Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti visits two Serb families: Every citizen deserves prosperity (media)
• Bislimi: French-German plan, de-facto recognition between both states (media)
• Government approves three agreements of the Berlin Process (media)
• Mehaj in Brussels talks about possibilities of cooperation with NATO (media)
• Hill: Association could implement by summer, French-German plan by end of the year (media)
• German MP: It's good that Kosovo accepted the European proposal (media)
• CEC sets deadlines for elections in northern municipalities, starting from March 9 (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic to receive Quint ambassadors on Thursday (Tanjug)
• Vucic: Not a good time for early elections (N1, TV Pink, Tanjug)
• The National Order of Merit presented to KoSSev portal editor, Tatjana Lazarevic (KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio)
• U.S. Embassy: Serbia and the US military cooperation developing at the highest level (Blic)
• Serbia, Hungary establishes strategic cooperation in energy sector (FoNet, N1)
• Rakic, Simic discussed security situation with Wigemark (Tanjug)
• Suspects detained and released for damaging the mural in Orahovac (KoSSev)
• 138 hectares of land - what is being expropriated in the North; The Kosovo government has scheduled public hearings (KoSSev)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Kurti visits two Serb families: Every citizen deserves prosperity (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has said that every citizen of Kosovo, regardless of origin, wants and deserves a government that ensures justice and prosperity for everyone.

He made these comments after the visit together with the Minister for Return and Communities to the Miletiq and Komatovic families in the village of Dreje and Zhac in the municipality of Istog.

"Every citizen of Kosovo - regardless of origin - wants and deserves a Government that ensures justice and prosperity for everyone. The Miletic and Komatovic families hosted me and Minister Rashic in Istog to discuss the active steps our government is taking to support farmers, businesses and job seekers," Kurti wrote on Wednesday on Twitter.

During the visit to these two families, Kurti informed them about the social policies that the government is implementing and about the plans to launch another employment measure that supports businesses that engage workers from the non-majority communities.

Bislimi: French-German plan, de-facto recognition between both states (media)

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, has said that the French-German plan shows the basic framework, which according to him, means de-facto recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, while as he said, the sequence of steps will be discussed in Brussels.

"What Kurti revealed after the meeting is information that he agrees with the platform proposed by the French-German plan, with the support of the USA. The platform shows only the basic principles and actions, while everything related to its implementation should be discussed in the implementing annex between the parties in Brussels".

Further, he said that during the meeting he had with Kurti and Lajcak, there was no discussion about any preliminary agreement, implying that there was no talk about the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority.

Whereas, according to Bislimi, the European Union has its own observations in two conditions, out of six, proposed by the Prime Minister of the country, Albin Kurti, regarding the formation of the Association.

Government approves three agreements of the Berlin Process (media)

The government of Kosovo has approved the international agreement between Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia on the freedom of movement of citizens between these countries. This agreement enables citizens of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina to enter each other's territory with biometric IDs.

"Through the agreement on free movement with identity cards, citizens of the six countries of the Western Balkans will move using only one identity card of one of the states according to the agreement in force," Prime Minister Albin Kurti said.

After the ratification of the two states, citizens of Kosovo and Bosnia will move only with ID.

Also, the agreement for the recognition of higher education qualifications and the one for the recognition of the professional qualifications of doctors, dentists and architects, were also approved.

Mehaj in Brussels talks about possibilities of Kosovo's cooperation with NATO (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj accompanied by the Ambassador of Kosovo to NATO, held several meetings at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Through a press release, it is announced that the activities at the NATO headquarters began with the meeting with the Deputy Assistant Secretary General for NATO Operations, Burcu San, where many topics related to security, the challenges, achievements and opportunities of Kosovo's cooperation with NATO were discussed.

"The second meeting was held with the ambassadors of the Quint countries in NATO, while the central meeting was held in the NATO conference room, where initially, Minister Mehaj presented and informed the ambassadors of the NATO countries, about the situation of security in the world and the impact in the Western Balkans, then about the objectives for the development of the Force, bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, cooperation with NALT and KFOR, as well as the way forward in terms of cooperation with NATO," the announcement states.

Ambassadors from different countries in their addresses highly appreciated the development process of the KSF, its engagement in international operations, the commitment of the Ministry of Defense for cooperation in the management of the situation with Afghan refugees, as well as Kosovo's dedication to the joint effort of allies and partners after the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

"Further it is said that Minister Mehaj and the delegation from Kosovo held a fruitful meeting with the deputy The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Lance Landrum, with whom they shared the vision for the development of the KSF in accordance with NATO standards, the joint commitment to maintaining peace and stability as well as increasing cooperation with NALT and KFOR," says the announcement.

Hill: Association could implement by summer, French-German plan by end of the year (media)

Media widely report that the U.S. ambassador in Belgrade Christopher Hill told Serbian media that he believes that the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority can be formed by the summer, while the French-German plan can be implemented by the end of the year.

"I think people should work every day for solutions. I think it is realistic to propose that it happens this year, that's why I think that this year is important, I think that the proposal is positive and can be implemented," Hillwas quoted as saying.

He said that the Association "must absolutely be implemented" and that, as he said, "if we expect anyone to have confidence in future agreements."

"I think we should return to the fundamental issue, which is the future of the Serb community in Kosovo. They have lived there for centuries and must know what their future will be like. Therefore, the fundamental issue is to address what originates from the original Brussels agreement, which is the Association. It absolutely must be implemented if we expect anyone to have confidence in future agreements," Christopher Hill said.

"We [the US] actually insist that what was signed is implemented, so we are talking about the original Brussels agreement. I am not saying that the French-German plan is not a variant of the Brussels Agreement. They are clearly related. The concept that past agreements must be implemented is also part of the French-German plan," he reportedly added.

Hill said that the U.S. wants to be part of the process and be a guarantor of the implementation of the agreement.

German MP: It's good that Kosovo accepted the European proposal (media)

The German MP Thomas Hacker has welcomed Kosovo's action to accept the French-German plan. The MP of the Free Democratic Party has said that this is a positive step for the process to move forward. In his account on "Twitter", he wrote that the EU should not allow more trouble in this part of Europe.

"It is good that Kosovo accepts the European proposal for the normalisation of relations with Serbia as a basis for negotiations. Given the international situation, the EU should no longer allow sources of trouble in its neighbourhood," Hacker wrote.

CEC sets deadlines for elections in northern municipalities, starting from March 9 (media)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) in the meeting held today, has decided on setting the deadlines for activities and approving the operational plan for the organization of extraordinary elections for the mayors of four municipalities: North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok and the early elections for the municipal assemblies of two municipalities: Zvecan and Leposaviq, which will be held on April 23, 2023.

     

Serbian Language Media 

  Vucic to receive Quint ambassadors on Thursday (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will receive the ambassadors of Quint states to the OSCE Mission in Vienna and the five countries' senior most diplomatic representatives in Belgrade on Thursday, reported Tanjug agency.

The meeting in the building of the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic is scheduled for 9 am, the presidential press office has announced in a statement.

Vucic: Not a good time for early elections (N1, TV Pink, Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that he does not think early elections are a good idea, despite reports that he hinted at running for prime minister a day earlier, reported N1.

“In these hard times, we see that we can count only on ourselves,” Vucic told the pro-regime TV Pink.

His words came after the row in the ruling coalition between his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and its smaller partner in the Government, Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).

“We talked about Kosovo and Metohija, we tackled many important issues and the citizens saw who was serious and who was not. I was hoping that they would at least push the button (to vote), but they did not do even that,” said President Vucic.

He repeated his accusations against the opposition that they were eager to start riots and “all for the benefit of foreign services.” “Their plan was to spontaneously bring people together over something that I did or did not say, but it failed,” said President Vucic.

Vucic also denied playing a major role in the talks in Brussels. “The Brussels Agreement was mentioned in the Assembly over 100 times, in a negative context and I was always to blame, not (SPS leader) Ivica Dacic who signed it. But, In politics, you always have some that are fighting and some that are hiding,” he added.

“I spoke to Ivica Dacic today and I will see him tomorrow and talk. I do not think that elections are a wise idea at this moment. But do I trust the (the SPS)? Personally, I don’t and neither did they trust us. We respect that political party, but now we know that in hard times, we can count only on us (SNS)”, Vucic said.

Vucic also announced that the assembly of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) would meet on May 27, reported Tanjug.

"That is when we will make all the important decisions," Vucic told TV pink. 

The National Order of Merit presented to KoSSev portal editor, Tatjana Lazarevic (KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio)

The editor of the KoSSev portal, Tatjana Lazarevic, was awarded  the National Order of Merit tonight at the residence of the French Embassy in Pristina.

Lazarevic was declared a Knight of the National Order of Merit by the decree of the French President, which was issued on July 26 last year.

"This recognition of France rewards the outstanding services you have provided through your professional activity and is an incentive to continue your dedication to the common good," stated the explanation of the decision to award the order. 

French Ambassador, Olivier Guérot presented the medal to the editor of KoSSev portal at a ceremony held last night at the Residence of the French Embassy in Pristina. 

In his speech, the ambassador praised the work of Lazarevic, as well as the KoSSev portal itself.

"This award is recognition for the professional quality of your work. I would like to express our gratitude for your experience in the media sector... You are not only spreading information to the public, you are also dealing with the transfer of knowledge and competences," said the ambassador.

He indicated that Lazarevic brings a balanced view of the situation in which the Serbian minority finds itself.

"This allows us to accurately inform the French authorities about the situation. Your explanations and comments have been a valuable help," the ambassador said.

U.S. Embassy: Serbia and the US military cooperation developing at the highest level (Blic)

The US Embassy in Belgrade stated today that military cooperation between the U.S. and Serbia is developing at the highest level, reported daily Blic.

The embassy announced on Twitter that “military cooperation between the USA and the Republic of Serbia is developing at the highest levels - the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Mojsilovic, with the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Milley”.

General Mojsilovic had as part of his official visit to the United States of America, Mojsilovic had separate meetings with Milley and other officials of the US Department of Defence at the Pentagon. The current security situation in the world, challenges in the region, and the bilateral military cooperation between Serbia and the USA, were discussed at the meetings, stated the Ministry of defence of Serbia. 

Serbia, Hungary establishes strategic cooperation in energy sector (FoNet, N1)

Following talks with Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Szijjarto, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic said that Belgrade and Budapest have established strategic cooperation in the field of energy, reported N1.

“The goal is to diversify the sources of energy supply and it is necessary to increase the flow of gas from Azerbaijan, in cooperation with Hungary,” said Minister Djedovic.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister said in Belgrade that, thanks to strategic cooperation, Hungary and Serbia have managed to overcome the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Describing bilateral cooperation in the energy sector with Serbia as excellent, Hungarian Minister Szijjarto said that, if needed, Hungary can purchase and store 500 mln cubic m of gas for Serbia, as it did in 2022.

He said 300 mln cubic m of gas was stored in Hungary last year and that the most realistic option is to realise the scenario of imports from Azerbaijan.

“In order to double gas imports from Azerbaijan new interconnectors need to be built and the existing ones expanded,” said Szijjarto.

He told a press conference that Hungary is open to further negotiations on the import of gas from Azerbaijan through Serbia to Hungary because this will enable both countries to get gas from Azerbaijan.

Szijjarto said Minister Djedovic confirmed that Serbia is ready to cooperate with a Hungarian gas supply company.

He added that joint efforts were underway to double by 2028 the quantity of power transmitted between Serbia and Hungary.

Rakic, Simic discussed security situation with Wigemark (Tanjug)

Serbian List leader Goran Rakic and deputy leader Igor Simic met with EULEX chief Lars-Gunnar Wigemark on Tuesday to discuss the security and political situation in Kosovo. 

The meeting also addressed an urgent withdrawal of special units of the Kosovo Police from the north of Kosovo-Metohija, reported Tanjug agency.

Suspects detained and released for damaging the mural in Orahovac (KoSSev)

The suspects for damaging the mural dedicated to the tennis player, Novak Djokovic in Orahovac were released after being detained, the Kosovo police announced today, reported KoSSev portal.

Last night, an hour after midnight, the damage to this mural was reported to the police by the owner of the house where it was painted.

As he told the police, three persons damaged the mural unknown to him.

The police then took them into custody and released them a little later. The case was characterised as a disturbance of public order and peace.

Media reported that on the same day youth from Orahovac, with the advice of the author, cleaned the damaged mural of Novak Djokovic and returned it to its previous state.

138 hectares of land - what is being expropriated in the North; The Kosovo government has scheduled public hearings (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reported that more than 138 hectares is being expropriated – this is the total size of properties in the North of Kosovo. The Government of Kosovo made several decisions on expropriation last year, while two more were made at the beginning of 2023. The new decisions were met with protests by citizens in Leposavic, the filing of lawsuits, as well as a call from the European Union for the respect of property rights and expropriation procedures, after which the Government of Kosovo decided to schedule two public hearings in Leposavic and Zubin Potok for February 15 and 21. 

KoSSev recalled that in mid-January, the GoK decided to expropriate new plots of land in northern Kosovo - in the villages of Dren and Lesak. As for KoSSev’s findings, the total area is 83 hectares, for another “infrastructure project of public interest”.

Until last Wednesday it was unknown which public interest project was in question when residents noticed construction machines, armoured vehicles, and police on their lots. They learned from them that the construction of a new border police base was planned at this location.

The works were suspended a day later after the locals, dissatisfied with the decision and the non-transparent process, organised protests and filed a lawsuit.

On Thursday, February 2, the European Union called for respect for property rights, specifying that the expropriation process, according to Kosovo law, requires a period of public consultation and the opportunity for affected citizens to “challenge any decision on expropriation in court before any decision on expropriation becomes final”. The same day, only a few hours later, the GoK held another meeting and made new expropriation decisions. 

As part of these decisions, which KoSSev had access to, there is also a notification in which plot owners are invited to send requests and comments regarding land expropriation, while at the same time they have scheduled public hearings.

What was decided on February 2?

At the electronic session held on February 2, the GoK made two new decisions concerning expropriation, both regarding new plots in Leposavic municipality, and expropriation of land based on previous decisions in this municipality and in Zubin Potok.

When it comes to plots in the cadastral zones of Dren and Lesak, a decision was adopted on the execution of preparatory works to determine the “potential suitability of one or more” plots for these cadastral zones, with the aim of realising the project, i.e., construction of the base.

The decision authorised the Kosovo Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure to conduct preparatory works, which, according to the government, can be conducted without the permission of the property owner.

On the other hand, they indicated that any person who is the owner or “owner of interest” of immovable property that is the subject of preparatory works, has the right to compensation for the loss of the right to use or enjoy the property or any part of it during the performance of preparatory works.

Also, this person has the right to compensation for any other damage to the property due to the preparatory work.

The value of the compensation is determined by the Ministry of Finance, the compensation for damages is conducted by the Expropriation Authority, and in case of disagreement, it is possible to file a lawsuit before the Basic Court of the municipality.

The cemetery is no longer part of the expropriation decision

The new decision on expropriation includes all the plots as in the previous one, which was adopted on January 16, except for one that is owned by the municipality and is 4,957 square metres in size. As Leposavic Municipality previously confirmed to KoSSev, the municipal plot is actually a village cemetery in Dren and a church.

President of Interim Municipal Council (IMC) of Leposavic municipality also confirmed to KoSSev that the new decision on expropriation does not include this plot.

“The difference between the latest decision and the one from January 16 is that the subject of expropriation is not the plot where the local cemetery and the church are located. Now is exempted by the latest decision,” Todic said.

The total property to be expropriated in Dren is now measured at slightly over 39 hectares, while in Lesak it remains at over 42ha.

Another decision

On February 2, GoK also passed a decision approving further consideration of the request “on its own initiative” for the expropriation of real estate “of public interest” which is necessary for the implementation of “infrastructural projects of public interest”.

This decision refers to the land expropriated in Dren and Lesak, but also to plots that were previously expropriated both in the municipality of Leposavic and in Zubin Potok.

These plots are in the cadastral areas of Saljska Bistrica, Dren, Lesak and Kosutovo in the municipality of Leposavic and the cadastral areas of Brnjak, Velji Breg, Zubin Potok, Banja and Jasenovik and Gornji Jasenovik in the municipality of Zubin Potok.

Errors in decision

Based on the available text on government decisions, the settlement of Velji Breg was wrongly annexed to the municipality of Leposavic.

President of Leposavic Interim Municipality Council, Zoran Todic, also told KoSSev that there is another mistake in this government decision, because it mentions Saljska Bistrica, but in fact it is about Bistrica near Jarinje. Todic also told the portal that these plots are used, as there is a Kosovo Police base already.

This decision states that the value of property compensation is determined by the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfer, in accordance with the Law on Real Estate Expropriation as amended and the Administrative Instruction “on the application of technical assessment methods and criteria that will be used to calculate the amount of real estate compensation which was expropriated and damages related to the expropriation”.

It is indicated that compensation for the expropriated property and all other financial and legal obligations that may arise from the expropriation process will be made from the budget of the Government of Kosovo.

What is being expropriated in the North of Kosovo and where

As part of the new decisions of the GoK, there is also a table representation of plots of land whose expropriation is requested. It is about more than 138 hectares of land in Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

These tables show the “old state” in which companies and private individuals are listed as the owners of plots, but also the “new state”, i.e., for all these plots of land which expropriation is planned, it is stated that the owner is the “Republic of Kosovo”. While according to the “old state” plots were classified as meadows, pastures, yards... now in the “new state” they are all classified as construction land.

In the tables for expropriation in Dren village, according to the new decision, six parcels with a total area of 39.1 ha are listed. In this decision, there is no plot of land owned by the municipality that was in the tabular presentation of the previous decision of January 16, and on which, according to the residents and local authorities, there is a village cemetery and a church.

In Lesak, according to the new decision of the government, the expropriation of 13 plots is planned, i.e., the same number as provided for in the decision of January 16. The total area of land for expropriation is 42.7 ha.

In Saljska Bistrica, which is Bistrica itself, as claimed by Todic, more than 5 hectares of land are being expropriated on a total of 11 plots.

And here for the “new state” it is stated that the new owner is Kosovo, those plots are defined as construction land, while in the “old state” they were pastures, forests, infrastructure roads, fields, meadows in private and social ownership.

According to the tables for Velji Breg, expropriation is conducted for a total of 17 plots with an area of about 4.5 ha.

Kosovo is also mentioned as the owner according to the “new state”, and as the previous one - private persons, companies, while for one plot it is specified that it was owned by Kosovo.

As in the previous case, here we are talking about forest land, pastures, streets, but also yards and houses that are marked as construction land in their “new state”.

In Kostovo, a plot of land measuring 15.6 hectares, which was defined as social property, is being expropriated.

In the municipality of Zubin Potok, expropriation is carried out in several places.

Thus, the table for Brnjak lists 11 plots, i.e., slightly more than 2 hectares of land.

Almost half a hectare is being expropriated in Zubin Potok. In the “old state” section of the table, private persons are listed as owners, and in the “new” section, Kosovo.

As many as 18 plots of land with a total area of 12.6 hectares are being expropriated in Banje village. For certain plots in this village, it is stated that the expropriation was carried out by decisions from 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Most of the previous owners are private individuals, while six are owned by the company Ibar-Lepenac.

The largest number of plots are being expropriated in Jasenovik - as many as 38. This is a total area of 15.5 hectares.

As for the previous and these properties - forests, pastures in exclusively private ownership, now in the “new state” it is stated that the owner is Kosovo, and they are defined as construction land.

The government scheduled public hearings in Zubin Potok and Leposavic

As part of the new decision of the GoK from February 2, there is also a notice intended for the owners of plots for expropriation.

The notification states that the Government of Kosovo will make a preliminary decision on the legality of the proposed expropriation, within 30 calendar days, after fulfilling the conditions specified in Article 9 of the Law on Expropriation of Real Estate as amended in the Law in connection with the organisation of public participation.

It is specified that every interested person has the right to present their comments in writing regarding the expropriation proposed to the expropriation authority, within 10 calendar days, after the announcement of the decision of February 2 for further consideration of the request for expropriation in the Official Gazette of Kosovo.

The notice emphasises that the Government of Kosovo will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed expropriation of property in the cadastral areas of Bistrica, Velji Breg, Dren, Lesak and Kosutovo in the municipality of Leposavic and in the areas of Brnjak, Zubin Potok, Banja and Gornji Jasenovik for the municipality of Zubin Potok. 

“All persons who are public officials of the municipality where the public hearing will be held or owners or those who have an interest in the property located within this municipality, the lawyer, the legal representative of these persons, have the right to participate in the public discussion,” it is emphasised.

They state that all of them will be provided with “reasonable opportunity” to make a statement verbally regarding the expropriation. Persons who will participate in the discussion should bring with them “reasonable experiences” - documents proving that they belong to one of the aforementioned categories who have the right to take part. 

A public discussion regarding the Leposavic territory will be held on February 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the hall of the Leposavic Municipality Assembly.

A public hearing regarding the requested expropriation in the territory of the Zubin Potok municipality will be held on February 21 at 10:30 a.m. in the Zubin Potok municipality assembly hall.

Todic: Pristina did everything against the law and regulations

President of Interim Leposavic municipal council, Zoran Todic told KoSSev that Pristina violated the law related to expropriation, that is, that it did not comply with the prescribed procedures.

He emphasises that this is shown by the latest decision of the Government of Kosovo on expropriation.

“They built a base in Jasenovik and now they want to hold public debates and discussions,” Todic added.

He stated that 20 days after the new decision was made, that is, from February 2, no activity is supposed to be carried out on the site, and that no building should be constructed over the period of 12 months.

“After giving people the opportunity to express their comments, objections or acceptance, although we know that no one accepts this, the Government should then make a preliminary decision, only after 12 months they can make a final decision before the completion of all those procedural works - carrying out geo-mechanical research, whether you can build on that hill because of the very structure of the land, etc.” Todic said.