Albanian Language Media:

 

• Kurti: Threats to Kosovo's security are increasing (Koha)
• Osmani congratulates Starmer: UK, a special place in the hearts of Kosovars (RTK)
• Germany in line with U.S.: Constitutional Court, the only institution that can evaluate draft statute of Association (Reporteri)
• Ahmeti meets Pacific Islands Forum SG, talks about Kosovo's progress over years (Reporteri)
• Abdixiku meets Franges, discuss current situation in Kosovo (ekonomia)
• KIJ: Around 113,000 pending cases, the right to a timely trial is being violated (Koha)
• Suspended, but with salary: 144 police officers were paid in violation of law (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Djuric: No progress in negotiations until the EU sanctions Kurti's regime (Blic TV, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Vucevic: Strong army a guarantor of peace for Serbia (Tanjug, media)
• Szunyog expressed readiness to facilitate information session on property related disputes (Radio Kontakt plus, social media)
• What about the return of Serbs to Kosovo? (Radio KIM)
• Timothy Less: Kaja Kallas' influence limited; I don't expect many changes (Tanjug) 
• Opposition politician criticises Vucic for “disclosing sensitive information” (N1)
• Serbia did not align with EU decisions regarding Ukraine, North Korea (N1)
• Detention of two Albanians arrested for “espionage” extended by two more months (Kosovo Online)

 

International:

 

• Kurti: Don’t Doubt NATO. It Saved My People. (New York Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• "17 policemen and Chetniks raped me, they told me we will come again tomorrow", first testimony of Vasfije Krasniqi given to KLA, revealed (Reporteri)                                                                             

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

 

Kurti: Threats to Kosovo's security are increasing (media)

 

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that threats to Kosovo's security are increasing, just as, according to him, its democracy is also increasing. In an opinion piece published in "The New York Times" in which he described the role of NATO and its achievements in Kosovo, Kurti described the terrorist attack in Banjska saying that heavily armed Serbian paramilitary troops came from Serbia. “Took up positions in the Orthodox Monastery of Banjska , in what the US government called a highly organised effort involving sophisticated weapons. Serbian military forces were mobilised near our border, an action described by the United States as 'destabilising,'" Kurti wrote.

 

He also mentioned the increase in the presence of NATO troops in Kosovo last year, from 3770 to 4500.

 

In this opinion, Kurti has accused Serbia of hindering the integration of Serbs in Kosovo. "In 2017, Aleksandar Vucic, former Minister of Propaganda under the leadership of Milosevic, became the president of Serbia. His rise marked a turning point in Milosevic's authoritarian, ethno-nationalist politics, especially the expansionist kind. Belgrade's authoritarian policy made life especially difficult for ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. They had to play their role as a minority in a new country with a population of approximately 93 percent ethnic Albanians and 7 percent other minorities, including Roma and Turks. Serbia has prevented this integration. It took courage for the ethnic Serbs to join the institutions and become active participants in the country", wrote Kurti.

 

He wrote in this opinion that Kosovo is known as the most democratic country in the Western Balkans and for this, according to him, NATO has made a big contribution. "This transformation was not achieved only as a result of NATO's actions; efforts were required from many parties, and the most important is the determination of the Kosovar people, who engaged in the political process. But NATO made this reality possible, and it is no coincidence that the war in Ukraine marks the first major European war in over 100 years in which the countries of the Western Balkans have not participated. "Peace is hard work, and dynamic - it must be maintained constantly," Kurti wrote.

 

Osmani congratulates Starmer: UK, a special place in the hearts of Kosovars (RTK)

 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has congratulated Keir Starmer, for for election victory in the United Kingdom.

 

"Congratulations, Keir Starmer, on your historic election victory! The United Kingdom has a special place in the hearts of all Kosovars and I am convinced that together, we will work closely to strengthen our long alliance", Osmani wrote on X platform.

 

Germany in line with U.S.: Constitutional Court, the only institution that can evaluate draft statute of Association (Reporteri)

 

Germany’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has supported the statement of the Ambassador of the United States of America, Jeffrey Hovenier, who said on Wednesday that the Constitutional Court is the only institution that can assess the draft statute of the Association.

 

Rohde said that Kosovo is not being asked to fully implement the Association, but a first step in this direction, which is to send the draft statute to the Constitutional Court. "I have said it publicly many times... We are not looking for full implementation of the Association. We are looking for the obvious first step. And this is the sending of the draft statute to your Constitutional Court. Because, as my American colleague said yesterday, the Constitutional Court is the only institution on this planet that has the powers to control this draft statute, no other institution. If Kosovo does not do this, it is easy for the other side to say we do nothing. Because the draft statute for the Association is the only thing that Kosovo should do", said Rohde in an interview with Tëvë1.

 

He has said that if such a thing is not done, there will be consequences for Kosovo, and non-membership in the Council of Europe, according to him, is one.

 

A few days ago, Rohde shared a statement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who, during his visit to Kosovo and Serbia, said that it is unimaginable that two countries that do not recognise each other become members of the EU, and stated that normalisation included mutual recognition, and this has not changed.

 

"Just to remind: Read the clear statement of German Chancellor Scholz during his visit to Kosovo and Serbia in June 2022 on normalisation including mutual recognition. This still stands: The way is there: Full implementation of the Brussels/Ohrid agreements by both sides as soon as possible", he said.

 

Ahmeti meets Pacific Islands Forum SG, talks about Kosovo's progress over years (Reporteri)

 

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Kreshnik Ahmeti, met the Secretary General of the Forum for the Pacific Islands, Baron Waqa. Ahmeti and Waqa discussed the progress of Kosovo in recent years and the activities of PIF. Also, during the meeting, the possibilities of cooperation between Kosovo and the Pacific Islands Forum were discussed. Deputy Minister Ahmeti thanked Secretary Waqa for the open conversation and friendly reception. 

 

The Pacific Islands Forum was founded in 1971 and has 18 member states. Their vision is for peace, harmony, security and prosperity to prevail in the Pacific region, where all the peoples of the Pacific can live freely.

 

Abdixiku meets Franges, discuss current situation in Kosovo (ekonomia)

 

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, has received the special envoy of Slovenia for the Western Balkans, Anzej Franges. In the announcement issued by LDK, it is said that Abdixhiku and Franges discussed the current political situation in Kosovo and the position of the LDK related to these events. "Also, it was discussed about the possibilities of cooperation and deepening of relations between Kosovo and Slovenia, this country which has helped Kosovo in its state-building and development processes", says the report.

 

KIJ: Around 113,000 pending cases, the right to a timely trial is being violated (Koha)

 

The senior researcher at the Kosovo Institute for Justice (KIJ) Gezim Shala, has said that one of the main problems of justice in Kosovo since the declaration of independence is the length of court proceedings. He made this statement on Friday during the presentation of the KIJ report "Trial within a reasonable time" - (Constitutional problems of the current Draft Law). According to this report, Shala said that the increase in subjects until the end of 2023 has reached its peak.

 

"In the Basic Courts, 112,623 cases remained unresolved", said Shala. According to him, an unreasonable length of time violates one of the key competences of a fair trial, which is the trial within a reasonable time frame, which he said that KIJ has continuously raised as a concern.

 

Shala said that so far important reforms have been undertaken to address this problem. However, until now, the required progress has not been noted, especially in the civil field. The KIJ researcher stated that the right to trial in a reasonable time has continued to be violated, even systematically.

 

Suspended, but with salary: 144 police officers were paid in violation of law (media)

 

144 Kosovo police officers were compensated with a certain percentage of their salary as suspended, in violation of the legal deadlines. This is one of the main findings of the Auditor for the Ministry of the Interior, specifically in the Kosovo Police. To simplify, if a police officer has been suspended with 50% of his salary for 6 months, the Auditor has identified cases where the payment for this official continued even after six months, since no decision was made. A total of 144 such cases have been recorded, the news website reports.

 

The National Audit Office has found that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration paid 20 workers of the Serb community throughout 2023 without showing up to work at all.

 

"Article 78, paragraph 2 of the Administrative Instruction 02/2023 on the labour relationship in the Kosovo Police, determines that: 'Suspension from work can last at most 6 months. After this period, the employer is obliged to return the employee to work or terminate the employment contract. During this period of time, the employee is entitled to salary compensation in the amount of 50% of the salary,'' the report states.

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

Djuric: No progress in the negotiations until the EU sanctions Kurti's regime (Blic TV, Radio Mitrovica sever)

"Pristina is ruled by a party that organised bonfires for Serbian products. It is obvious that there can be no real progress between Belgrade and Pristina until the international community fully sanctions Kurti's regime",Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric told today Blic TV, in relation to the biggest challenges on the foreign policy front.

Minister Djuric spoke about the biggest foreign policy challenges facing Serbia, regional relations with major powers, Serbia's path towards EU membership and preserving peace in the region.

"If we look at the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, 15 percent of Serbs have moved away in the last year. For 12 months, not a single bag of chips or Plasma biscuits could enter Kosovo. Pristina is ruled by a party that organised bonfires for Serbian products. In such circumstances, the EU could use more of its influence to at least respect the CEFTA agreement. It is obvious that real progress between Belgrade and Pristina cannot be seen until the international community fully sanctions Kurti's regime. It is very important that the basic rules and agreements are implemented", Djuric said as reported by Radio Mitrovica sever. 

Speaking about the next steps to speed up the negotiation process, the minister says that Kosovo is a key topic at meetings with international officials, adding he believes that the EU and the US should pay more attention to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

"We are in a constant campaign of promotion and lobbying in the most powerful centres. In meetings with various international officials, Kosovo is a key topic. Our work is long-term strategic, today more than ever is invested in the survival of our people in Kosovo and Metohija. There have been 27 withdrawals of recognition of Kosovo in previous years and Serbia continues its diplomatic struggle", said Djuric.

Vucevic: Strong army a guarantor of peace for Serbia (Tanjug, media)

Alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic attended a VIP Guests Day at the joint tactical live ammunition military exercise Fire Strike 2024 on Thursday, noting that a strong army was a guarantor of peace for Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.

"I congratulate the Serbian Armed Forces troops that took part in this exercise - Ground Forces and Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence units, special and counter-electronic warfare forces and experts from the Military Technical Institute. Watching around 1,500 Serbian Armed Forces troops and more than 300 combat weapons was a source of pride", Vucevic posted on Instagram from the Pasuljanske livade military complex in central Serbia.

He announced Serbia would continue to invest in equipping its army with leading-edge arms and equipment as well as in the national defence industry and training for the armed forces.

Szunyog expressed readiness to facilitate information session on property related disputes (Radio Kontakt plus, social media)

Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog has expressed readiness to mediate between Kosovo Property Verification and Comparison Agency and affected persons in resolution of property related disputes, Radio Kontakt plus reported.   

“In response to a letter by a group of people who received eviction orders at the end of May & asked for help by @EUKosovo & @EULEXKosovo, I expressed readiness to facilitate an information session with the #Kosovo Property Comparison & Verification Agency & the affected persons”, Szunyog wrote in a post on X social platform.

He added this session will provide an opportunity to talk about individual cases and to identify appropriate solutions for affected residents.

“While these cases have been adjudicated with the final decisions that are binding and legally  enforceable, my team has engaged with the Agency to ensure that each case is handled in line with applicable European standards, so that all concerned are provided with concrete housing solutions”, he added.

What about the return of Serbs to Kosovo? (Radio KIM)

More than 25 years after the conflict in Kosovo, emigration of the Serbian population has not stopped. The return is rarely talked about, and it is even rarer to return to Kosovo. Despite promises of Kosovo Minister for Communities and Return Nenad Rasic that he will return the Serbs to urban areas, nothing has come of it yet, Radio KIM writes today.

After the conflict in Kosovo in 1999 and arrival of international KFOR forces, the emigration of the Serbian population began. According to the estimates of UNHCR and other international organisations, between 220 and 250 thousand Serbs left Kosovo at that time. Most have not returned to this day.

Among those who left their home is Gordana Djoric. She left the plundered and usurped apartment in the Dardanija neighbourhood in Pristina accompanied by KFIR. For twenty-five years, she has been living not far from her hometown, in Laplje Selo in Gracanica. She lives in a house owned by her family and does not think of returning to Pristina.

“Certainly not now. I have to say that Pristina is no longer my city for the reason that people who used to live in that Pristina are no longer there. My friends, relatives are not there. And when I visit Pristina, and here I am not talking about security, because I was not afraid even during difficult times and we were attacked in the city, you simply do not feel the kindness that should be there, being it in the shop or anywhere else”, Djoric told Radio KIM.

What does the Ministry of Communities and Returns do?

The Kosovo Government formed the Ministry for Communities and Return in 2004. Their main task is the return of the displaced population. From the beginning, this institution has been headed by Serbs, but not successfully enough. For all these years, a few thousand people from different communities have returned, houses were built for them, many sold them and many left in the meantime.

Rasic said that currently there are 1130 requests for return. Out of this number, 90 confirmed they would return to Kosovo and they are in procedure already. Among those wishing to return are Serbs, but also members of other non-majority communities, Gorani for example. As Rasic said out of 90 cases that are in procedure currently 60 percent of them are Serbs. Rasic also said one of the most important components is economic development so the return would be sustainable, including possibilities to apply for projects the Ministry offers. Rasic mentioned employment in the public institutions, and a strategy adopted at the end of the last year, stipulating proportional employment on non-Albanians in public administration, mentioning around 3000 to 3500 working places as per legal quota meant for non-Albanian communities.

Why did the expelled Serbs not return after the conflict?

During the conflict in Kosovo in 1999, around 700 thousand Albanians were expelled from their homes. They returned to their homes soon after the withdrawal of Serbian security forces and arrival of KFOR. Then, however, the persecution of the Serbian population began, many of them left Kosovo, but have not returned. Data from international institutions, including the UNHCR, show that around 250,000 Serbs left Kosovo at that time. Journalist and editor of the KoSSev portal Tatjana Lazarevic points to the fact that the Serbs, unlike the Albanians, have never returned.

"The return of the expelled Serbs, who left Kosovo, is an issue that has never been put on the agenda, it is like a completed process {…}”, she said. She also thinks that the responsible Ministry in the Kosovo Government had not fulfilled its task.

The departure of Serbs did not stop after the conflict either, Radio KIM further writes. Following the March violence in 2004, several thousand people left their homes, and in the last ten years alone, according to data from Serbian civil society, another 40,000 Serbs left Kosovo.

Representatives of the authorities in Belgrade also warned about the departure of the population. Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petković said in October last year that 11% of the population left the north of Kosovo.

Timothy Less: Kaja Kallas' influence limited; I don't expect many changes (Tanjug) 

Timothy Less, a leading researcher at the Center for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge, estimated that the election of Kaja Kallas to the position of EU High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Security is not a very important development, that her influence is limited. Less does not expect many changes in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, adding that Albanians will be disappointed.

He explained to Tanjug that the position of High Commissioner for Foreign Policy is a relatively unimportant position because EU foreign policy, including policy towards the Balkans, is the responsibility of EU member states, not EU institutions, which is why he believes that the importance of her election is only symbolic.

Asked about those who expect a harsher policy towards Belgrade from Kallas, Les says it is fair to say that Kallas is unlikely to be very friendly towards Serbia due to Belgrade's relations with Russia and it is possible that she could personally take a more hostile stance, reported Kosovo Online. 

"However, this does not mean that the EU as a whole will be hostile towards Serbia because the foreign policy is determined by the member countries in which, it should be noted, national conservatives who are relatively favourable to Serbia are getting stronger," said Less.

Opposition politician criticises Vucic for “disclosing sensitive information” (N1)

Instead of allowing Serbia’s military and Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA) to do their jobs, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is publicly releasing sensitive data pertaining to state security, said Borko Stefanovic, the deputy leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), N1 reported.

“When, after a meeting with the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, Aleksandar Vucic stands in front of cameras and publicly states that there isn’t a country in the area that hasn’t sent drones and planes to monitor and spy on Serbia, that is an act of endangering state security”, Stefanovic said in a written statement.

“The new radicals’ intention” is to constantly instill a sense of insecurity and vulnerability among citizens, in order to conceal the enormous plundering, indebtedness, and violence they have been perpetrating for the past 12 years through the tension of possible war and conflict”, he added.

Stefanovic added that Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have “seized” the state and military from the people and are using both for party purposes. “It’s better [for the authorities] if the people talk about drones than about our prices going wild or our cities being flooded”, he said.

Serbia did not align with EU decisions regarding Ukraine, North Korea (N1)

Serbia is the only European Union (EU) candidate country in the Western Balkans that has not aligned itself with three new European Council foreign policy decisions regarding Ukraine and North Korea, N1 reported.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Thursday said that Serbia has not aligned itself with the EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1603 of May 31 on restrictive measures against individuals and entities from North Korea.

Serbia also did not align with “EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1709 of June 17 concerning restrictive measures in response to the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol”, and with “the EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1770 of June 24 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine”, N1 added. 

Detention of two Albanians arrested for “espionage” extended by two more months (Kosovo Online)

The Basic Court in Pristina has decided to extend detention of two Albanians B.SH. and M.Q. “suspected of espionage” for two more months, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Kosovo police arrested them on May 6, this year, under accusations of carrying out an alleged “criminal act of espionage”, the portal added.  

 

International 

 

Kurti: Don’t Doubt NATO. It Saved My People. (New York Times)

 

Some in the United States have downplayed the importance of NATO. Many European partners worry that after the U.S. presidential election in November, the American commitment to the alliance will wane. But as NATO prepares for the start of its summit in Washington on Tuesday, marking 75 years since its birth, I would like to remind the world of how NATO is etched into the cultural and political identity of one country in Europe: my own, Kosovo.

 

In 1999, a ruthless Serbian campaign led by the Serb leader and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic brought massacres, rapes and the expulsion of about half of Kosovo’s majority Albanian population. It was a humanitarian disaster. NATO’s sustained aerial bombardment of Serb forces and positions put a stop to the horror. The alliance sent in nearly 50,000 troops immediately after.

 

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3v6vrx2m

 

Humanitarian/Development

 

"17 policemen and Chetniks raped me, they told me we will come again tomorrow", first testimony of Vasfije Krasniqi given to KLA, revealed (Reporteri)

 

It was the middle of April 1999, when she faced the most serious event in her life. Vasfije Krasniqi, then 16 years old, was staying with her family in Stanoc when police and paramilitary entered their house and violently took her to send her to Millosheva.

 

In an abandoned house of this village inhabited mainly by Serbs, 17 paramilitaries  raped the 16-year-old girl until she lost conscience. Afterwards, this madness over the minor and defenceless girl continued in the village of Babimoc. In a difficult physical and mental condition, those who raped her brought Vasfije to the crossroads near the house and threw her out of the car saying "tomorrow we will come to get you again".

 

Fearing that the situation could be repeated and shocked by what she had experienced, Vasfije Krasniqi went straight to the KLA headquarters and reported the case. The portal magazina.com has secured the testimony of Vasfije Krasniqi, given to the Company Commander, Osman Musliu reports the news website, publishing also the testimony.