UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 26, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

New round of high-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia today (media)
Lajcak: We hope leaders come with vision and political courage (media)
Rasic on Kurti-Vucic meet: It will increase dynamics of the dialogue (media)
NATO appoints Mark Rutte as next secretary general (media)
Osmani, Kurti congratulate Berset election as CoE Secretary General (media)
Bajrami outlines reports Kosovo sent to EU following Banjska attack (media)
Kurti meets members of Bavarian State Parliament and Chancellery (media)
Krasniqi: No room for a monoethnic institution in Kosovo (media)
Gervalla meets President of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (media)
Court gives right to government on the law on the minimum wage (media)
KLA War Veterans react after court decision, “we’ll continue protests” (media)
Kurti congratulates Mickoski, looks forward to enhancing robust relations (media)
Kosovo government confirms rejecting Petkovic’s visit request (Koha)
Exhibition in Mitrovica on International Day against Hate Speech (media)
Court extends detention by 60 days for three suspects of Banjska attack (media)

Serbian Language Media:

New round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina; Vucic with European officials in Brussels (RTS)
Lajcak: Everything ready for discussion; hope for the political courage of Vucic and Kurti (RTS)
Office for KiM: Petkovic banned from visiting Kosovo on Saint Vitus Day (Kosovo Online, media)
Djuric congratulates Berset on election as CoE Secretary General (media, social media)
Radojkovic: European Football Championship showed region still far from reconciliation (Kosovo Online)
YIHR filed 10 lawsuits against the media for 'hate speech' against the participants of the 'Mirdita' festival (KoSSev, Beta)

Opinion:

Rada Trajkovic: Vucevic's "compromise" is the division of Kosovo (KiM radio, Beta)
Hungary’s EU ‘enlargement presidency’ will achieve limited success for Western Balkans (BIRN)

International:

NATO picks Netherlands' Mark Rutte as next boss (Reuters)

Albanian Language Media

New round of high-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia today (media)

All news websites report that a new round of the high-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will be held in Brussels today. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Affairs, Josep Borrell, will first meet with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti at 16:30, followed by a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at 17:00, and then a trilateral meeting at 18:00. Radio Free Europe notes in a headline that Kurti and Vucic will meet “after nine months of tensions”.

Lajcak: We hope leaders come with vision and political courage (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the high-level dialogue in Brussels today will focus on reviewing “achievements and plan the next steps, particularly regarding the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation”.

Lajcak said that his meetings in Kosovo and Serbia the “conversations were open, honest, and important for the normalisation process. I also made a quick stop in Greece to discuss the Western Balkans' accession perspective at the Peace and Sustainable Growth Conference in Athens”.

“Everything is set for tomorrow, and we hope the two leaders come with the vision and political courage needed to bring Kosovo and Serbia closer to their European future,” he added.

Rasic on Kurti-Vucic meet: It will increase dynamics of the dialogue (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, said in an interview with RTK2 today that the meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels today will result in greater dynamics in the dialogue. “There is a momentum that perhaps serves the partial lifting of EU measures against Kosovo, and I believe that a more optimistic approach will be used to start a round of negotiations that in my opinion can be included in a more comprehensive package,” he said.

Rasic also said that “the most important thing is that Prime Minister Kurti has confirmed that the obligations that have been signed and assumed earlier, Kosovo will deliver on them, because international agreements have greater importance than local laws and they need to be respected regardless of who is the Prime Minister”.

NATO appoints Mark Rutte as next secretary general (media)

All news websites report that NATO has appointed Mark Rutte as the new secretary general. Rutte will assume office on October 1, following the conclusion of Jens Stoltenberg’s decade-long tenure leading the Alliance. Stoltenberg said in a post on X: “I warmly welcome #NATO Allies’ choice of Mark Rutte as my successor. Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader, and a consensus-builder. I wish him every success as we continue to strengthen NATO. I know I am leaving NATO in good hands”.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in a post on X congratulated Rutte on the post. “His experience, leadership, and knowledge will be invaluable to the Alliance! Over the years, we have worked together on many important issues, and I have no doubt that our strong cooperation will continue as he takes on this new responsibility. I look forward to working together to advance Kosovo's NATO membership and work towards lasting peace and security throughout our continent and beyond,” Osmani writes.

Osmani, Kurti congratulate Berset election as CoE Secretary General (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in a post on X today, congratulated Alain Berset on his election as new Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Osmani said that “Kosovo is firmly committed to membership in the Council of Europe - a membership that would not only be a win for human rights in Kosovo, but also a win for our continent and the values it firmly stands on. #Kosovo47CoE is a goal we will continue to pursue relentlessly. I look forward to working together to make it a reality!”

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in a post on X today, congratulated Alain Berset on his election as Secretary General of the Council of Europe. “He is a great friend to human rights, democracy, and rule of law. I look forward to working together to advance these fundamental values of the Council of Europe—values to which the Republic of Kosova is deeply committed as an aspiring member state,” Kurti writes.

Bajrami outlines reports Kosovo sent to EU following Banjska attack (media)

Kosovo’s Ambassador to Belgium, Agron Bajrami, in a series of posts on X, listed the reports that Kosovo authorities sent to the European Union following the attack in the north of Kosovo in September last year. “For the record: Re: Sept. 24, 2023 terrorist attack in Banjska. Kosova Embassy in Brussels has officially informed EU (& Member States) through several documents:

Sept. 24, 2023, urgent information on terrorist attack (2 pp), Sept. 26, 2023, initial information (12 pp), Sept. 28, 2023, factual information (10 pp), Oct. 9, 2023, a physical copy of the Preliminary Findings (46 pp) was handed over to EEAS delegation, Oct. 10, 2023, Findings were distributed to all EU and NATO member states, Oct. 20, Preliminary Report (51 pp) was sent to EU, NATO and all their Member States, During Dec. 2023 throughout Jan.-Feb. 2024, updated versions of the report were shared. Information included in these documents are factual, corroborated & convincing beyond reasonable doubt,” Bajrami writes. His reaction comes after EU spokesperson Peter Stano told a press conference that Kosovo has not yet submitted a report about the attack in Banjska to the European Union.

Kurti meets members of Bavarian State Parliament and Chancellery (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Tuesday that he met with members of the Bavarian State Parliament and Chancellery. “We reaffirmed the strong friendship between our countries, fostered by our diaspora, shared values, and long-standing support. We also discussed future collaboration and policies to create a better joint business ecosystem,” Kurti said.

Krasniqi: No room for a monoethnic institution in Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said on Tuesday that there is no room for monoethnic institutions in Kosovo because they would threaten the multiethnic nature of its society and the Constitution of Kosovo. He argued that community rights “should not be used to block democratic processes in the country”.

“I have seen countless examples of how the political rights for the Serb community which are in force to serve the Kosovo Serbs and their representatives, are instead used to block democratic processes in Kosovo. We have the Law on Local Self-Government, a very important law, which we are not able to amend and complement because Serb members of the Kosovo Assembly do not attend the session to amend and complement the law,” he argued.

Gervalla meets President of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, met today in Strasbourg with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Roussopoulos, and they discussed the finalisation of Kosovo’s full membership in the CoE.

Gervalla, who is accompanied by Kosovo Assembly Vice President Saranda Bogujevci and Ambassador Lulzim Hiseni, expressed deep appreciation for Roussopoulos’s role and support in securing a fair and merit-based process at PACE. She also said that Kosovo is fully committed to meeting all its obligations upon becoming a member of the organisation.

Court gives right to government on the law on the minimum wage (media)

Most news websites that the Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the government with regards to the law on the minimum wage. The Court said in a statement today that it has “decided regarding the referral in case KO158/23, submitted by Besnik Tahiri and nine (9) other deputies of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, based on the provisions of paragraph 5 of article 113 [Jurisdiction and Authorised Parties] of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo pertaining to the constitutional review of the Law No. 08/L-142 on Amending and Supplementing the Laws that Determine the Amount of the Benefit in the Amount of the Minimum Wage, Procedures on Setting of Minimum Wage and Tax Rates on Annual Personal Income. The Court, has decided (i) unanimously, to declare the referral admissible; and (ii) unanimously, to find that article 2 (Amending and supplementing Law No. 04/L-261 on War Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, amended and supplemented by Law No. 05/L-141) of the contested Law, is not in contradiction with article 24 [Equality Before the Law] and article 46 [Protection of Property] of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo in conjunction with article 1 of Protocol no. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights; (iii) with eight (8) votes in favour and one (1) against, that article 3 (Amending and Supplementing of Law No. 04/L-092 on Blind Persons) of the contested Law, is not in contradiction with article 24 [Equality Before the Law] and article 46 [Protection of Property] of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo in conjunction with article 1 of Protocol no. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights; (iv) unanimously, that article 4 (Amendment and Supplementation of Law No. 05/L-067 on the Status and Rights of Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Persons) of the contested Law, is not in contradiction with article 24 [Equality Before the Law] and article 46 [Protection of Property] of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo in conjunction with article 1 of Protocol no. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and (v) with eight (8) votes in favour and one (1) against, to find that article 6 (Amendment and supplement of Law No. 03/L-212 on Labor) of the contested Law, is not in contradiction with article 51 [Health and Social Protection] of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo; and (v) unanimously, to declare that, based on article 43 (Deadlines) of the Law nr.03/L-121 for the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo, the Law No. 08/L-142 on Amending and Supplementing the Laws that Determine the Amount of the Benefit in the Amount of the Minimum Wage, Procedures on Setting of Minimum Wage and Tax Rates on Annual Personal Income, is sent to the President of the Republic of Kosovo for promulgation”.

Read full decision at: https://shorturl.at/iq2EZ

KLA War Veterans react after court decision, “we’ll continue protests” (media)

Head of the KLA War Veterans Organization, Faton Klinaku, reacted to a decision by the Constitutional Court which ruled in favour of the government regarding the law on the minimum wage. The wages of the war veterans were not included in the raise of the minimum wage. Klinaku said: “Our position to continue with protests against this government which has continuously worked against the KLA war veterans and other parts of society, remains unchanged. We will meet and decide about the forms and time of protest”.

Kurti congratulates Mickoski, looks forward to enhancing robust relations (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti congratulated on Tuesday Hristijan Mickoski, on his election as Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia. “Kosova and North Macedonia are not only neighbours but close allies and partners, in NATO orientation, regional cooperation and EU integration. From the Prizren–Tetova road to defense and security, I look forward to working with you to enhance our already robust bilateral relations even further,” Kurti said.

Kosovo government confirms rejecting Petkovic’s visit request (Koha)

The Kosovo government confirmed today that it has rejected a visit request by Petar Petkovic, head of the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo. Leutrim Sahiti, a political advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Koha news website that Petkovic was rejected from visiting Kosovo “because of the violation of the agreement on mutual visits, the propaganda statements and his provocative discourse against Kosovo and its citizens”.

Exhibition in Mitrovica on International Day against Hate Speech (media)

Several news websites report on an exhibition of paintings of youths on the Iber bridge in Mitrovica organised by NGO Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) to mark the International Day against Hate Speech. The organisation said in a Facebook post that “as part of the activity ‘Creation of Artistic Works and Exhibitions’, the youth of the city, along with young ambassadors, delivered inspiring messages through colours. This activity was a fantastic way to celebrate the pledge signed for the ‘Youth4Inclusion’ project funded by UNDP, by the Department of Culture, Youth, and Sport of South Mitrovica, for more active involvement in creating a more inclusive society for youth. CBM is continuing its dedication to addressing the needs of young women and men in our community, irrespective of their ethnicity or abilities, aiming for more active involvement in creating a more inclusive society for youth”.

Court extends detention by 60 days for three suspects of Banjska attack (media)

Most news websites report that following a request by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, the Basic Court in Pristina has extended by 60 days the detention measure for three suspects regarding the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year.

Serbian Language Media

New round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina; Vucic with European officials in Brussels (RTS)

The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina at the highest level, in which President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and European officials will participate, is being held today in Brussels, reports RTS.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, as well as mediator in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajcak will participate in the talks. According to the announcement from the European External Affairs Service (EEAS), Borrell and Lajcak will have separate meetings with the leaders from 15.00, which will be followed by a joint tripartite meeting. Before and at the end of the meetings in the EEAS building, Borrell will address journalists.

From Brussels, they announce a discussion on all urgent issues, but the President of Serbia does not have high expectations - he does not believe in the will of the other party to form the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

Vucic with European officials

During his one-day working visit to Brussels, President Vucic will meet separately with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, announced the President's Media Cooperation Service.

Vucic already met with the director general of the European Commission's Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Gert Jan Koopman.

Vucic pointed out today in Brussels that he had a good and constructive conversation with Koopman, about the continuation of the European path and ways to speed up the process of Serbia's European integration. "A special topic of discussion was the steps that Serbia should take in realising its reform agenda, as well as the implementation of the EU growth plan for the Western Balkans, all with the aim of getting closer to the EU single market," Vucic announced on the Instagram account of buducnostsrbijeav. He added that they looked at the very important topics of green corridors and all other topics of importance for Serbia and the region.

Lajcak: Everything ready for discussion; hope for the political courage of Vucic and Kurti (RTS)

The special envoy of the European Union for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, expressed the hope that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, will come to the new round of dialogue in Brussels "with the vision and political courage" needed to bring the two sides closer to the European future.

On Facebook, ahead of today's high-level dialogue on the normalisation of relations, Miroslav Lajcak pointed out that he devoted the previous week to thorough preparations.

“With the High-level Meeting of the Dialogue on Normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia happening tomorrow, I've dedicated my last week to thorough preparations. I visited Kosovo and Serbia to discuss the purpose of this meeting - to review achievements and plan the next steps, particularly regarding the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation.

Our conversations were open, honest, and important for the normalisation process. I also made a quick stop in Greece to discuss the Western Balkans' accession perspective at the Peace and Sustainable Growth Conference in Athens.

Everything is set for tomorrow, and we hope the two leaders come with the vision and political courage needed to bring Kosovo and Serbia closer to their European future,” read Lajcak’s post on FB.

Office for KiM: Petkovic banned from visiting Kosovo on Saint Vitus Day (Kosovo Online, media)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement that Pristina authorities headed by Albin Kurti banned Petar Petkovic from spending Saint Vitus Day (June 28), one of the most important holidays of the Serbian people, in Kosovo with Serbs there, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The Office for KiM also said that for a year and a half because of illegal Pristina’s bans Petkovic is unable to visit Kosovo, spend holidays with people there or handover donations or aid to them.

“This ban comes ahead of a new round of high political level dialogue in Brussels and there is no doubt Kurti this way wanted to demonstrate that he is not interested in any normalisation whatsoever and that his only policy is violation of all agreements reached”, the statement added.

The Office for KiM recalled that Petkovic’s visit was announced in line with valid agreements, including the one on freedom of movement, and the aim of the visit was of religious nature exclusively, including the visits to socially vulnerable families.

Djuric congratulates Berset on election as CoE Secretary General (media, social media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric congratulated former Swiss president Alain Berset on his election as Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“Extending sincere congratulations to @alain_berset on being elected @coe Secretary General and wishing him a lot of success in advancing the organisation’s mission of promoting and safeguarding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe and beyond”, Djuric wrote in a post on X social platform.

Radojkovic: European Football Championship showed region still far from reconciliation (Kosovo Online)

Historian Stefan Radojkovic said events at the European Football Championship in Germany were kind of public opinion research, indicating that the region is still far from reconciliation.

"The fan passions we see during the European Championship in the stadiums in Germany are a kind of public opinion research and gauging the public pulse. Here, it can be said that the diasporas are still embroiled in the wars of the 90s, and probably a good part of the local population that came from the Balkan region to Germany for the European Championship. We have to be very careful because it is evident that the passions are not yet completely calmed, and it is likely that this will not be the case”, Radojkovic told Kosovo Online portal.

He added that scenes seen at the Championship are an indicator more time is needed for the region to view the issues from the nineties with a “cool head” and the issue must be approached in an institutional and responsible manner.

YIHR filed 10 lawsuits against the media for 'hate speech' against the participants of the 'Mirdita' festival (KoSSev, Beta)

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) announced that it filed 10 lawsuits against the media for "hate speech" against the participants of the "Mirdita, Dobar dan'' festival, which will begin on Thursday in Belgrade, reported KoSSev, citing Betas Beta.

YIHR stated that they also filed a complaint with the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) against "television with a national frequency", a criminal complaint against the "media" for inciting racial and religious hatred, as well as several criminal complaints against non-public entities for "threats to members of the organising team of the festival".

"Despite the fact that the 'Mirdita, dobar dan' festival promotes cultural exchange and reconciliation, the participants, organisers as well as the content of the festival have been the target of baseless and malicious accusations by certain tabloids, daily newspapers, television media and individuals for the last two weeks. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights opposes misinformation, and fights for the respect of cultural diversity and the rapprochement of the two communities. We fight against those who spread misinformation and hatred with all the means at our disposal," the YIHR statement read.

They appealed to potential donors to financially support their "legal fight against hate".

"As young people committed to human rights and reconciliation, we do not allow such attacks to go unpunished. We have been protecting the human rights of marginalised groups and individuals for two decades and have conducted and continue to conduct strategic litigation to prove the violation of rights. However, as defenders of human rights, we are faced with a campaign of lies directed against the festival, this time with an intensity that exceeds our human capacities and financial capabilities," they stated in the announcement.

Opinion

Rada Trajkovic: Vucevic's "compromise" is the division of Kosovo (KiM radio, Beta)

The President of the European Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, Rada Trajkovic, stated that Serbia's willingness to make compromises on Kosovo can only mean the division of that territory, but also conflicts, reported KiM radio, citing Beta.

Commenting on Prime Minister Milos Vucevic's statement that Serbia is "ready to make compromises" on Kosovo, Rada Trajkovic assessed for the Beta agency that it was an attempt by the authorities in Belgrade to return to their "initial positions" with the aim of dividing the territory.

"However, although the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, essentially handed over all the institutions and life of the Serbs to Pristina, the functionality of the Pristina authorities was not realised. Messages indicating the division of Kosovo herald new destabilisation and a campaign against Serbia and the Serbs, which we do not need at this moment," said Trajkovic and pointed out that Albin Kurti controls the north of Kosovo with the help of significant special police forces and an imposed administration that is carrying out the Albanianization of the North.

According to her, the security in Kosovo is more and more endangered every day.

"Kurti implements the ideology of the formation of a greater Albania, while Vucic, through Vucevic, once again wishes for the division of Kosovo. Everyone knows that this cannot be achieved without conflict. Both strategies can cause a conflict that would end with the expulsion of the Serbs from the north or the entry of our military forces into the north of Kosovo in terms of protecting the Serbs," she said.

She added that NATO is bringing an increasing number of soldiers to Kosovo.

"NATO does not want to change the borders of the territory it has already occupied. If Serbia became a member of NATO, the status issue of Kosovo would be stopped", added Rada Trajkovic.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on Tuesday that Serbia is "absolutely ready to talk with Pristina" and to "make compromises" on Kosovo.

Vucevic told AFP that compromises mean that no one completely wins, and no one completely loses.

"It is better to sit down, meet, talk, try to talk. Anything is better than straining," she added.

According to her, great nations and great states are not because of their territory, but because of their responsibility to seek peace.

Hungary’s EU ‘enlargement presidency’ will achieve limited success for Western Balkans (BIRN)

Opinion piece by Alejandro Esteso Pérez, political scientist and researcher specialising in EU enlargement and Western Balkan politics.

Budapest’s pledged enlargement-centric agenda will be heavily constrained not only by the administrative aftermath of the EU elections, but also by political resistance from many member states that regard this EU presidency with scepticism.

From July 1 until December 31, Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, ahead of which it declared that EU enlargement to the Western Balkans will be a major policy priority.

Yet, arguably, the impact of Budapest’s pledged enlargement-centric agenda will be heavily constrained not only by the administrative aftermath of June’s EU elections – a period of institutional transition that could well stretch until the end of the year – but especially by the political resistance of a vast majority of member states that eye this presidency with scepticism and concern.

Even so, Hungary’s six months at the helm of the Council of the EU will at least still bring the question of the Western Balkans’ EU integration to the fore, for which it will strategically draw on its well-nurtured structures of diplomatic positioning in the region.