UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 23, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Haxhiu failed to be elected Assembly Speaker, session moved to Friday (RFE)
Krasniqi: Regrettable that constitutive session failed for the fifth time (media)
Limaj: Kosovo doesn’t have luxury of being without institutions (Express)
Peci: Kosovo needs a ruling coalition with an Albanian majority (RTK)
Osmani: Finland has stood shoulder to shoulder with Kosovo (media)
Osmani: Any peace deal mustn’t encourage Russia’s imperialistic ambitions (RFE)
Police refute Serbian media allegations about Iber Lepenc explosion (Klan)
Serbia-run water and waste company in Strpce shut down (media)
Osmani congratulates the Turkish Community Day in Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Djuric: Serbian services have clear evidence regarding diversion on Ibar-Lepenac canal (Kosovo Online, Prva TV)
Petkovic reacts to closure of Belgrade-run institutions in Strpce and Leposavic (Kosovo Online, media)
SL: Intrusions into institutions - a direct violation of all agreements, including the Brussels Agreement (Radio Mitrovica sever, Kosovo Online)
Serbian Democracy reacts to closure of Belgrade-run institutions in Leposavic (social media)
Pristina authorities shut down Belgrade-run institutions in Strpce and Leposavic (KoSSev, media)
Two years since election of Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo, North Mitrovica residents still lack confidence (TV Most, Kosovo Online)
Full conversation between Patriarch Porfirije and Putin released (Nedeljnik)
Belgrade University Rector sued again, can’t attend meeting with PM (N1)

International:

Serbia’s academics outraged over limits to research, disappointed by EU response (sciencebusiness.net)
Pope Francis’s message found little echo in Croatia’s conservative Church (Balkan Insight)
Croatia marks 80th Anniversary of WWII Jasenovac Camp breakout (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Haxhiu failed to be elected Assembly Speaker, session moved to Friday (RFE)

Albulena Haxhiu, the candidate of the biggest party Vetevendosje Movement for the post of Kosovo Assembly Speaker, has failed again to be elected to the post, after she received 57 votes which is four less than the 61 required for the election. 46 MPs voted against the candidacy and three MPs abstained. This is the third time that Haxhiu fails to be elected.

Krasniqi: Regrettable that constitutive session failed for the fifth time (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said today that it is regrettable that the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly has failed for the fifth time, while Vetevendosje’s candidate for Assembly Speaker, Albulena Haxhiu, has failed to be elected to the post for the third time. He argued that “we are slipping into a phase that has never happened to the Republic of Kosovo”. “The Vetevendosje Movement, which needs to propose a candidate for the Assembly Speaker … has decided to keep hostage the state, because of their insistence on a specific candidate … They cannot impose a candidate on the opposition MPs,” he said.

Krasniqi also said that VV now knows that “two candidates from their parliamentary group can get enough votes” for the post of Assembly Speaker, but that their goal is to block the Assembly. He also said that PDK MPs would vote in favor of a candidate that “does not have a history of divisions”.

Limaj: Kosovo doesn’t have luxury of being without institutions (Express)

NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj told reporters today that today’s failure of the constitutive session to elect an Assembly Speaker is “a game of nerves” and that he hopes “things will change in the coming days”. “It is really a game of nerves, but the constitution of institutions has its own path and difficulties. I believe that in the coming days we will engage and contribute to emerging from this situation so that Kosovo can have its new institutions,” he said.

Limaj also argued that Kosovo doesn’t have the luxury of being without institutions and that “the ways to constitute the institutions are well known”.

Peci: Kosovo needs a ruling coalition with an Albanian majority (RTK)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Faton Peci, said on Tuesday that a joint solution must be found to form the new institutions and that there is no luxury to leave the fate of the new assembly in the hands of non-majority communities. “I think that Kosovo needs a ruling coalition with an Albanian majority because we don’t have the luxury of leaving Kosovo’s fate in the hands of some non-majority communities, I am talking about the Bosniaks and the others,” he argued.

“The situation has been complicated by the LDK, PDK, AAK and the Serbian List. They complicated it because they were adamant to vote against. We were not engaged enough to be present in the room because we did not believe that the situation could end up like this. The day when the verification of mandates failed, some MPs were either in the buffet or in the hallway,” he said.

Osmani: Finland has stood shoulder to shoulder with Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met today in Finland with her counterpart Alex Stubb. “Thank you for the warm welcome and lasting friendship, President Alexander Stubb! Finland has stood shoulder to shoulder with Kosovo - in our most difficult hours and on our irreversible path toward our shared Euro-Atlantic future. Today in Helsinki, we reaffirmed our commitment to deepen our partnership in defense of peace, democracy, and the values that unite our two peoples,” Osmani wrote in a post on X.

Osmani: Any peace deal mustn’t encourage Russia’s imperialistic ambitions (RFE)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said during her visit to Finland today that any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia should not encourage Moscow to pursue its imperialistic and territorial ambitions towards other countries. “And I am not talking about only this part of Europe – I am talking about the Western Balkans too because Russia has always had a traditional objective to create a chain effect,” Osmani told a joint press conference with her Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb.

Osmani argued that if concessions are made to Russia, only because it is bigger and has more weapons, “this would be dangerous for the rest of the world and not only for the European continent”.

Osmani said she believes it is very important that U.S. President Donald Trump is paying high attention to the sufferings of the people. “When we have a human-centered approach, then peace is possible,” she said.

Police refute Serbian media allegations about Iber Lepenc explosion (Klan)

Kosovo Police have dismissed allegations published in some Serbian news website which reported that the Serbian Intelligence Agency has accused several members of the Kosovo Police of allegedly orchestrating the explosion in the Iber Lepenc water canal in November last year. Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, said the allegations are ungrounded and that they should not be taken seriously. He also said he knows the exact whereabouts of the police officers that were mentioned in the Serbian media reports at the time of the explosion. “The Kosovo Police is present in the north to serve all citizens. Many officers work tirelessly, day and night, in this region. It is not worth responding to unfounded media speculation,” Elshani said in an interview with Klan Kosova.

Serbia-run water and waste company in Strpce shut down (media)

All media report that Kosovo authorities have shut down a Serbia-run water and waste management company in the Serb-majority municipality of Strpce. Kosovo’s acting Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, said that “no parallel institution of Serbia can operate in the Republic of Kosovo. No parallelism to our institutions and under the directives of Belgrade in the territory of our country will function”. She also said in a Facebook post that the Ministry of Economy will continue to work for the rule of law and equal services for all Kosovo’s citizens without any difference. She thanked the Kosovo Police for their cooperation and called on respective authorities to immediately initiate investigations into the potential damage and benefits by the company.

Kosovo Police too issued a statement on the matter. “After a request from the Ministry of Economy and in coordination with respective institutions, the Kosovo Police assisted today in the inspection and closure of a parallel institution of Serba that operated in the municipality of Shterpce, namely the water and waste management company that functioned under the jurisdiction of Serbia. Kosovo Police and all its relevant units and in coordination with respective authorities will undertake all investigative measures about the illegal activity of this enterprise. Kosovo Police will continue its engagement with the aim of guaranteeing the rule of law and respect for the constitutionality of the Republic of Kosovo,” police said in a Facebook post.

Kosovo’s acting Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said that “no parallel institution of Serbia” can operate in Kosovo. “There is no room for any parallel institution of Serbia in the Republic of Kosovo. No parallelism to our institutions and under the directives of Belgrade in the territory of our country will function,” he said.

Osmani congratulates the Turkish Community Day in Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, on the Day of the Turkish Community of Kosovo, congratulated the members of this community and described them as a bridge between Kosovo and Turkey, a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes. “This day is a special opportunity to affirm the values of the cultural and linguistic heritage that the Turkish community has given and continues to give to our society. We appreciate the continuous contribution of this community to building a democratic, equal Kosovo where every citizen, without distinction, feels respected and represented,” Osmani said.

In honor of this day and upon the proposal of the elected representatives of the Turkish community, Osmani bestowed the Presidential Medal of Merit to Prof. Dr. Nimetullah Hafız, for his extraordinary contribution to the preservation, development and promotion of the Turkish language, literature and culture in Kosovo, as well as the education of new generations and the strengthening of interethnic harmony.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric: Serbian services have clear evidence regarding diversion on Ibar-Lepenac canal (Kosovo Online, Prva TV)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told Prva TV that security services have clear evidence regarding the diversion of the Ibar-Lepenac canal, according to which “it is clear that the Kosovo police were involved in that incident”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

In this context, Djuric said he was appalled by the new arrests of Serbs on Easter. “It reminds us of a matrix of persecution on an ethnic basis that we have already seen in the previous two and a half years, but it does not encounter sufficient condemnation from the international community. Today we see calls to lift the measures against Pristina, support for Kurti’s regime, while the majority in Europe still condemns Kurti, it must be said. All together we did not prevent his behaviour. The politics he advocates have no place in the future of Europe (…)”, Djuric said.

“What he did with the canal is a separate story. The fact remains that our authorities have clear evidence, because they would not come forward publicly if they did not have rock-solid evidence. Our investigation did not last half an hour, but it was a matter of several months of analysis that showed the involvement of the Pristina police in those events, and now I expect the reaction of international actors who must present it with judicial consequences. Kurti’s assistants and associates or anyone who issued political orders will have to face the consequences”, Djuric told TV Prva.

He noted that nevertheless, the offensive of Pristina regarding recognition of Kosovo was worrisome. “In Pristina, there is a competition between the authorities and the opposition who will bring more recognition. We also had success there, 28 countries withdrew their recognition, and only three were new, but these two new ones show that Pristina is working intensively on this and we will try everything to make it impossible”, Djuric said.

Commenting on the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije visit in Kosovo for Easter after being banned from visiting the Pec Patriarchate earlier last year, Djuric pointed out the visit was the result of a symbiosis and synergy of church and state diplomacy.

“It is very unfortunate that someone blocked the arrival of a spiritual leader to the seat of his church. Regarding the criticism of Serbia for participating in the May 9 parade, I must say that Serbia inherits the tradition of freedom and cherishes the memory of historical events, and this should not be understood as a provocation. Serbia has its policy based on the UN Charter. We have shown under very difficult circumstances that we adhere to the UN Charter and respect the territorial integrity of internationally recognized ones. By protecting these principles, we protect ourselves when it comes to Kosovo, and we are protecting ourselves from the rights of the stronger”, he underlined.

He also spoke about Serbia’s diplomatic offensive in the world, saying that intensive work is being done on it. “On May 2, it will be one year since I became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the previous months there was an intense diplomatic offensive, we prevented Pristina’s membership in the Council of Europe several times. Pristina did not fulfil the recommendations of Dora Bakoyannis, such as the formation of the CSM, the return of the stolen land to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and the fulfilment of the verdict received by the Dečani Monastery regarding the return of property. These are prerequisites for Pristina’s membership, and we used it to explain to the international community why it is not good for Pristina to be in the Council of Europe (…)”, he said.

Speaking about the death of Pope Francis, Djuric said Serbia respects the position of the Holy See when it comes to Kosovo, where the Vatican supports Serbia and does not recognize Kosovo.

Petkovic reacts to closure of Belgrade-run institutions in Strpce and Leposavic (Kosovo Online, media)

“Members of the so-called Kosovo police under direct order of Albin Kurti in several synchronised actions have raided today Serbian premises and institutions in Strpce and Leposavic, by which he continued illegally shutting down the very few remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in a statement.

He added “all these takes place in front of the international community which is silently observing the terror against the Serbs and further persecution of our people”.

“Kurti’s armed phalanges first raided New Public Utility Enterprise in Strpce, and then the Pension and Disability Fund Office, National Employment Service and Republic Fund for Health Insurance in Leposavic as well as subjected to the interrogation workers they found there, because of which one of the workers in Strpce got sick. Several thousand beneficiaries of various aid and assistance directly depend on the work and services of those institutions and branch offices, while dozens of workers have also been affected”, Petkovic said.

He added it was not by chance that “Albin Kurti chose to continue today with his violent, illegal and unilateral acts”.

“It is precisely on the anniversary of fake elections for the fake mayors and occupiers in the north of Kosovo and Metohija that he carries out new institutional violence and new escalatory unilateral acts. The aim of today’s actions, same as baselles arrests of Serbs over the previous days, is for Kurti to disguise his impotence to establish institutions in Pristina, because of which, in line with tested recipe he attacks Serbs”.

Petkovic also said Belgrade expects urgent and unequivocal reaction of the international community, in particular from representatives in Brussels, arguing that Kurti by such acts “directly endangers dialogue in Brussels and any possibility to normalize relations” while “passive approach on the side of international community makes them accomplices in institutional violence of Pristina and disfranchisement of Serbian people”.

SL: Intrusions into institutions - a direct violation of all agreements, including the Brussels Agreement (Radio Mitrovica sever, Kosovo Online)

On the closure of several Serbian institutions in Leposavic and Strpce, Serbian List (SL) said in a statement that these actions represent another in a series of attempts by Pristina to make life even more difficult for the Serbian people in Kosovo through pressure, provocations and institutional violence, reported Radio Mitrovica sever.

"It is obvious that this move by the outgoing authorities in Pristina is a calculated attempt to divert attention from their own inability to ensure political stability and elect the president of the assembly. Instead of solving the pressing problems of their citizens, they continue with the campaign of pressure and intimidation against the Serbs," the statement said.

The SL points out that the institutions that represent the Serbian people's "backbone of survival" are under threat.

"The intrusions into the institutions of the PIO Fund (The Pension and Disability Insurance Fund) , the National Employment Service, the utility company and the Republic Health Insurance Fund, which represent the backbone of the survival of our people in these areas, represent a direct violation of all agreements, including the Brussels Agreement. This clearly shows that Pristina's goal is the complete emigration of Serbs and the extinguishing of everything that bears the mark of Serbian identity."

The SL calls on the international community, above all the EU, the Quint embassies, UNMIK, KFOR and EULEX, to finally protect the basic human rights of the Serbian people and stop the unilateral and violent actions of Pristina.

The Serbian people remain united and firmly determined to stay in their homes, despite all the pressures, they say adding that the intrusions will not prevent the state of Serbia from being with all employees and users of the services provided by the aforementioned institutions to all citizens, regardless of nationality.

Serbian Democracy reacts to closure of Belgrade-run institutions in Leposavic (social media)

Serbian Democracy Vice President Vladimir Radosavljevic reacted to the closure of Belgrade-run institutions.

“According to our information, the Kosovo police have recently entered four more Serbian institutions in Leposavic. The Pension and Insurance Fund (PIO) branch and the Employment Service have been closed, while, based on the orders of the illegitimate mayor Lulzim Hetemi, the Health Insurance and the “Društvena Ishrana”/Socially Owned Workers’ Canteens have also been given notice to move out within 7 days.

Institutions that have been serving the people for decades are now being forcibly closed and expelled on the orders of a man who does not speak our language, does not know our streets and has never sat down or talked to the residents of Leposavic before.

The attack on the Health Insurance, which is used by literally all residents of northern Kosovo - from the youngest to the oldest, and on the Društvena Ishrana Service, on which the most vulnerable depend, represents a disgraceful and inhumane abrogation of the basic human rights of Serbs in Kosovo.

This is a systematic suppression of everything Serbian in the north. But they must know one thing - Serbs do not give up so easily! We are staying here despite all the pressures! #SerbianDemocracy #NoLongerAlone””, Radosavljevic wrote in a post on Facebook.

Pristina authorities shut down Belgrade-run institutions in Strpce and Leposavic (KoSSev, media)

In a coordinated operation across multiple municipalities, Pristina authorities have sealed off facilities operated by Serbia-run institutions in both Strpce and Leposavic, citing the “illegal operation” of what they describe as “parallel structures“ under Serbian jurisdiction, KoSSev portal reported.

The first action took place this morning in Strpce, where the premises of the Serbia-operated “Novo javno komunalno preduzeće“ (New Public Utility Company) were sealed off. The company, responsible for water supply and waste management, was operating within the system of the Republic of Serbia.

Kosovo police confirmed their involvement in the operation, stating it was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Economy and Environment. “This was a company operating under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Serbia”, the Kosovo police said, adding that the facility has now been shut down.

Parallel operation in Leposavic

Simultaneously, Kosovo police entered a government building in central Leposavic, where four Serbian institutions had been operating: the Republic Health Insurance Fund, the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, Kopaonik Road Maintenance Company, and the National Employment Service.

According to deputy regional police commander Veton Elshani, the intervention was conducted at the request of the municipality, which sought “to reclaim possession of the building”. On the first floor, the Serbian Social Work Center had been functioning, while the second and third floors housed the other institutions.

“All employees left the premises, except those from the Health Insurance Fund”, Elshani told reporters, adding that they were given a seven-day deadline to vacate due to the large amount of documentation they need to relocate.

KoSSev portal recalled that these latest developments come amid high political tensions in Pristina, where the fifth session of the Kosovo Assembly is convening under a cloud of political manoeuvring between the ruling Self-determination Movement and the opposition.

Two years since election of Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo, North Mitrovica residents still lack confidence (TV Most, Kosovo Online)

It has been two years since Albanian mayors were appointed in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo. Their election, boycotted by the Serb community, has been fraught with tension and deep distrust among majority residents from the outset. Today, two years later, residents of North Mitrovica say that almost nothing has changed, except that life has become even more difficult, TV Most said, re-running an article published by Kosovo Online portal.

“We all know that they illegally gained the status of mayors and nothing has improved. People are being arrested and harassed. I am an old Mitrovica resident who is telling the truth, but will the truth reach them, so that they can change the tune too… We are all living beings, we were all born here, our ancestry goes back 400-500 years, when our children go out, they are not safe. My granddaughter was fined 500 euros for listening to music in the car. That does not exist anywhere else but here”, one Mitrovica North resident told Kosovo Online.

As he pointed out, there are minor things they have done for the benefit of people, but that is negligible compared to the general feeling of insecurity and pressure. “When we go out, we are afraid that someone will say ‘here is a war criminal’. That is the fear that has come among people and when we think about it, they did not do what they were supposed to”, he said.

His fellow residents also said they are not satisfied with the work of the leadership in the four municipalities.

“I don’t know what to tell you, I guess it will get better. We are not satisfied, there is nothing for us. We pensioners are being bullied into going to Raska to get our pensions”, one pensioner said.

Without optimism and trust in the government, another resident was indifferent to the political representatives of the municipality of North Mitrovica.

“There is nothing to think about, they have not done anything, nor will they do anything. Everything will be the same as before, as is the norm. Like the previous and the next, everything will be the same”, she concluded.

Full conversation between Patriarch Porfirije and Putin released (Nedeljnik)

The official website of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has published the full recording of the conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije, reported weekly Nedeljnik.

The meeting was also attended by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, as well as Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Irinej.

The weekly shared the full transcript of the conversation below, and also the video.

Here is the complete transcript (the parts originally in Russian have been translated through a human-assisted ChatGPT process): https://tinyurl.com/4nyk89xf

Belgrade University Rector sued again, can’t attend meeting with PM (N1)

A day after his meeting with new Prime Minister Djuro Macut, Belgrade University Rector Vladan Djokic published an open letter saying that he can’t come to Wednesday’s meeting because of an urgent summons from a senior public prosecutor, N1 reported.

The letter said that Djokic received the summons from the Belgrade 1st Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office telling him that he is expected to respond immediately. Djokic said that the summons was over a second criminal complaint filed against him in less than a week, adding that the academic community sees the complaints as pressure to destabilize Belgrade University and prevent a productive dialogue to resolve the institutional crisis.

Djokic’s open letter also said that he and his associates realized there is no political will to meet the student demands, revoke the government decree on the operations of universities and end pressure on the academic community. He called the prime minister and his cabinet to organize a new meeting next week at Belgrade University which would include relevant representatives of the academic community.