UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 17, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Musliu: Security situation stable, but threats from Serbia continue (RTK)
Maqedonci: Signals of attacks raise need for peace treaty with Serbia (media)
Gervalla expects good relations with U.S. President (media)
Kurti considers the census successful (Koha)
Interior Ministers of Kosovo and Albania agree on cooperation against illegal migration (media)
Surroi: The North should not be managed by special units (media)
Serbs in the north do not pay property tax or building permits (Sinjali)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucevic: I expect no change in US policy on Kosovo (Tanjug)
Petkovic: Biggest lie about Banjska is that Vucic was order-giver (RTS)
Drecun: Kurti makes lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult (Tanjug)
Statement of eight Serbian NGOs: 100 new notaries, not a single Serb among them (Radio KIM)
Sentic: Absolutely unacceptable that among 101 appointed notaries, none is Serb (Kosovo Online, social media)
More than 2.800 requests to switch Serbian to Kosovo drivers’ licences (KoSSev)

Opinion:

Ethnic breaking of media silence (Radio Gorazdevac, media)

International:

Accommodation Challenges in Kosovo: Can Airbnb Meet the Summer Demand? (Prishtina Insight)
Surge in SLAPPs Hits Serbia’s Independent Media Hard (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Musliu: Security situation stable, but threats from Serbia continue (RTK)

The Kosovo Assembly’s Chairperson of the Committee for Oversight of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Ganimete Musliu, stated today after the reporting of the director of the KIA Petrit Ajeti, that the security situation in Kosovo is generally stable. "The threat from Serbia and from paramilitary and terrorist organisations whose members are being sheltered and trained in Serbia is assessed as very high. Based on the intelligence data, the terrorist group has recently been conducting exercises in several locations in the vicinity of Novi Pazar, Kopaonik and Kraleva", stated Musliu in a press conference after the report of the director of the KIA.

According to her, the paramilitary and terrorist group led by Milan Radojcic continues to be structured, has sufficient financial means, weapons and support from official Belgrade. "They are continuously planning and discussing the possibilities for an attack. The leader of the group, Milan Radojcic, continues the close cooperation with the security structures, with high state officials, as well as maintaining contact with several radical and criminal groups and organisations with regional scope", she added.

"The increase in military capacities, the concentration of Serbian forces near the border with Kosovo as well as the military training of members of terrorist formations are indicators that Serbia continues to have aggressive intentions towards Kosovo", she underlined.

The advancement of the Serbian nationalist project "Serbian World" is estimated to have an impact on regional security. "The assembly held on June 8, 2024, in Serbia, which was supported by Russia, exposed the destabilising tendencies of the region, with the aim of achieving certain objectives related to Serbia's territorial claims against its neighbours, as well as prolonging integration processes according to the interests of Russia", Musliu said further.

However, she emphasised that Kosovo and its democratic institutions remain committed to providing security to all the people without distinction and to contribute to national and regional security and beyond in cooperation with regional and strategic partners.

Maqedonci: Signals of attacks raise need for peace treaty with Serbia (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with RTV21 that a peace treaty between Kosovo and Serbia should be the key point in the dialogue in Brussels. “One of the key requests of the Prime Minister of Kosovo was to have a peace treaty before going into the process of dialogue and talks, namely no attacks between the two countries, and this should serve as a basis for the dialogue. I believe this should remain one of the points that needs to be discussed before decisions are made on other topics in the dialogue,” he argued.

The news website also notes that heads of Kosovo’s institutions have lately expressed concern over Serbian armed groups near Kosovo and that they are preparing for new attacks in the north of Kosovo. The Kosovo government has asked Serbia to deliver to Kosovo’s judicial institutions Milan Radoicic, who claimed responsibility for the attack in the north of Kosovo in September last year.

Gervalla expects good relations with U.S. President (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, in an interview with ATV, condemned the assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump and said that “lately attacks against politicians have become more frequent”.

Gervalla said that after the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo last year, “we are well aware of the situation we are in as a country but also as individuals and representatives of the people’s vote. We know that greater attention to security is needed … therefore we need to be even more careful than we have been in the past”.

Gervalla said that relations between Kosovo and the United States remain unwavering. “The United States know who their most trusted partner is … We should not give ourselves the right to talk about who they should vote for their president. If Americans decide that Trump should be their president, then the decision is theirs, and we need to continue to build on our relations with the U.S. … I have no doubt that whoever is at the White House, be it Joe Biden for another mandate, or Donald Trump, Kosovo will maintain the strong partnership,” she said.

Asked if the idea for border correction could return if Trump is elected president, Gervalla said “I don’t think … I would not rule this out, but everything depends on us. Because there can be no move in Kosovo and for Kosovo if the legitimate representatives of this country don’t give their approval”.

Commenting on the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, Gervalla said that “the Association is part of a bilateral agreement and facilitated by the EU in Brussels. The draft that we are talking about, and which is being called Lajcak’s draft, cannot be implemented unilaterally, neither with nor without the Constitutional Court, because that draft can be taken into account only as part of the package that was presented to us, and the package includes Kosovo’s de facto recognition by Serbia. If the draft is taken out of the existing package of Brussels and Ohrid, then it loses its meaning”.

Kurti considers the census successful (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, expressed today his gratitude to the Acting Director of the Statistics Agency, Avni Kastrati and his team for the successful process of "Registration of the Population, Family Economy and Housing 2024".

During this meeting, according to the announcement, Kurti ‘emphasised that the dedication and professional work of KAS have been essential in facing the challenges and realising this project of national importance. The Prime Minister was especially thankful for the excellent cooperation, continuous and open communication, as well as the effective coordination that have guided this initiative towards its realisation’.

The population census process lasted more than a month, from April to May. According to preliminary data, Kosovo has 1,586,659 resident inhabitants.

Interior Ministers of Kosovo and Albania agree on cooperation against illegal migration (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, met today with his Albanian counterpart, Taulant Balla. Their meeting in Tirana, came, before the meeting of the Supervisory Committee with Great Britain for the fight against illegal migration.

According to the announcement, during the discussions, they addressed the results achieved in the fight against all forms of criminality, seeing this as a vision for a safer region. "Minister Svecla emphasized that in our cooperation, we have taken decisions on concrete steps and projects for the progress of cooperation and for the increase of institutional and technological capacities, with the aim of strengthening security and a strong attack on criminal groups.

The two ministers agreed on the need to continue and strengthen cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, ensuring the presentation of the results of this cooperation at the next meeting of the Supervisory Committee with Great Britain. Also, it was decided that the next meeting of this Committee will be held in Pristina", the announcement states.

Surroi: The North should not be managed by special units (media)

Veton Surroi, well-known opinion columnist and external adviser to the government of Kosovo, believes that the north should not be managed by special police units. "Initially no gap should be allowed, and that gap is filled with presence. That presence cannot be permanent, like that. So, Kosovo cannot manage that part of its territory with special police. No part of Kosovo should be managed by special units. There should be an order in Leposavic, there should be the same police as there are in Malisheve. There shouldn't be any difference in the end. Power must be built in the same way as it was built in Malisheve, with elections" - said Surroi, who demanded that the mayors of the four municipalities in the north gain legitimacy through elections.

However Surroi described this process as “complicated”, while he called the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia ‘an unfinished conflict.’ “We are bound in our actions. It would be good for the new generation of people to stand up in these countries, in this region, to say slow down because we have common interest, that we must finally solve these issues, because the children must live in peace, we must live in peace,” he said.

Surroi also spoke about the issue of dialogue. "It is evident that the current form of the negotiation process with Serbia has produced the results it has produced so far, but they are insufficient. The result has been offered to both sides, one side (Kosovo) wanted to sign it, while the other side not only did not want to sign it but made oral and written remarks against this agreement" Surroi said.

"One should be fair with President Vucic as well. He was correct when he said that I don't accept this agreement, I don't accept it in its entirety, I don't accept the signing, I don't accept these points and Vucic should not be blamed for lies. The European Union should be blamed for misinterpreting his words, because when he said that he does not want to sign and does not accept this agreement, and they say that he has accepted the agreement, then they have misinterpreted the words of the president" said Surroi.

Serbs in the north do not pay property tax or building permits (Sinjali)

Citizens in North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Leposaviq do not pay property tax, for building permits and for the use of public spaces. This is just one of the findings of the National Audit Office for the four northern municipalities with a Serb majority that are already run by Albanian mayors and that is damaging the municipal budgets in the implementation of various projects.

"In general, this damages the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization, of these four municipalities, negatively affecting the budget and the ability to finance projects as well as to improve services to citizens", said Agron Fetiu, Responsible for the Audit of Municipalities.

The auditor requests change of the situation, and respect of the law, also for another finding, which concerns the engagement of municipal officials.

"It has been recommended to respect the legal regulations in order to collect revenues, then we are also dealing with the commitment of all municipal officials to comply with the law, with the implementation of public prosecution procedures for specific or special services", he added.

Due to the tense situation, last year NAO did not conduct audits in these four municipalities.

Serbian Language Media

Vucevic: I expect no change in US policy on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on Wednesday that, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential elections, no drastic change was to be expected when it comes to the US policy on Kosovo.

Vucevic was responding to a Tanjug query whether changes in Brussels and potential changes in Washington after the presidential elections could impact the Belgrade-Pristina talks and the actions of Pristina's PM Albin Kurti.

"I expect no major changes from the composition of the European Commission", Vucevic said, adding that he believed the nomination of Estonia's former PM as the EU's foreign policy and security chief would boost the "anti-Russian narrative and a more hardline policy".

He also said Kurti would not give up on his agenda until the elections in Kosovo and that he saw no progress, but fear of Kurti dragging Serbia into conflicts and expelling Serbs from Kosovo.

Petkovic: Biggest lie about Banjska is that Vucic was order-giver (RTS)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said many lies had been told about Banjska, but the biggest one is that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was an order-giver, RTS reported.

“The only evidence which exists is persecution of Serbs by Kurti and Svecla. There have been many lies told about Banjska, and the biggest one is that Vucic was an order-giver. Banjska was a consequence of terror against the Serbs. And Vucic is to blame because he safeguards the peace and cares about his people”, Petkovic wrote in a post on X social network.

Petkovic made these remarks reacting to Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla’s allegations that “Vucic directly took part in training of the group”, which, as he said, carried out an attack in Banjska last year.

Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic also dismissed Svecla’s accusations terming them a slander. “In the territory of the Republic of Serbia, unlike that under control of Pristina, terrorists are neither trained nor are currently training. Terrorists in Serbia are arrested and prosecuted, while in Pristina they walk free, run lucrative businesses or perform public functions”, Gasic said.

Drecun: Kurti makes lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult (Tanjug)

Chairman of the Serbian Parliament Committee for Defense and Internal Affairs Milovan Drecun said today Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his regime are attempting to maximally make the lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult and impossible to live there.

Officials of Kosovo Privatization Agency closed yesterday three gas stations of the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) in the north of Kosovo, because, as they said, they did not have the licence of the respective ministry.

Drecun told RTS that such acts of Pristina authorities are integral part of Kurti’s policy towards Serbs in Kosovo.

Statement of eight Serbian NGOs: 100 new notaries, not a single Serb among them (Radio KIM)

Eight civil society organisations from the Serbian community in Kosovo expressed serious concern and protest over the decision of Kosovo Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu to appoint 100 notaries and not a single Serb among them, Radio KIM reported.

They requested the decision on appointing notaries in the municipalities where Serb make majority population be revised.

The NGOs added in a statement that currently in Kosovo there are ten Serbian lawyers who passed the notary exam, and five of them applied for this call in several municipalities in Kosovo.

“It is utterly concerning that none of them had been appointed notary in a single Kosovo municipality. It is particularly concerning the fact that a candidate from the Serbian community who applied for two positions in two municipalities in northern Kosovo had not been appointed, although he met all requirements and has reputable legal experience”, the statement added.

It was also said it is inexplicable that apart from several candidates from Serbian community who have extensive legal experience none of them was appointed as a notary in Gracanica, Serb-majority municipality, and instead an Albanian was appointed as notary.

“The situation is similar in other municipalities covered by the vacancy. In relation to this, we want to underline that we in no moment dispute qualifications of Albanian candidates, but highlight consequences that may arise by exclusion of candidates from the Serbian community in this decision and the bad message it sends to the Serbian community in Kosovo”, the statement said.

They warned that recent decision of Kosovo Justice Minister can lead to new problems in terms of ensuring the rights of non-majority communities members in Kosovo, given that based on personal experience they know that “Albanian notaries offer services in the Albanian language even in the cases when parties involved are Serbs exclusively”.

It was said this decision can be interpreted that Serbs and other non-majority members are not welcome in institutions and related professions in Kosovo, not even those who under current circumstances expressed willingness to offer services to all communities in Kosovo through them.

They called upon Justice Minister to reconsider their request to revise decision on appointing notaries in the Serb-majority municipalities, and representatives of the international missions and diplomatic offices in Kosovo, as well as civil society organisations from Albanian community, to react in order to prevent further increase of mistrust in Kosovo institutions and Kosovo government by members of non-majority communities.

The joint statement was signed by Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC), New Social Initiative, Aktiv, Communication for Society Development, Institute for Territorial Economic Development InTER, Youth Partes Activity, Women Business Association Avenija and NGO Santa Maria.

The full statement is available at: https://shorturl.at/O8mIJ

Sentic: Absolutely unacceptable that among 101 appointed notaries, none is Serb (Kosovo Online, social media)

Kosovo Deputy Ombudsperson, Srdjan Sentic said it is absolutely unacceptable that on the list of 101 appointed notaries published by Kosovo Justice Ministry, not a single one is Serb, although there were candidates from Serbian community who passed notary exam and applied for the vacancy, Kosovo Online portal reported.

In a post on Facebook Sentic said he supports reactions from civil society organisations and numerous politicians regarding the latest decision of the Justice Ministry.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that among 101 appointed notaries, not a single Serb is among them, Even if all Serbian candidates were appointed, there would still be need for more notaries from the Serbian community. This decision only deepens the mistrust towards institutions, which are only declaratively opened for the Serbian and other communities”, Sentic said.

He added this decision must be revised in an urgent proceeding, noting it is particularly concerning in light of recently established commission to integrate non-majority communities in public institutions, in line with constitutional provisions and laws defining equal representation of all communities at all levels.

More than 2.800 requests to switch Serbian to Kosovo drivers’ licences (KoSSev)

More than 2.800 requests had been submitted thus far across Kosovo to switch Serbian drivers’ licences to Kosovo one, police told KoSSev portal.

Out of this number, 2426 requests were submitted in northern Kosovo.

Opinion

Ethnic breaking of media silence (Radio Gorazdevac, media)

By Jelena L. Petkovic, journalist

There are events which break the media silence and when Albanian-language media touch upon events important for Serbs in Kosovo. One of those events is Saint Vitus Day (June 28). But, as a rule, this time as well, the reporting remained within the bounds of ethnic politics.

It could be said traditionally - the portals in Albanian language do not report about cultural festivities taking place ahead of Saint Vitus Day, they are only interested in the ceremony at Gazimestan (where Kosovo Battle took place on June 28, 1389), and the emphasis, as KoSSev portal noted, was placed on "order, law and security of Kosovo". As it turns out again and again, many media understand it as security for the majority and not for minorities.

Accordingly, journalists' reports and camera lenses focused on the work of Kosovo police checking bags, lifting up shirts and confiscating material they labelled “provocative or hate-mongering”. And then, the cameras record how police take away the T-shirts and flags and throw them in the containers.

Majority Albanian media applauded and demanded severe measures.

The leading daily in Albanian language in Kosovo - Koha - begins its report with a sentence - "Kosovo allowed Serbs from Serbia and Montenegro to celebrate the Saint Vitus holiday at Gazimestan. Flags and t-shirts with provocative inscriptions were found with the participants, while they chanted in chorus 'Kosovo is the heart of Serbia'".

Koha further writes that the police checked each person individually and found flags and T-shirts with "nationalist and provocative inscriptions", adding that "they asked some of them to change their T-shirts, as a condition of being allowed to enter".

In its reporting, Lajmi - another portal in the Albanian language - refers to Kosovo police as "our police", ethnically biasedly drawing the line and writing that "our police" confiscated "camouflage and provocative nationalist and chauvinist clothing". Calling the gathering of people "a pilgrimage", Lajmi claims that "often their language is the language of hatred, especially towards Albanians, but also towards other peoples". Lajmi reminded its readers that "the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 remains the most manipulated event in the history of the Balkan nations, especially in Albanian and Serbian territory".

The Albanian-language portal - Telegrafi - writes that during the checks, the police took off the provocative shirts from gathered Serbs, and that "during the investigation, they found and removed a Serbian flag with the inscription Russia" from one person.

Kosova Press informs its readers that "while celebrating a lost battle, Serbs are provoking with nationalist slogans and symbols". "This year, the Serbs celebrated the lost battle at Gazimestan 635 years ago. The Kosovo police took care of the smooth running of the gathering, where there was no shortage of provocations with nationalist t-shirts and symbols. It did not end there, because the participants provocatively called it 'Kosovo-Serbia'", writes Kosova Press.

The editorial policy of another media outlet in the Albanian language - Bota Sot - did not focus on the event, but published the author's comments, the content of which contains sentences that are pure hate speech.

The sentence "{...} there is nothing Serbian in Kosovo, except for this Serbian minority, which is the remnant of the wild hordes from the Carpathians", is one of the milder examples.

It is precisely this approach to media coverage of the event that gave room for comments on their website, which call for, among other things, to prohibit by law the celebration of Saint Vitus Day.

The media did not tell their readers that according to Ahtisaari’s Plan adopted by Kosovo Parliament, Serbs have the right to their holidays and to publicly display their symbols. Majority of media also "forgot" to inform their readers that most of those celebrating Saint Vitus Day are in fact Serbs from Kosovo. Also, the manifestation is far more than a gathering at Gazimestan.

According to the reports published on the portals, the Albanian-language media, present at the event, did not ask the present people about anything. The statements of Serbian Orthodox Church bishops were recorded, which again caused a barrage of nationalist comments directed at all Serbs on social networks.

The media in Albanian language did not report on the video recording of the attack against leader of the Serbian Democracy Aleksandar Arsenijevic at Gazimestan either. It would turn out that the attacker was a cameraman of another Albanian language portal Nacionale.com who previously told Arsenijevic to “go to Serbia”. It was later said the cameraman was suspended pending the investigation.

Most online media in the Albanian language do not allow comments on their sites. Among those that can be found on social networks as reactions and comments by some well-known influencers in Albanian language, can mostly be described as - "festival of hatred".

One of the influencers even "explains" the video of the attack against Arsenijevic with the words - "the presence of fake journalists who carry out the tasks of Serbian Chetniks is alarming".

And so this year too, celebration of Saint Vitus Day, as expected, unfolded in two parallel media realities and two completely different addresses to the public. And no one reacted to that.

The interests are justified, what was needed was highlighted or hidden, and this year children will upload videos on Tik-Tok in which they can easily reflect the reality of us adults about who they hate and how much they hate them.

The manner in which most Albanian-language media reported on events important to Serbs always creates an even greater ethnic distance, which precisely delegitimizes the Serbian community in Kosovo.And it is us who will hold the heads (in disbelief when things occur). Eventually.

International

Accommodation Challenges in Kosovo: Can Airbnb Meet the Summer Demand? (Prishtina Insight)

The surge in summer tourism in Kosovo, marked by the organisation of large-scale international festivals, has underscored the accommodation challenges prompting an increasing reliance on platforms such as Airbnb to fill the void left by limited hotel capacities.

Rreze Cuca, from Tuz, Montenegro, was not able to find accommodation in Prishtina in 2022 when two of the country’s biggest festivals—DokuFest in Prizren, and Sunny Hill in Prishtina—took place on the same dates, causing a tourist surge.

“For 8 days of the festival in Prizren, we paid rent for almost a month’s stay in an apartment in Prishtina as we could not find anywhere to stay for certain days. The owner would not let us pay less than one month,” she told BIRN, explaining that she had lived in the University of Prishtina’s dormitories for several years during her studies.

“I had no idea what the accommodation capacities were like,” Cuca said, adding that she “took [finding a place] for granted, coming from a tourist place that has no such problem.”

The rise in summer tourism in Kosovo, particularly because of the organisation of major international festivals, has highlighted the country’s accommodation shortcomings, especially in the capital. Airbnb is emerging as a solution to bridge the gap in hotel accommodation capacity, however, it has failed to meet growing demands.