Albanian Language Media:

• Haxhiu: We need to be united for reforms in judiciary (Ekonomia Online/Koha)
• Tahiri: Not enough for Lajcak to feel bad about lack of visa liberalisation (Telegrafi)
• President Osmani meets with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob (media)
• Supreme Court chief denies political pressure in case of new energy fees (Kosovapress)
• Serbian reporter talks about Serbia’s crimes in Kosovo (Telegrafi)
• Kostilnik: Reaching a final Kosovo-Serbia agreement is urgent (Kosovapress)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic on Serbia's membership in the EU: Everything depends on the geopolitical situation (RTS)
• Director of the Office for IT and e-government not allowed to cross Jarinje (RTS, Tanjug)
• New construction near Gazimestan Monument  (Radio KIM)
• Vucic, Donfreid discuss bilateral relations, EU integration, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (N1)
• Kalin: Turkiye will not impose sanctions on Russia (Kosovo-online)
• Leader of opposition initiative from Mitrovica North invites Lajcak for meeting (Danas) 
• Fatherland: Facilities were relinquished to Pristina (Jugpress)

International:

• Total foreign remittances to Kosovo up 5.4% y/y in Jan-Apr (seenews.com)
• How Turkey’s Extremist ‘Grey Wolves’ Built a Cell in Bosnia (BIRN)    

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Haxhiu: We need to be united for reforms in judiciary (Ekonomia Online/Koha/Express)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said today that after the government received the opinion of the Venice Commission, there will be meetings with opposition leaders about the vetting process.

After meeting members of the working group on the vetting today, Haxhiu said: “We presented a report with recommendations we received from the Venice Commission. The presentation was a discussion with civil society too and we appreciate it because there was consensus to respect the recommendations and we also announced that we will hold a workshop. We have a draft of constitutional amendments and once they are final, we will send them to the government, and then it will be processed to the Assembly. We will hold meetings with the opposition leaders very soon and representatives of the judiciary”.

“I am interested in cooperation between the political parties. I believe the opposition should take part in these changes. The reform in the judiciary is a priority of the government and our ministry is strongly committed to this. The reform is not about individuals but is aimed at restoring the public trust in the judiciary. I believe they [opposition leaders] will accept our invitation. Parties have pledged to carry out the vetting, so I don’t believe there is any reason for them to back down on the pledges they have made before the people. We need to be united about reforms in the judiciary. I hope our meetings with the opposition will be successful”.

Koha and Gazeta Express highlight in their reports that members of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the Judicial Council boycotted the meeting of the Working Group citing interferences in the judiciary. Haxhiu is quoted as saying in Koha: “I regret that representatives of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the Kosovo Judicial Council are not here with us today, because we are very interested in cooperating with judicial institutions, including the prosecutorial and judicial system. Representatives of these institutions were present in the phases when we drafted the concept document and now that we have the opinion of the Venice Commission, which is a professional opinion, I believe we must all be united in implementing the recommendations stemming from this opinion”.

Tahiri: Not enough for Lajcak to feel bad about lack of visa liberalisation (Telegrafi)

Head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Besnik Tahiri, said today that this party is greatly concerned about the EU ignoring the right of the people of Kosovo to move freely. “The conditions set by the European Commission have been met years ago. As a parliamentary group we have two questions for EU member states: is this a sanctioning policy against Kosovo or is Kosovo a hostage of the policy of member states,” he said.

Tahiri said “Lajcak is coming [to Kosovo] for a visit. The question is what is he going to tell members of the government and parliamentary parties about visa liberalisation. It is not enough for Lajcak to feel bad, but action is also needed”.

Tahiri said the failure of the Kosovo government on the issue is also concerning. “It is surprising that the government is not reacting to this. While they were in the opposition, they were always critical about this,” he said. The AAK, he added, will soon initiate a parliamentary debate and a resolution for lack of visa liberalisation. 

President Osmani meets with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob (media) 

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, during her visit to Singapore met with President Halimah Yacob. Osmani said that despite the long geographical distance, Kosovo is interested in intensifying relations with Singapore, especially knowing the potential of trade cooperation. A press release issued by Osmani’s office notes that she emphasised that Singapore has made tremendous progress in technology and in the field of defence and has hence shown readiness for focused cooperation in these areas. Osmani also said the cooperation should be extended to other areas, such as education, energy, and many others.

Supreme Court chief denies political pressure in case of new energy fees (Kosovapress)

President of the Supreme Court of Kosovo, Enver Peci, said in an interview with the news website that despite claims by opposition parties, there was no political pressure in the case of the new energy tariffs. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled out two decisions by the Basic Court and Appeals Court, which had ruled that the increased energy fees were illegitimate. 

Peci did not want to comment on the decision but said that there is no political pressure on the Supreme Court. “I can guarantee that as President of the Supreme Court I have been under no pressure because it was a legal issue and there could be no pressure … This is neither the first nor the last case in which the Supreme Court has ruled. As far as political pressure is concerned, as President I have been under no pressure. I cannot speak on behalf of the judges, but they have not complained to me about being under any political pressure. Judges must be independent and if their independence is threatened by another tier of power or by any individual, this must be reported to the Judicial Council,” he said.

Serbian reporter talks about Serbia’s crimes in Kosovo (Telegrafi)

Serbian reporter, Rade Radovanovic, in an interview with TV Dukagjini, talked about the book he wrote about massacres committed against Kosovo Albanians during the war. He said five publishers in Serbia refused to publish his book and that his book was widely ignored by the Serbian media. “There are Serbs that have read my book, but it was widely ignored by Serbian media because the media here are controlled by the President, Aleksandar Vucic. Personally, it would have been easier to keep silent than to accept what I have written. All Serbs that believe what I wrote, should accept the truth, and not say that Kosovo is Serbia, because political games are still being played and I think this will come to an end soon,” he said.

Radovanovic said he does not believe relations between Kosovo and Serbia will be normalised while Aleksandar Vucic is president of Serbia. “I am not pleased with relations between the two states. Vucic does not know anything else to say except that Kosovo is Serbia. One needs to be a good politician and find a common language,” he said.

Kostilnik: Reaching a final Kosovo-Serbia agreement is urgent (Kosovapress)

Head of the Slovak Liaison Office in Prishtina, Rastislav Kostilnik, said in an interview with the news website that reaching a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia is urgent because the status quo is unsustainable and does not serve any party.

Kostilnik said Slovakia would support any settlement agreed upon by Kosovo and Serbia that includes mutual recognition and excludes territorial exchange.

He said there is room for further cooperation between Kosovo and Slovakia in many areas and that Slovakia’s position on Kosovo’s status is not an obstacle for cultural and economic cooperation.

   

Serbian Language Media

  Vucic on Serbia's membership in the EU: Everything depends on the geopolitical situation (RTS)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic stated that when the geopolitical interest of the EU was in question, as seen in Brussels, the status of a candidate can be obtained and when nothing has been done in terms of preparation for membership, reported Radio Television of Serbia. 

At the opening of the "Rosulje" airport yesterday, Aleksandar Vucic, when asked if he agreed with Minister Jadranka Joksimovic that Serbia could be a member of the EU in five to seven years, said that he was a realist, but that the minister knew relations in the EU well.

"It depends on the political and geopolitical situation. It was now clear that you could get candidate status if you did nothing in terms of preparation, when it is in the EU's geopolitical interest, and those who did much more, like North Macedonia, Albania and BiH, got nothing,'' Vucic explained.

He added that he was not as optimistic as the minister. 

"We must continue our European path. We must rely on our strength the most. We have shown that with our work, surviving and remaining on the European path, preserving traditional friendships, we can change the country beyond recognition," Vucic said.

He mentioned the "Rosulje" airport, which strengthened the infrastructure and which, like the highways, completely changed the image of Serbia.

Vucic said that Serbia made a smart move, as it returned the gold reserves to the country, and that it would continue with the purchase of gold, pointing that gold and foreign exchange reserves continue to grow.

He reiterated his fear of what the coming winter would bring because, he said, he was afraid that the end of the war would not come soon.

The President of Serbia said that he would never support the ban on abortion, because he believed that abortion was a woman's right.

Vucic thus answered a journalist's question to comment on the statement of the party official Vladimir Djukanovic that he supports the decision of the court in the USA on the ban on abortion.

"I would never support something like that because abortion is a woman's right. Whether I like it or not, it is something else. We have rules and laws that are clear. We have laws and we did not plan to change them on any issue," said Vucic, reported RTS.

Director of the Office for IT and e-government not allowed to cross Jarinje (RTS, Tanjug)

The director of the Office for IT and e-Uprava (e-Government), Mihailo Jovanovic, announced that he was banned from crossing Jarinje administrative crossing today, despite the pre-approved entry and all followed procedures, and the visit was planned due to the opening of two IT centers, reported RTS.

"I have just been returned from the administrative crossing of Jarinje, without any explanation," Mihailo Jovanovic stated in a written statement.

He also pointed out that his visit had nothing to do with politics and that they wanted to put into operation the newly equipped multifunctional IT centers in the north and south of Kosovo - in North Mitrovica and Gracanica.

"I can't help but wonder who is bothered by digital youth education centres, which would be at the service of all citizens? What is the danger of services like eBaby and other e-government services?" Jovanovic asked, reported RTS, citing the statement of the  Office for IT.  

New construction near Gazimestan Monument  (Radio KIM)

Radio KIM reported on Friday that construction works were ongoing at around 150 metres away from the entry to memorial complex Gazimestan, while construction site bear no name of investor or of a company carrying out the works. RTV KIM also said they found mixer-trucks and a dozen workers present on the site.

Gazimestan memorial complex dedicated to the Serbs and Christian allies who fought at Kosovo battle against the Turks in 1389 was included in the Law on Special Protection Zones as per Ahtisaari’s proposal in 2008. The law stipulates that “special protection zones should be protected from any development or activity that may hamper historical, cultural and archaeological context, natural environment or aesthetic and visual setting”.

Following the end of the conflict in 1999, a number of objects were reconstructed along the Mitrovica-Pristina highway, while in 2007 not far from the monument a storage depot of Oraca company was illegally reconstructed not far from the monument.

Former Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic said the latest case of reconstruction nearby Gazimestan memorial complex represents “a major disgrace for those representing Serbs in the institutions, who permitted a memorial complex of crucial importance for the Serb identity and culture be endangered in such a manner”. He added the recent reconstruction “represents a gross violation of the law on special protection zones, as the law clearly stipulates such objects can’t be reconstructed in those areas (…)”.

Pristina institutions unaware of construction

RTV KIM further said it contacted Kosovo Ministry of Culture regarding the latest reconstruction at Gazimestan memorial complex. The Ministry said they are not aware of the construction, asked questions to be sent in writing and promised to provide a response by Monday “as today it certainly can’t happen”, the RTV KIM added. 

Following the talks with the Ministry, Radio KIM said it contacted the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage. The official they spoke to, Isuf Koci said they were not aware of the information about construction, but promised to enquire about the matter and asked for material that Radio KIM obtained to substantiate their claim, to be sent to the council. Radio KIM said they sent requested material, but received no reply by the time of publishing the news on Sunday.  

Vucic, Donfreid discuss bilateral relations, EU integration, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had a phone conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried about bilateral relations, European integration and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, N1 reports.

US Special Envoy for Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill also took part in the talk that mostly focused on bilateral and especially economic relations as well as possibilities for cooperation in the field of energy, a press release issued by the Serbian President’s office said.

Donfried lent her strong support to the region’s economic linking through the Open Balkan initiative and agreed with Vucic that it is an example of good regional cooperation and aspiring to common goals.

Vucic shared his impressions from the European Union – Western Balkans summit in Brussels, and Donfried said the US strongly advocates the idea of the region becoming a part of the Union.

The American officials welcomed recent progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue when a roadmap for the implementation of energy agreements was agreed on, the press release added.

Vucic said Serbia is committed to dialogue as the only way to resolve open issues and reach a sustainable agreement, all in the interest of everyday lives of Serbs and Albanians as well as peace and stability in the region, the statement concluded.

See at: https://bit.ly/3xWQrIb Kalin: Turkiye will not impose sanctions on Russia (Kosovo-online)

Turkiye will not join sanctions that West imposed on Russia amid the crisis in Ukraine, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin said, Kosovo-online portal reports citing Tanjug news agency.

“We are not imposing sanctions, nor will we join them. We must take into consideration our interests. If everyone destroys the bridges, who will then talk to Russia”, Kalin told Turkish Haberturk TV, according to the portal.

He added that economic relations with Russia are such that sanctions would do more harm to the Turkish economy than to Russia.

“We have a clear stance on the issue of sanctions. The West didn’t accept it”, he is quoted as saying. 

Leader of opposition initiative from Mitrovica North invites Lajcak for meeting (Danas) 

Belgrade based Danas daily reported that the leader of the opposition Civic Initiative Srpski opstanak (Serbian Survival) from northern Kosovo Aleksandar Arsenijevic invited via Twitter the EU Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak, who is visiting Kosovo today and tomorrow to talk to the representatives of this initiative as well during his visit. Lajcak is also set to visit northern Kosovo.

Arsenijevic said the meeting would be in the common interest, and that they would like to acquaint Lajcak with the problems people are facing due to the latest agreements between Belgrade and Pristina.  

“Dear Mr. @MiroslavLajcak , when you come to the north of Kosovo, it is in our mutual interest to meet. And to explain to you, as a civic initiative Srpski opstanak, to acquaint you with the problems that our citizens are facing in relation to the latest agreements”, Arsenijevic tweeted in English.

Fatherland: Facilities were relinquished to Pristina (Jugpress)

The Fatherland (Otadzbina) Serb people’s movement from Kosovo and Metohija in a press statement on Sunday said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with the latest agreement on energy handed over all infrastructural facilities of the electric power system to Pristina, Jugpress portal reports.

“Both Gazivode Lake and the hydroelectric power plant, the large Valac substation as well as all remaining substations in Kosovo and Metohija. Somewhat earlier, by not preventing, and he could have done it, Aleksandar Vucic enabled the creation of a unified electric power system of Kosovo and Albania. He could have done that because Serbia is a member of the European energy community”, the statement reads. 

It added that not even the Brussels Agreement was respected with the latest agreement on energy, as it foresees that Serbs ought to be enabled to form two companies - one for production and the other one for transfer and distribution of the electricity.

“Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are not against paying for consumed electricity, but they want to do it in their own currency, and not in euros, as this agreement envisages. Because the company Elektrosever as well as MTS DOO are not Serbian companies, but companies that work in the legal-political and economic system of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo”, the Fatherland said, adding that this was just another type of further deep integration of Serbs into Pristina’s system.

   

International 

  Total foreign remittances to Kosovo up 5.4% y/y in Jan-Apr (seenews.com)

Total foreign remittances to Kosovo increased by 5.4% year-on-year to 351.5 million euro ($371.3 million) in the first four months of 2022, central bank data shows. In April alone, total foreign remittances reached 110.1 million euro, up from 90.5 million euro in April 2021, according to preliminary figures published by Kosovo's central bank. Total foreign remittances to Kosovo grew to 1.15 billion euro in 2021 from 979.9 million euro in 2020.

How Turkey’s Extremist ‘Grey Wolves’ Built a Cell in Bosnia (BIRN)

Huseyin Cakalli lives hundreds of kilometres away from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he is still considered to be an authority by members of the organisation that he established in the Balkan country.

Cakalli is the founder of an informal Bosnian branch of a Turkish far-right group known as the Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar), some of whose members support neo-fascist ideas. The Grey Wolves are officially called Idealist Hearths (Ulku Ocaklari) and their organisation is affiliated with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party, MHP, which is an ally of the Turkish ruling party.

Cakalli agreed to meet a BIRN journalist in the city of Sanliurfa, popularly known as Urfa, in the far south-east of Turkey, near the Syrian border. He used to study architecture in Bosnia, and after returning to his home country, he set up a company in Urfa, a city of two million people. Photos posted on his social media accounts emphasise three main topics – his marriage to a Bosniak woman, the Grey Wolves’ activities in Bosnia and his closeness with the mayor of Urfa.

Searching through hundreds of photos on social media prior to the interview, BIRN managed to identify several members of the organisation and their activities.

BIRN’s research showed that Cakalli started out in his mission to create a Grey Wolves branch in Bosnia by making contacts with members of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, the main Bosniak nationalist party. The branch is now being run by younger people whose work he controls.

He maintains his political connections, however; he was among those who met the mayor of Sarajevo, Social Democratic Party (SDP) member Benjamina Karic, during her recent visit to Urfa.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3u8x0ej