he began to list how many Serbs had been killed since he came to power, and who killed them.

"Official police statistics show that from 2021 to 2024 there were a total of 86 murders in Kosovo," the Kosovo PM began a series of posts on the "X" social network late last night, reports KoSSev.

And of that number, 81 Albanians, three Serbs and two people, as Kurti says, "of other nationalities" were killed in this period.

In the continuation of his announcement, the PM Kurti explains to his followers that the Serbs were not killed by members of another nationality, that is, that it was suspected that members of their families did it.

"Three Serbs were killed in 2022 - two in the municipality of North Mitrovica and one in Gracanica. Only Serbs are suspected of all three murders. In North Mitrovica, a Serb is suspected of killing his father and brother. In Gracanica, a Serb is suspected of murdering his brother," said Kurti.

Three more Serbs were killed in a clash with the Kosovo Police on September 24 last year. Kurti, however, states that this is a separate case.

"The case of Banjska is separate, where three Serbian members of paramilitary formations died in a shootout with the police after they killed policeman Afrim Bunjaku last September 24."

After listing where Serbs were killed and by whom, Kurti concludes that there is no violence against Serbs.

"Every person in Kosovo, local or foreigner, knows: Serbian propaganda about violence against Serbs is exactly that - propaganda. The facts speak for themselves, due to the exposure of insidious lies and the revelation of how far an authoritarian regime would go to sow chaos," Kurti concluded.

The portal recalls that domestic violence is on the rise in Kosovo. A few years ago, there were several cases of serious crimes committed in a very brutal manner in both the Serbian and Albanian communities.

All these cases, apart from the heavy blow to the families, simultaneously shook the very environments where the crimes took place, as well had a stronger echo in the region.

Petkovic: By criminalizing north, Kurti justifies violence against Serbian people (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, social media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said today Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti persistently attempts “by criminalizing the north of Kosovo, to find justification for physical and legal violence he is carrying out against the Serbian people, deliberately omitting, that even based on official statistics of Kosovo police the north of Kosovo was the most safest part”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Reacting to Kurti’s statements that violence against Serbs in Kosovo was “Belgrade’s propaganda” Petkovic in a series of posts on X social media platform said that “the hallmarks of Kurti’s policy is terror and ethnic incidents against Serbs and Serbian Orthodox Church”, adding that “(…) deterioration of the security situation is a direct consequence of occupation carried out by Kurti and we witness to it every day, because his phalanges are instilling terror, shooting at Serbs, even beating up our children”.

“Kurti mustn’t mention that his member of the so-called KSF shot brothers Stefan and Milos Stojanovic, that ROSU shot D. Galjak, M. Jovanovic and S. Sofronijevic at his doorstep, and 3 Serbs were savagely killed in Banjska, and autopsy findings are still being hidden! ¾”, Petkovic said in a post.

“Terror we speak about is not an incident, but a constant mark of Kurti’s politics and we remind again that since he came to power, more than 500 ethnic incidents against Serbs, SOC and their property happened”, he added.

SL: Ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs are not propaganda (KiM radio)

"Constant institutional violence and ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs in Kosovo are not propaganda, but unfortunately the harsh reality, which our people live under the regime of Albin Kurti, whose obsession with expelling Serbs from Kosovo reached such a point that he neglected the needs of the Albanians themselves who voted for him," announced the Serbian List regarding the statement of Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti that Serbia is spreading propaganda about violence against Serbs in Kosovo, reported KiM radio.

"Kurti marks his mandate with the fact that more than 500 ethnically motivated attacks have taken place against Serbs, a good part of them directly by members of Kosovo institutions, the police and all others, and that during his reign of terror, the blood of Serbs and Serbian boys, such as Stefan and Milos Stojanovic from Gotovusa, shot on Christmas Day, was on the hands of members of the Kosovo police and the Kosovo security forces," the announcement states.

The SL added that "Albin Kurti established a kind of criminal circle for the persecution and oppression of Serbs".

"This is best seen in the example of Srecko Sofronijevic. Kurti's phalanges first shot at him without any basis or reason and caused him serious bodily injuries, after that no one conducted an investigation and determined the responsibility of those who shot the citizen and civilian, and when they realized that even that was not enough for Srecko to leave Kosovo and Metohija, then they arrested him in front of his family and he is being held in custody to this day," the announcement states.

They reminded that there are also examples where Serbs who did not want to sell their father's and grandfather's heritage, after two decades were declared war criminals and without any evidence are kept in prisons throughout Kosovo.

"There are dozens and hundreds of examples like these, and they are a real and cruel life lived by Serbs because of Kurti's regime, not propaganda by anyone," the statement concluded.

Surveillance cameras installed in Zvecan (Radio kontakt plus)

Kosovo police continued installing surveillance cameras in northern municipalities, this time in Zvecan, Radio kontakt plus reported.

As its reporter said the cameras are being placed in the center of Zvecan, at the beginning of the street leading to the municipal building. Kosovo deputy commander for the region North, Veton Elshani said the cameras will also be installed near NIS petrol station.

While Kosovo police claim the cameras are being installed because of “security and safety of citizens”, Serbian List demanded their removal citing privacy rights concerns and lack of consultations, Serbian media reported earlier. Radio kontakt added, citing Elshani, that around 200 surveillance cameras, including existing ones, will be installed in the north.

Xi in Belgrade on anniversary of embassy bombing (N1)

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to start his visit to Belgrade on the anniversary of the 1999 bombing of his country’s embassy by NATO, the Serbian Government said in a press release on Tuesday, N1 reported.

It said that Xi’s plane will be met and escorted by Air Force MiG-29 fighters as soon as it enters Serbian airspace on Tuesday afternoon. The Chinese President is flying in from Paris, the first of just three stops on his first tour of Europe in five years. Xi will also visit Hungary.

The press release added that a guard of honor will be deployed at Belgrade airport and that a ceremonial welcome will be staged in front of the Palace of Serbia in New Belgrade. The Serbian public broadcaster RTS said that a total of 3,400 police personnel will be deployed as security for the visit.

Kosovo families dependent on remittances (N1)

A large number of families in Kosovo depend on money from their relatives living abroad to survive with official figures showing that remittances from the diaspora account for a billion Euro a year which is about a third of the budget, N1 reported. The tradition of families depending on money sent to them by relatives living abroad goes back decades to at least the mid-1990s.

According to one Kosovo citizen who spoke to N1, many families live only on remittances. “It’s one of the things that stimulates economic development. We would be in a much worse situation without the diaspora”, another person from Kosovo said. The remittances have helped reduce poverty levels and improve living conditions by providing some stability to family budgets, especially over the past two years which saw inflation soar.

Kosovo Central Bank figures show that remittances from the diaspora went as high as 851.5 million Euro in 2019, rising to 980 million in 2020 and to 1.153 billion Euro in 2021. That growth continues into 2022 (1.222 billion Euro) and 2023 (1.343 billion Euro). In January and February of 2024 remittances stood at 174.3 million Euro.

International

Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans adopted (consilium.europa.eu)

The Council today gave its final green light to setting up a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, a new instrument to support EU-related reforms and economic growth in the region.

The facility is the financial pillar of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. It will cover the period from 2024 to 2027 and is expected to provide up to €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans to the EU's six Western Balkan partners in the coming years.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mr25rd6d

FDI Alone Won’t Close Gap Between Balkan and EU Economies (BIRN)

A preoccupation with attracting foreign direct investment, mainly in manufacturing, means governments in the Western Balkans are neglecting other areas crucial to closing the income gap with the European Union.

Western Balkan economies will accelerate their growth over the next three years, the World Bank has predicted, but not enough to bring any meaningful medium-term convergence with European Union income levels. Experts say the nature of Serbia’s economic development, with its overwhelming focus on foreign direct investment, shows why.